Cursed

CHAPTER 7


“Thank you for your assistance, good persons.” The smiling monk bowed politely. “May the Buddha bless you with prosperity and good health.”

The group of farmers returned Miroku’s bow pleasantly enough but they couldn’t help but stare at his odd companions. The women seemed like normal humans, even if they were strangely dressed. Nervously, the farmers edged away from the two wild looking young men. Demons for sure, they murmured to each other. One of the demons actually smiled at them in what he obviously thought was a reassuring way, the other just glowered at them as if he’d like to eat them alive instead of letting them pass.

“Do you have to scare the piss out of everyone you meet?” Ranma asked in irritation.

“Bah, they’re just as scared of you as they are of me,” Inuyasha sneered. “Get used to it, punk. They’re scared of all demons, smiling at them doesn’t make any difference.”

“Excuse me, I’m not used to ordinary people recoiling in fear when they see me,” Ranma snapped. “Maybe you get a kick out of it, but I don’t like it.” They’d been traveling west for over a week now and every single peasant they’d met had either run away in fear or stood shaking in their sandals at the sight of him and Inuyasha. This party of farmers didn’t have the option of running away, he thought sourly. They were obviously taking produce and goods to market and didn’t want to abandon their handcarts to flee.

Miroku joined them. “The good news is that there’s a village up this road that will sell us supplies. The bad news is that it’s still two days travel away.” He grinned at the looks of annoyance on his companions’ faces. “We might as well camp here tonight.”

Inuyasha grunted. “No way, Miroku. There’s still at least three hours of daylight, no sense in wasting it.”

“The rest of us are tired,” Kagome said in a peevish voice. Akane nodded in agreement. “My feet are killing me,” she whispered to Sango. The pretty exterminator grinned. “You’ll adapt soon enough, Akane. I can tell already that you’re doing great for someone who’s not used to living out here in the wilds.”

“You guys are always tired,” Inuyasha said, full of youkai superiority. “I can go for days without needing a break.” Kagome rolled her eyes. “In that case, why don’t you go find us something fresh for dinner? I’m sick of rice and roots and you’ve obviously got the energy to burn.”

“Can I go with you, Inuyasha?” Shippo had jumped onto his shoulder. The hanyou grinned. “Well, you are pretty useless most of the time, but I guess even you could take down a rabbit. If it wasn’t in a fighting mood.” He glanced over at Ranma. “How about you, up for a little exercise?”

Ranma folded his arms. “I suppose. What did you have in mind?”

“Just keep up with me. If you can, that is.” Inuyasha turned suddenly and dashed away into the forest, Shippo squealing as he tried to stay on the half-demon’s back by clinging to his hair. Ranma hesitated for a second before following him, loping off into the woods finally like he wasn’t sure about the whole idea.

Akane watched him leave. “Are they going to be alright?” she asked Kagome. The girl shrugged as she started to unpack her supplies. “Probably, Inuyasha won’t kill him and leave him in the woods if that’s what you mean.”

The short haired girl knelt beside Kagome. “I know, but this is just so weird sometimes. Ranma’s not really acting like himself, he keeps looking over his shoulder like he’s expecting something to attack him. He’s not usually this nervous and jumpy.”

“Youkai instinct,” Sango said, starting to lay a fire. “That’s all it is. He’s not jumpy, Akane. He’s alert, it’s not necessarily a bad thing in this time.”

Akane considered her words. “I hadn’t thought about that. It must be really weird for him. Ranma says he can smell everything now, see better than he did before and hear things better also. It’s like all of his senses woke up at once, I guess I’d be pretty twitchy too.”

“It’s not his senses that concern me,” Miroku said seriously. He came to sit between Kagome and Akane. “I’m more concerned with his demon nature when it surfaces. Kagome was able to stop him once, but she might not be able to do so again. Your friend will need to control himself.”

Akane gazed at the ground sadly. “How can Ranma control something like that? He didn’t even seem to know how he was.”

Kagome nodded. “Miroku, it was just like Inuyasha’s rages, he didn’t seem to know who he was or even who he was hurting. I think he would have happily killed everyone in the house. I don’t know if was the shock of the demon blood awakening or some influence of the Shikon no Tama itself.”

