FicWad

(Bows to Nightstalker)

KURAMA: Alright, I'll drop the restraining order, but you must retrieve every one of those illegal images. I want the negatives.

Okay.

KURAMA: And every stitch of clothing that you've stolen.

Umm...

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"Kagura!"

The wolf boy?

She fought down the eddies in her heart. It didn't disrupt the plan. It only meant that there would be two more jewel shards for her to collect.

"Get out of the way, wolf turd!"

"This bitch is mine, Inu-koro! She slaughtered my kin!"

Kagura chuckled softly. Was he still upset about that? She clicked her fan to one side and a well-timed volley knocked both demons tumbling in the brush.

"You two should pay more attention!" she admonished. No, she could definitely handle two ruffian dog-warriors instead of one.

"Inuyasha!"

Ah? Yes, the girl with the sacred arrows. Kagura allowed herself a tight smirk. Even with a full quiver on her back, the girl's mortal eyes were next to useless in this limited light.

The wolf demon flipped to his feet. Kagura felt her fingers shift on the bones of her fan.

"Ready to play with me now?" she called out, face lighting in a memory, "Let's see if you're as good of a dancer as your friends!"

Kouga roared something that might have been her name and leaped.

It was seamless, the way he drew the Shikon's power into his own. The wolf demon's movements were so smooth that Kagura almost missed how fast he was really moving. Kagura ducked away in time for the sleeve of her robe to slap his face. Kouga snarled and lunged again.

And all before the half-dog could get up off his knees. Kagura felt the air churn around her and smiled darkly. So much for the wind scar. If Inuyasha wanted her blood, he'd have to draw it with his nails on her skin.

"Stay where you are, Kagome!" came an oddly double-throated shout. Kagura frowned. Kouga paused in his assault.

"Quit copying me, dog breath!"

"Quit copying me!"

Of all the... Kagura narrowed her eyes and sent them each a blast of the wind blades.

She'd forgotten how much fun this could be! It had been so long since Naraku had let her off that damned short leash.

"Bitch!" Kouga recovered quickly and came for her throat. Kagura drove the winds again and forced him back.

Kagura's eyes flicked to the gleaming glass at the arrow-girl's throat.

...how much time was left until dawn?

"A good thing help is coming," the wind sorceress smiled and readied her next blast.

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"That Kouga guy is right! We should go help!"

"You're staying here!" they shouted at once.

Miroku looked up at Sango. She blushed a bit, but didn't turn her eyes away.

"But I can-"

"Stay out of the way this time, Hojo-san."

"No! I'm going to help!"

"You can't help," Miroku abandoned diplomacy. There was no time for coddling.

"I can bring Higurashi's bow; she'll need it," Hojo countered. "And I've got this thing," he stuck a thumb under the cord at his throat. "I don't know if it's any good, but-"

"Listen to me, Hojo!" Miroku grasped the front of the boy's shirt. He paused for only a second. What could he tell this stupid kid to make him sit on his fucking ass for once? He has not the wit to stay alive. What the hell is this moron afraid of?

"But I get this chill in my heart! Like someone's walking over my grave!"

"Where Higurashi and I are from, there aren't any. Where'd they all go?"

A memory came back... A cavern with Midoriko's stone shell, and the words of a brave woman he'd barely met.

"You wanted to know why there are so many demons in this land? They came with the wars, with the shedding of human blood; they feed on death!"

"They do?" Hojo blinked, shoulders going straight. "That almost makes sense; I think I-"


Miroku lashed out with his staff and rapped the boy on the forehead. Hard. Hojo landed on his back in the dust.

"Houshi-sama!"

He didn't look up, "I promise Sango," he told her, "that you may strike me all you wish once our friends are safe. Now-" he snatched the lamp from off the table.

Sango's eyes lingered on Hojo for a moment, but at last she nodded gravely.

"You may need to come with us after all, Shippo. We'll need more light," he told the kitsune as they moved. "Can you manage?"

"Uh huh..." the kit's voice was thin. "Is it really Naraku up there?"

"We'll see soon, won't we?" Miroku cast his eyes down on the unconscious Hojo. The boy's face had shown a glint of intelligence during the split-second before the monk had hit him. ...almost as if he'd figured out some great puzzle.

And why does THAT thought disturb me? /He shook it off as Sango swung hiraikotsu onto her shoulder and headed hard after Kouga. /I dearly hope that was enough to occupy him for a while, he thought, struggling to keep up, If he interferes again, he might-

Hiraikotsu snagged and the shoulder of Sango's yukata began to tear.

HEL-lo...

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"Shippo, again!"

The tiny kitsune was trembling like a leaf.

"Shippo!" she heard Kagome whisper.

