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Japanese volcabulary:

jyaki: an evil youki (check chap 5 for definition of youki)

Hai: yes

taijiya: slayer

Name:

Kodokumo: spider child

Diclaimer: I don't own the Inuyasha characters. All rights go to Rumiko Takahashi. sigh. She has such a brilliant mind.

Claimer: I do own Sesshoumaru's father, Tia, Korogi, Tolkien, the healer woman, the demon in chap 1, the other demons i've made up, Hisoka, and whoever else I haven't mentioned that I made up. Now on to the story!

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Episode 12: A Slayer's Revenge

Miroku felt his sister's body go limp in his arms. He clutched her closer to him, still trembling.

"Awwww. How touching."

Miroku quickly whirled his head around to see the demon from before holding something glinting in her palm. Her brown eyes looked at him tauntingly while a smirk curved her lips.

"You," Miroku hissed, eyes narrowing.

Her smirk grew wider. "Yes, human, me."

"I'll kill you," he said, standing up, unsheathing his scythes.

"Mm," she thought," I don't think so. I don't have time to play around with you, human."

Miroku gritted his teeth. "I am no toy, demon."

"So you say," she smirked," but yet here I am toying with you."

Miroku clenched his jaw and glared.

"Now, I think that i've done enough damage for now," she said, turning away, smirking.

"No, wai-!"

But she had already dissapeared.

He stared at the spot where she had been and felt his fists clench, as he trembled in anger.

"I'll kill her," he hissed," I'll find her and i'll kill her. She'll pay for what she did. She will pay!"

He turned to leave but not before he turned once more to where his sister's body lay, and the bodies of his people.

"I'm sorry," he murmered," I'll come back to bury you after I avenge you."

And with that, he left to start his search for revenge.

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Sango walked down the road, the beads on her staff clacking against one another when she suddenly felt a stong jyaki, followed soon by a sharp pain. She stopped, wincing, and held the arm as the pain faded.

"How odd," she murmered.

'It happened again,' she thought,' I don't understand. Why am I feeling this pai-'

Her eyes widened. 'Wait a second! That jyaki! It felt powerful. Could it be?'

"Only one way to find," she murmered, as she headed in the direction that she had felt the powerful jyaki.

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Inuyasha, Kagome, and Kirara walked down the road when suddenly, Inuyasha froze, feeling a wave of nausea roll over him.

'Ugh,' he thought, clutching him stomach,' I feel like that time I caught the flu when I was six.'

"You feel it too?"

Inuyasha looked up to see Kagome standing still looking slightly to the left, ears trained foreward.

"What was that?" Inuyasha asked, letting go of his stomach.

"That," said Kagome," is called a jyaki and it seemed to be a pretty nasty one, too."

Inuyasha tried to conceal a shudder.

"It's him."

"Hm?" Inuyasha turned to look at Kirara.

She was standing stiff as a board, ruby eyes wide, with her black slits thinner than normal. Her tails were all fluffed up and arms were straight against her sides.

"Kirara?" he asked, concerned.

"Who?" asked Kagome, brows furrowed.

"Naraku," Kirara said, no more than a whisper.

Inuyasha's brows furrowed, as Kagome stiffened.

"So that," he said, turning in the direction, Kagome was turned," was Naraku?"

"No wonder the jyaki had such an evil air," Kagome said.

There was silence until Kagome said," Come on. We don't have all day."

Then she murmered," I'm going to kill that bastard."

"Mm," Kirara nodded, glaring in the direction, the jyaki had been," He'll die for taking my parents from me."

They headed in the direction the jyaki had come from when Inuyasha realized something.

"Kagome," he said," when we felt that jyaki, I also felt a shard."

"Heh," she said," All the better."

They continued to walk on, eventually coming to a forest. They headed inside and walked down the trail. Soon, they came to a bend in the road and saw a familiar figure.

"Sango?" said Inuyasha, as the figure turned.

Sango nodded. "So you felt the jyaki, too?"

"Mm," Inuyasha nodded," We're pretty sure it was Naraku."

"I agree," she said," I felt a pain shoot through my hand when the jyaki passed. I'm sure it's him."

"Hm," said Inuyasha.

Inuyasha suddenly noticed that Kagome was being extremely quiet and it wasn't because of Naraku.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Blood," she said, staring at the bend in the road," and death. I can smell it."

"Mm," Sango said," that isn't good but we should probably check it out."

Kagome nodded as they walked down the road and around the bend. But when they rounded it they stopped at the sight before them.

"Oh my god. . ." Inuyasha said, eyes wide.

Torn and bloodied bodies lay everywhere. Some had slashes on their chests and backs, their lives having ended quickly but some had been torn up so much they were barely recognizable. Glassy eyes stared lifelessly, seemingly watching the group outside the village gates. Men, women, even children were dead. The terrible shadow and silence of death filled the air, as the group looked around at the blood splattered earth.