“That’s a good point,” Miroku answered. The monk looked thoughtfully at the sky. “I guess we’ll just have to take it day by day until we find someone who can give him some answers.” He patted Akane on the back. “Don’t worry, we’re not going to abandon you or Ranma to deal with this alone.”

Akane smiled gratefully at the monk. “You’re so kind,” she began to say as his hand dropped to her rear. Her face flushed suddenly and Miroku grinned at her, firmly squeezing her butt, his eyes twinkling mischievously. “You hentai,” she breathed. Akane jerked away from him, pulled back her fist and knocked the monk cold.

“Bad move, houshi-sama,” Sango murmured, looking down at Miroku’s unconscious face. The pervert was actually still smiling.

Kagome giggled. “Sango, did I forget to mention that Akane also practices martial arts? It must have slipped my mind.”

*****

The deer paused, graceful neck turned towards him, sensing a predator nearby. His ears twitched, alert for the first sign of the animal’s panic. The deer’s scent was warm and rich in his nostrils, vital, alluring. The soft brown eyes scanned the underbrush, aware that it was being watched, the muscles tensed, its tawny skin shivering slightly. He crept closer, moving silently like the carnivore he was, lulling the forest creature in into disregarding his presence. A delicate hoof pawed the ground, the soft pink nostrils flared and the animal bolted right for him. Shippo shrieked as the deer jumped over him, hugging the ground.

Inuyasha sprang up from his hiding place, grabbing the deer’s head in his claws as it sprang and neatly breaking its neck. “Shippo, was that your idea of stalking?” he demanded. The hanyou looked disgustedly at him. “Shit, why didn’t you just wave a freaking sign around to tell it where you were? You call yourself mon?mon?”

“I’m a kitsune,” Shippo said angrily. “We don’t go after big game like deer. I told you that!” He kicked the ground. “Don’t jump all over me because you wanted me to do something I didn’t know how to do! I’m not a dog, you know.”

“You’re hardly a fox either,” Inuyasha snorted, grabbing the deer’s legs. “You gonna stand there or are you gonna help, Ranma?” The young youkai approached him. “You sure you aren’t going to bite my head off like you did Shippo?”

The half-demon ignored him. Ranma se one one of the deer’s legs and helped Inuyasha string it from a tree. “We don’t need all this,” he explained. “I’ll just cut off the best parts and we’ll haul them back. We’ll eat good for a couple days anyway.”

“Isn’t that kind of wasteful, leaving the carcass here to rot?” Ranma looked doubtfully at the large animal. “Naw, there’s plenty of creatures around here that will appreciate the free meal. Can’t you hear them coming now?”

Ranma listened hard. The sounds itched in his ears, rustling under his perception. He shook his head hard. “Whatever, I can’t make sense of it.”

“Idiot,” the hanyou muttered. “Stand back, these tend to bleed out pretty quick, but it gets messy.” He struck the carcass with his sharp claws, opening up the deer’s throat. A torrent of blood splattered on the ground.

“Ewwwww,” Shippo groaned, looking away. Inuyasha grinned nastily. “Didn’t think you had the stomach for it, runt.”

Ranma stared at the blood on the ground, fascinated. The dark pool under the deer glistened in the late afternoon sun, painting the green underbrush with crimson beauty. His nose twitched, alive with the thick smell of the hot blood and his mouth was starting to water. A strange rushing sensation filled his ears and he felt dizzy, as if he was floating out of his body.

“Hey!” Inuyasha was looking at him strangely. “You gonna puke or something?” The young demon started, looking at him as if called back from a deep gulf of awareness. He blinked and rubbed his face, his cheeks were hot and he was sweating in the cool forest.

“I’m fine,” Ranma said thickly. “I guessust ust need to sit down for a while.” His knees were weak and he leaned against the nearest tree, trying not smell the deer’s cooling body.
Inuyasha’s eyes had narrowed. “When’s the last time you had something to eat?”