"Fox fire!"

The flare came just in time, and Sango pulled hiraikotsu cleanly from the air and sent it sailing off again, blinking back spots. This way of fighting was beyond foolhardy, but it was better than getting sliced in two by her own weapon.

A pity these cursed beasts couldn't be blinded. ...at least not more than they were already.

At her elbow, Inuyasha gave another snarl, and Sango couldn't blame him. They'd gotten turned around so many times that she could barely tell which direction led back to the village, and even with Inuyasha, Miroku, Kirara and herself forming a loose ring around Kagome and Shippo, there had been too many near-misses. The creatures struggled and lurched for the jewel shards at her throat with a single-mindedness that reflected no pain, fear, thought or self.

And they weren't the only ones.

"Wench!" Kouga all but shrieked as another of Kagura's minions blocked his claws. "Stop hiding behind these reeking worms!"

If the wind demoness had an answer, it was lost in the snarling yell off to her left. Sango half-dove to the side to avoid the mess of blade and fangs as Inuyasha lunged in front of her and struck the snake demon's head from its body.

Bad enough that the giant serpents moved like air on earth, bad enough that their scales could turn a blade, bad enough that their scent made Inuyasha and Kouga gag-

With a wail from the unnatural wind, the creature's head reattached itself to the neck and reared back as the whiplike tail lashed and drew blood.

"Fox fire!" The world flared back to life in time for Sango to catch her weapon and send it off again, at Kagura this time.

The elemental's eyes flashed and one dark-scaled demon sent hiraikotsu spinning off into the lethal air. Sango stifled a curse and drew her blade, blinking as the uncanny light faded.

It seemed that dead serpent youkai were easier to control than dead wolves.

"Give me the jewel shards," called Kagura, "and I will let you leave alive."

"Never, bitch!" answered Kouga from somewhere off to the right. There was a scrape of wolf-claws against scales, a rush of air and another laugh from the wind sorceress.

"Who do you think you're speaking for, wimpy wolf?!"

"Inuyasha," Miroku answered from behind them, "perhaps this is not the best time to-"

"They failed to take the shards from you when they were alive," the voice floated out of the turbulent air; they won't now that I guide them with my own hand."

"Then Naraku did set this trap?" Miroku accused as he strained against his staff. Sango half-shook her head. Something about it didn't ring true...

"Fox fire!" Shippo sent up another plume, and Sango saw a darkness flash across the elemental's face.

"Give me the shards!"

Something began to stir in her mind. Kagura, Naraku, the four resurrected snake demons...

"Go back to your master, wench!" hissed Kouga. "If you can still move!"

Shippo gave a gasp and the light died. The taijiya sucked in a breath and turned her head uselessly toward the battling demons. There was a yowl from Kirara and a sound of cloth tearing, and-

"Sango!" called Inuyasha.

The breath shot out of her lungs as she felt her body hit the earth. Something gave an evil crack.

"Fox fire!"

The exterminator shifted to roll back to her feet, taking in as much as she could. Kagura was clutching her sleeve and glaring at the snarling Kouga. Miroku still struggled with the snake against his staff. Kagome was holding Shippo as he struggled to keep the area lit. Inuyasha was staring down at her, and she-

Sango held back bile as the motion jarred her left arm.

The dog demon turned away to beat back the poison-scaled serpent.

Gods... It... It could have been my neck... Sango stared down at the two smoking gashes in her skin. Hold together, she told herself, it was not my sword arm; I can still-

"Higurashi?"

The world stopped.

There he was. There the wide-faced stupid fool was, carrying Kagome's quiver, not ten feet away from the violent hell-beast of Naraku's making.

"Hojo?" breathed Kagome.

"Hojo-san!"

"What the fuck?"

"Fucking goddamn moron shit-for-brains son of a-" the monk cut off at Sango's stare.

"Higurashi, I think I know why the-"

A hand closed around a throat and Hojo's feet lifted off the ground, his own bodyweight pressing on the blood vessels in his neck.

Sango could hear some sound come from the girl behind her, and knew they were words, but...

"You came to the wrong place, human," for some reason, she could hear Kagura just fine. "Any last words, fool?"

Hojo seemed to gulp and actually nodded.

Sango's heart seized. What is he..?

"Your-" Hojo's first word caught in Kagura's fist as he met the demoness, unblinking. "Your world's going to end."

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KURAMA: What is it?

Um...

KURAMA: What did you do with my garments? Sell them on eBay again?

No.

KURAMA: Give them to another one of your stability-challenged friends?

No.

KURAMA: Use them to train kitsune-cidal demonhounds?

That would work?

KURAMA: No.

Okay. ...no.