Kagome gazed out at the dead bodies, used to this kind of thing. Sango's face was filled with remorse as she said a silent prayer. Kirara was like Kagome but she felt a little sad.

Kagome stared at the carnage, sniffing the air, trying to see if she could catch any scents over the scent of blood but caught a different scent. She turned to Inuyasha who she noticed looked a little pale. She sniffed and smelled sorrow and. . . . was that guilt?

Inuyasha meanwhile was lost in his thoughts as he stared at the lifeless eyes and bloody bodies.

'They're all dead,' Inuyasha thought,' I know I sensed a shard earlier. Rin said that demons would do anything to get the shards and I guess she was right. These people are all dead and it's my fault because I broke the Celestial jewel...'

Inuyasha suddenly felt guilt settle like a rock in the pit of his stomach and he felt a little sick.

"Inuyasha, are you okay?"

He snapped out of his thoughts as he turned to Kagome, suprised to see concern in her eyes.

"Yeah," he said," Don't worry...I'll be fine."

"You look as if you've never seen a demon slaughter before," said Sango," Is this true?"

Inuyasha was silent.

"We should go in," said Kagome," We might find clues on Naraku."

"I agree," Sango nodded.

Kagome stepped into the village with the others behind her.

Suddenly, they heard a rustling noise behind them as they quickly turned around. They stood still waiting. . . .

. . . when a tiny orange fox, no bigger than a kit, stepped out from the under brush with large emerald eyes, and a bushy tail.

"Oh," Inuyasha relaxed," It's just a little fox."

The fox demon stepped foreward, wide green eyes staring at the village and seemed to freeze as it took it all in. It stayed like that for a while, staring when it looked up at them and narrowed its eyes suspiciously.

"Hey," said Kirara, holding out a hand," It's okay. We're not going to hurt you."

The fox growled and stepped back. Blue flames started to lick at its paws when suddenly a small voice cried out.

"No, Shippo! It's okay! They're friends!"

A small cricket popped up, perched on the fox's head, and hopped over to Kagome, landing on her shoulder.

"Misstress Kagome, it's good to see you again!"

"Hi Korogi," said Inuyasha.

"Are you talking to a cricket?" asked Sango.

Kagome turned and said," Oh yeah. You don't know Korogi, do you?"

Sango shook her head.

"Okay," said Kagome," Korogi, Sango. Sango, Korogi."

"Pleased to meet you," said Korogi," any friend of Mistress Kagome is a friend of mine."

Kagome snorted and muttered," Who said she was my friend?"

"So what are you doing here, Korogi?" Inuyasha asked.

"Oh!" said Korogi," Well, I was just traveling when I came across Shippo who was returning to the village where his master was. Shippo had been off somewhere for a few days and now he needed to return, so I decided to tag along. I'd wanted to see the demon slayers' village."

"Well, you're out of luck," said Kagome," The village was destroyed and we think it might of been Naraku."

There was a little whimper from below them. They looked and saw Shippo staring at the remains of the village, sadly.

"Aw," said Kirara, walking over to Shippo and picking him up," It's okay. I know how you feel right now."

Shippo curled up in her arms, and looked up at her questioningly.

"I lost my parents to Naraku," she said.

Shippo licked her hand and layed his head on his paws. Kirara smiled at him.

Korogi smiled before turning back to Kagome. "So, you were saying you think it might of been Naraku who destroyed the village?"

"Yeah," she said," We sensed a powerful jyaki earlier which Kirara identified as Naraku's and Inuyasha sensed a jewel shard."

"Plus," said Sango," I felt a pain shoot up my arm and that only happens when Naraku is close."

"Hm," said Korogi," you wouldn't happen to be of the family of the cursed monks would you?"

Sango looked suprised. "Why yes. Naraku cursed my grandfather."

"I believe i've heard of the family of monks with the. . . dark curse, was it?"

"Hai."

Korogi seemed to look thoughtful. "Hm...."

"I think we should go check out the village now," said Kagome, agitatedly.

"Oh yes," said Korogi, snapping from her thoughts," You're quite right, Mistress Kagome. Lead the way."

"Hmph," she said, as she walked through the gates, the others trailing along behind.

"You know," said Sango," We should probably bury them. It'd be the honorable thing to do."

Kagome stopped and looked around.

"You're probably right," she said, grudgingly.

"Then, let's get to it," said Sango.

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After a long while, they had finally found all of the bodies, (or what was left of most of them) and buried them.

Kagome leaned on her shovel and looked around.

"There. We're done," she said, then to Sango," You happy now?"

"Yes," said Sango, her own shovel in hand, as she prayed at the last grave," and so are their souls. Thank you, Kagome."