Ranma glared at him. “Stupid question, I had breakfast with you this morning, don’t you remember? You threw a bowl at me when I asked you to pass me the water jug.” He spaced out again, a light breeze had caught him and the blood smell was again singing to his twitching senses. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard, something was wrong, he felt so strange and shaky.

“Yeah,” the hanyou said. He grabbed the kitsune and tossed him into the tree that the deer was hanging from. “Hey, what’s the big idea?”

“Just stay there, Shippo,” Inuyasha told him tersely. “Me and Ranma need to go for a little walk. You let anything take that deer and I’m going to make Kagome a cute little fur hat, you get my drift?”

“Where are we going?” Ranma said faintly. He was hardly aware that the hanyou had grabbed him roughly by his arm and was dragging him deeper into the trees. “Did you need to go back to camp or something?”

“No, that’s the last place I need to go,” Inuyasha snapped. He sniffed the air. “Good, not far away now. Ranma, you need to eat something right now. I can’t let you go back to Kagome and the others until you get this sorted out.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Ranma stopped and planted his feet, yanking his arm away. He still felt dizzily weak but not so much that he was about to let the half-demon yank him around like a rag doll. “What’s your problem anyway?”

“You’re my problem,” Inuyasha bit out. “You’re a damn youkai and you don’t know what’s happening inside you. Demons don’t eat human food, at least not all the time.”

Ranma stared at him. “You’re nuts, what the hell do we eat then?” Something moved behind him and Ranma’s body went still and tense. He turned slowly to see another deer, a huge buck this time, standing there and staring him down. The animal’s nose flared angrily and he pawed the ground like he was spoiling for a fight. He felt Inuyasha standing beside him and found his throat was tight. “What’s happening to me?” he whispered.

His body was alive in a way he’d never felt before. He approached the angry looking buck, feeling like he’d been put in some kind of sick trance. He wanted to kill it, wanted to very badly.

“Go on,” Inuyasha sounded tense. “Take him on. You’re a predator now and he knows it too. You’ve got to kill him to feed.”

“Feed?” Instincts were warring inside him, youkai and human psyche fighting each other for dominance. You should run away, he told the deer silently. You should go before I have to do this, I’m not a killer, not like this. Not like this. A heartbeat, two and he knew he’d lost the battle. Crying out incoherently, he attacked. The buck lowered its head to charge and gore him with the antlers. Ranma moved like lightning, jumping on top of the beast and shredding its back. The deer screamed in pain, frightened now, wanting to escape from the wild eyed demon that was sinking its claws into his flesh.

Ranma brought the buck down, savagely tearing at it, blood spurting everywhere. The hot taste got inside his mouth to drive him insane and he sank his teeth into the large artery in the throat. Warmth gushed out and Ranma felt sweet contentment wash over his body. He drank his fill, grateful to the buck for providing him with its life force. He knew it was more than just blood, more than just the pleasure of the kill. As the mighty animal’s heart slowed and faltered to a stop he felt something moving within him, some invisible undeniable strength poured from the dying animal. It was oxygen to a drowning man, it was god to a junkie. He took it inside him wordlessly and pushed himself away from the body.

He knelt there for a long time, his hair was hanging limp over his forehead and his eyes closed as if in prayer. Tears poured down his face and he drew in one shaking, gasping breath after another, hoping that his heart wouldn’t explode, it was pounding so hard he thought it could break out of his chest. His face twisted when he cn’t n’t endure it any longer and howl of despair burst from him like a dying man’s declaration.

Inuyasha sat nearby, not looking at him. He closed his eyes and tried to force back painful memories of his own. The sight was too raw, the pain Ranma felt too intense. With an effort, he forced himself to look at the young demon. “You’ll be okay, the pain goes in a few hours. By sunset, you’ll be able to make yourself think it didn’t happen. Tomorrow, you’ll even be able to pretend that you’re human like the others. Next time it comes, you’ll know what you have to do and you can make sure you’re alone. It’s easier to forget if you’re alone.”
*****

“Where the hell have you been? We’ve been worried sick!” Inuyasha scowled at Kagome’s words. “I told you, bitch. We were hunting, it just took longer than usual.”

By the time Ranma had fully recovered, it had been getting dark. The young youkai had gone off in search of water to wash away the blood and Inuyasha went to find Shippo, who was freaking out over being left in the woods.

“You left me here for over two hours,” the kitsune shouted, beating Inuyasha with his tiny fists. “I thought you’d died out there. Where’s Ranma? You didn’t kill him, did you? Kagome’s going to be really mad if you did, Akane’s her friend and she’s not going to like it if you killed Ranma.”

He batted the fox away. “Would you just shut up already? No one’s dead, got it? Some kitsune you are Shippo, panicking because you were left alone in the woods for a couple hours. That damn girl’s turned you into a freaking housecat, I’m surprised she hasn’t brought you a collar with a bell yet.”

Shippo pouted. “I’m not scared of being in the woods by myself, I can take care of myself just fine. I was just worried when you didn’t come back, okay? I was just about to go looking for you. I thought to myself, “Shippo, that stupid dog’s gone and got himself killed and now you have protect Kagome.”

“Like you can!” Inuyasha snapped, tearing off chunks of deer meat and stuffing them into a bag. “What are you gonna do if you ever do have to protect Kagome? You can’t even use those little claws of yours, you just use that illusion crap to save your ass when you don’t have anyone else to cover for you.”

“That’s not fair,” the fox bawled, stung by Inuyasha’s words. “I’m just a little guy, I’ve got to use whatever I can. When I’m bigger I’m going to fight like a real demon and I won’t need someone like you around at all. Me and Kagome will be just fine without you.”

“You think so?” Inuyasha said sarcastically. He looked over his shoulder at the kitsune and saw Ranma coming out of the woods, dripping wet but cleaner than he had been. “See Shippo, there’s Ranma. Looks like he’s not dead after all, sorry to disappoint you. The freak’s alive and well.”

“Ranma-chan!” Shippo cried joyfully, jumping up to land in the she-demon’s arms. “I’ve missed you!” Ranma blushed as Shippo nuzzled her lovingly. “Come on, runt, knock it off. It’s embarrassing.”

Inuyasha chuckled at Ranma’s discomfort. “Once Shippo decides he likes you, he’s kinda hard to shake.” The kitsune ignored him.
He cuddled closer, sniffing Ranma curiously. “You smell weird, what were you doing out there anyway?”

She shoved the kitsune away. “I wasn’t doing anything, you don’t know what you’re talking about.” Shippo looked up at her curiously. “You smell different now, not just because you’re female either. Kitsune have very sensitive noses, we’re not that far from dog-youkai for sensing smells. You smell more like a dog now too, kinda like Inuyasha only…” The fox’s eyes widened in disbelief and he rounded on Inuyasha. “You sick pervert!”

“What? What the fuck are you talking about?” Inuyasha looked baffled, shaking deer blood off his hands. “Shippo, did you hit your head again or something?”

The fox was shaking with rage. “What did you do to Ranma? I’ve always heard about what sickos dog-youkai were, but I really thought you were different. This is just wrong and you know it!”

Inuyasha seized him by the tail. “Shippo, you got exactly one second to start making sense or I get to start beating sense into you. What’s it gonna be? Are you accusing me of something?”

Ranma was also confused by the angry little fox. “Yeah kid, what do you think he did? I’m fine and I don’t smell anything weird either.” She really didn’t want to talk about what had happened in the woods, Inuyasha seemed willing to keep it quiet for now, it was something that humans couldn’t understand and she sure didn’t want the fox babbling to Akane about it.

Shippo gulped, looking at Inuyasha’s annoyed expression. “Then you didn’t, you know, mate with her?”

“WHHAAAT?” Inuyasha screeched. He hurled the fox into the nearest tree. “Are you nuts, what the fuck is wrong with you, Shippo? Where’d you ever get a sick, disgusting idea like that? He’s a GUY, you fucking moron!”

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Ranma muttered, heading for the brush. The stomach full of deer blood wasn’t setting easily inside her and now Shippo’s twisted little assumption was making her even queasier. Life just kept getting more fun all the time.