Kagome darted her eyes away and was silent.

Inuyasha was sitting on the ground, his shovel laying beside him, as he stared at the mounds. Kirara had picked some flowers and layed them down on each grave.

'I hope they really are happy despite how they died,' he thought.

"Come on," said Kagome," All this digging has made me starving. Hey, Inuyasha, you got anymore those 'sand-witches?'"

Inuyasha sighed, rolling his eyes, as he stood, picking up the shovel. "For the last time, Kagome, they're not sand-witches, they're sandwiches."

"Whatever," said Kagome," same thing."

Inuyasha shook his head and sighed as he walked away from the graves and towards the huts.

"Hey!" said Kagome," Get back here! You never answered me!"

"What is this 'sand-witch?'" asked Sango, curiously.

"They are only the best food in the whole world," Kagome replied.

Inuyasha felt a smile curve his lips as Kagome continued on. 'It's nice to have a bit of normalcy when you're feeling guilty even if it's just Kagome worshipping sandwiches.'

Inuyasha had to laugh at that.

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Miroku staggered through the under brush, blood dripping from the wound on his chest. It hadn't been a fatal wound but the continuous bleeding was making him weak. Plus, the fact that it was giving him sharp pains wasn't helping the matter. The continuous bleeding was very odd seeing as it should of healed by now.

'That demon must have had something in her claws to cause this. I must keep going,' he thought,' I have to find and kill that demon. She will die.'

Miroku suddenly tripped over a root that had appeared before his feet and collapsed to the ground. He struggled to lift himself up.

"I can't stop now," he rasped," I can't let a little flesh wound hold me back."

'I have to continue. For the villagers and Kanna.'

A pair of bare feet stepped into his line of view, the hem of a dark cloak reaching the ankles. Miroku lifted his gaze to a figure with their face hidden in the shadow of a hood.

"You poor thing. You look like you're on your death bed," a soft voice spoke.

Miroku clenched his jaw. "I will not die yet. I have not yet avenged my people and my sister."

The person clucked their tongue. "You have a very determined yet stubborn air about you.... I admire that."

"Who... are you?" he asked.

"My name is of no true importance but you may call me Kodokumo," they replied.

"Spider child," he murmered," Intreasting."

"Indeed, it is," they said," Now, you say you wish to avenge your people yet you can not even stand."

Miroku was silent.

"I can help you with that," they said.

Miroku watched as the figure reached into their cloak and pulled out something blue and glinting. Miroku's eyes widened as recognition struck.

'That's the same kind of shard I gave Kanna.'

"Where did you get that?"

"Oh," said the figure," I just found it laying around..."

"How will that help me?" Miroku asked, brows furrowed.

"Take it and see," they said.

Miroku stared undecidedly at the shard.

"You do want to avenge your people, do you not?"

Miroku started to waver.

"Don't you wish to avenge your sister or do you truly not care about her?"

That did it. Miroku reached out for the shard, grasping it in his fingers. Miroku stared at it.

"What do I do with it?" he asked.

"Allow me," the figure said, reaching out their hand.

Miroku complied and watched as the figure kneeled down and walked to his side.

"Now, this will only take a second," the figure said.

They placed the shard on Miroku's back and pressed down, as the shard emitted a blue light, engulfing Miroku's back.

Miroku slowly felt the pain dissapearing, replaced with strength. He pushed himself up to his knees before pulling himself up, wide eyed.

"Amazing," Miroku murmered," I had no idea..."

"Yes," said the figure," It is quite remarkable, isn't it?"

"Yes," Miroku nodded.

He turned to the figure. "I am indebuted to you. How may I repay you?"

"I only ask one favor," they replied," but first I wish for you to know something. I know the demon you seek and like you, I want her dead. Her name is Kagome and she and her companions will try to take the shard from you. You do not want them to do that and you must also know that they are not afraid to lie to you. They will try to tell you that their intentions are good but you must know that they are only trying to trick you. Kagome is a crafty one."

"I understand," said Miroku," now what is this favor you ask of me?"

"When you have defeated Kagome," they said," I wish for you to return to me."

"How will I know where you are?" he asked.

The figure reached into their kimono and pulled out a sphere seemingly made out of white silken strands wound togeather.

"When you have completed your mission," they said," throw this to the ground and you will be guided."

Miroku nodded, taking the sphere from their hand. "Thank you. I am eternally grateful."

The figure nodded. "You should also know that Kagome, the one who destroyed your village and killed you people, has returned to the scene of her crime."

Miroku's eyes widened before blazing with fury.

"How dare she," he seethed," She will surely die by my hands."

"Then you must leave."

Miroku nodded and walked off.

'Soon,' the figure smirked,' The taijiya will be sure that you finally meet your doom.... Kagome.'