“I’m wrong?” Shippo asked, looking from Ranma’s pale face to Inuyasha’s outraged glare. He rubbed the huge lump on his head. “Ranma’s not a guy right now, and she’s so pretty. I just thought that maybe you liked her better this way.”

Inuyasha closed his eyes. The fox must die. “Shippo,” he said softly. “Come here.”

The kitsune backed away nervously. “Okay, I’m wrong, I’m wrong. Sorry about that, I must be talking to Miroku too much. I didn’t know any better. Oh, come on Inuyasha, it’s funny if you think about it, you and Ranma. HELP! Kagome! HELP ME! Ouch, stop it you stupid dog! Kagome, save me!”

*****

Kagome folded her arms and looked annoyed. “Are you sure you don’t want to tell me what took so long? Look at Shippo, he’s a mess. Did you use him for bait or something?” She picked up the bruised fox and stroked his hair. “Shippo?”

“I got nothing to say,” the kitsune said sullenly. It wasn’t the worst beating he’d ever received but it was definitely up there. Stupid dog could have killed him, might have anyway if Ranma hadn’t intervened and told Inuyasha they’d have hard time explaining Shippo’s death when they got back to Kagome. The half-demon was still fuming, every time those angry golden eyes met his, he got cold shivers down his spine.

“He ran into a tree,” Inuyasha said shortly. “Ask Ranma.” Kagome raised her eyebrows. Ranma was sitting next to the fire, heating some water to change back into his normal form. “Don’t think I won’t,” she snapped. “Ranma?”

“I didn’t see it, I fell in a creek,” the she-demon said, staring fixedly at the fire. Her gut was aching something fierce. “If Inuyasha says Shippo ran into a tree, I believe him.” Kagome made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat, watching as Ranma poured hot water over his head and changed back into a male demon. “Yeah, but how much help did he have in running into that tree?”

“At least you managed to bring some fresh meat back,” Kagome said, taking the package from Inuyasha. “I’ll get started on cooking it, tonight’s my night for kitchen duty anyway.”
“I’ll help you,” Akane said cheerfully. Ranma groaned loudly, bent over his abused digestive system. The girl glowered at him. “If that’s your attitude you don’t need to have any, a.” a.”

“First good news I’ve had all day,” he grunted. The youkai flopped onto his back, hoping Inuyasha hadn’t been bullshitting him about the pain going away soon. He thought about the feeling he’d had when the buck had died. For a moment, he’d felt the strength of the creature, its beauty and majesty, flowing into him in some indescribable way. It had felt, there was no other word for it, wonderful. It was like the buck’s soul had merged into his own. He sighed, one hand absently rubbing his stomach.

What kind of creature am I? Ranma thought. I killed and I fed on what I killed. I fed on that deer’s death, I devoured his soul. The idea made him uncomfortable, thinking of old movies about vampires and soul-stealing monsters. It hadn’t felt that way, it hadn’t felt like an evil thing to do. It had felt as natural as breathing, he and the buck were joined together, part of each other. He’d felt something like love for just a second, gratitude even to the animal whose death sustained him. He smiled bitterly. I’m a predator, he thought to himself. I’m a killing machine, that’s all it was. I slaughtered that buck to feed myself, hell I even got off on it. He winced, the idea was painful to admit even in the privacy of his own mind.

Ranma turned on his side, one arm curled under his head. He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds around him. The voices of his companions rose and fell around him. He isolated Akane’s voice, following the girl in his mind as she helped, or tried to help, Kagome with the cooking. Her laugh rang clear and he smiled at the sound. He could see her, although his eyes remained closed, she was shining in a light of her own. The warmth and vitality of her, her joyous eagerness in everything she did. I’m happy you’re here with me, he told her. I wasn’t sure before but I am now.

Maybe he was supposed to be like this. Ranma felt more alert inside his own body than he ever had before. He was faster, he was stronger, his senses were amazingly sharp. He had to admit, it was really pretty cool. Once he got used to the ears, the fangs, the bizarre red stripes that marked his cheeks. I can get used to this, he said to himself. Hell, I got used to turning into a girl, this isn’t so awful. There’s got to be worse things than being a demon.

END CHAPTER 7