Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters associated with the anime/manga. However, Azaun belongs solely to me.
Deep in the Night
Kagome clung to Inuyasha's back as he bounded through the field.
They had been on their way back to Kaede's village after hunting shards of the Shikon no Tama, when suddenly they had all sensed a powerful demonic aura. Inuyasha had grabbed Kagome, Shippo and Miroku joining Sango on Kilala's back, and they had rushed towards the source of the aura.
Kagome felt a flicker of nervous anticipation dance in her stomach as they neared the demon. It was a powerful demonic aura—powerful enough to be Naraku's. This just might be their chance to destroy the demon once and for all.
"Inuyasha!" Sango suddenly shouted in warning.
"Yeah, I know," the hanyou replied, his tone grim.
"What is it?" Kagome asked worriedly as Inuyasha sprung over a creek and ran on.
"The demonic aura is actually the auras of a bunch of demons—not just one."
Meaning it wasn't Naraku's. But it could be one of Naraku's traps.
Suddenly, Kagome could hear screams and shouts in the distance. As they approached the borderline of a small forest, she glimpsed movement to their left.
"Inuyasha!" she shouted, pointing.
Out of the trees a couple hundred yards away, a white blur shot into the view. Right behind it came demons. Almost a dozen of them, all shapes and sizes. Kagome's eyes widened as she realized that the demons were chasing the white thing.
Inuyasha swerved, speeding towards the demons. As they watched, the white shape—another demon—shot skywards. The other demons, with bloodthirsty howls, leaped after it. The white demon dodged, but it was too slow. One of the others demons smashed into it in midair, sending it crashing to the ground.
Inuyasha whipped out the Tetsusaiga—Kagome still on his back—as the other demons moved in for the kill.
"Wind Scar!" Inuyasha bellowed, slashing the air with his sword in mid-leap and unleashing Tetsusaiga's power.
With shouts of alarm, the demons all leaped away, evading the hanyou's attack.
Inuyasha skidded to a stop thirty paces away from the gang of demons, letting Kagome slide off his back. Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kilala came up beside her.
"What the hell is going on here?" Inuyasha demanded with his usual diplomacy.
"Do not interfere, half-breed!" one of the demons, an ogre, snarled threateningly. "This is none of your business."
"Well, I'm making it my business," Inuyasha growled back. "Who are you trying to kill?"
"Stay out of this!" a second demon—this one some kind of lizard—hissed. "We have been hunting this one for three weeks. We will not allow it to escape!"
"Why are you hunting it?" Miroku asked.
"Foolish humans, mind your own business!" the first demon roared furiously. "This does not concern you! We will kill the kyuuketsuki and—"
The demon broke off abruptly as his throat burst open in a spray of blood. The head and half the shaft of an arrow jutted from his ruined neck. He stood for a moment longer, then crumpled to the ground.
The white demon stood calmly behind his would-be executioners. He drew back a second arrow and let it fly, putting it through the throat of the second demon to have spoken.
The remaining demons screamed in rage and lunged for the white demon, but he leaped nimbly skyward, spreading his elegant, feathered wings. He nocked three arrows on his bow at once and fired. Three demons fell.
Kagome stared. Inuyasha and the others stared. The winged demon fired three more times in quick succession even as he flew higher to avoid the clumsy attacks of his pursuers. The demons died.
When the last one crashed to the ground, the winged demon swept smoothly towards them, landing lightly ten paces away.
Kagome stared more.
A tall, slender body was draped in white silks, his kimono and hakama accented with gold embroidery. A golden sash was tied around his waist, the ties hanging down over one hip. His long, golden blond hair shone and shimmered like sunlight, falling in a silky wave to his waist. His face was exotically perfect, with high cheekbones, a delicate nose and lips, and the bluest eyes she had ever seen. His magnificent white wings, with soft, curving feathers, were tucked up against his back. There was no sign of a bow or quiver, but that didn't bother her. It was just another aspect of his dazzling magic, his luminescent wonder.
He was the most beautiful creature she had ever seen.
"An angel," she breathed, hopelessly spellbound by his beauty.
Inuyasha glanced at her, his expression questioning, before he turned back to the winged creature.
"Tell me, demon, what did you do to earn yourself a personal hunting party?" the hanyou asked coldly.
The luminous being smiled graciously. "I committed no crime but that of existence," he said softly, his smooth voice rippling and lilting through Kagome like a beautiful song. "They wished to kill me for what I am."
"And what are you?" Miroku asked, staring at the demon with wonder bordering on awe.
The creature shrugged elegantly. "As the demon said, I am a kyuuketsuki."
Kagome was at a total blank for what that might be, but she didn't care. He was so beautiful she could just stare at him forever.
The creature—she just couldn't think of anything so amazingly perfect and exquisitely beautiful as a demon—smiled again and gave them a graceful bow.
"Your selfless acts of bravery have surely saved me from death. I am forever in your debt."
Inuyasha snorted. He seemed to be the only one not completely taken with the majestic spirit standing before them. "It was nothing," he said gruffly, already turning away. "All we did was shout at them. You killed them."
"True," the being agreed, "but it was by your timely arrival that I was able to do so. Please, is there some way I can repay you all?"
Inuyasha looked back over his shoulder at the winged creature, opening his mouth to reply, but, surprisingly, it was Sango who spoke.
"Perhaps," she said shyly, blushing slightly, "you might want to come with us back to our village. If it's not too much trouble," she added quickly.
The being looked pleased. "I would be honoured," he replied with another heart-stopping smile. "My name is Azaun."
"How's that?" Inuyasha muttered with a frown.
The being smiled tolerantly. "Ah-za-oon."
"Azaun," Kagome repeated softly, the name flowing over her like a soft summer breeze. She smiled at the kyuuketsuki. "I'm Kagome. This is Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kilala. Azaun, we are honoured that you would come to our village."
He smiled, and Kagome could actually feel her bones melt. Azaun's presence just made her feel warm and peaceful inside. It was like she drowning in wonder. If there were such things as angels, he was truly one.
Inuyasha knelt in front of her, offering his back. The hanyou stood, Kagome once again clinging to his shoulders, and they waited for Sango, Miroku, and Shippo to mount Kilala.
Azaun smiled. "Lead the way," he said with a gracious flourish of one elegant hand.
Inuyasha sprang forward, Kilala one step behind him. Kagome looked over her shoulder just in time to see Azaun spread his majestic wings and leap into the sky with one powerful sweep. He soared over them, gliding easily above their heads. Framed against the late afternoon sun, his white wings were bathed in a fiery orange glow as he flew above them. His every movement was one of perfect grace and beauty. Kagome watched him with unabashed wonder, everything else fading from her thoughts.
Inuyasha stopped. Kagome blinked and looked around, abruptly realizing that they were back. Huts surrounded them on every side, and there was Kaede walking towards them with a basket of herbs in one hand.
Then Azaun landed gracefully beside her and Inuyasha.
Kaede froze, staring. The villagers stopped where they were, staring.
Azaun folded his wings with another tolerant smile. He looked at Kagome, his brilliant azure eyes seemingly to look into her very soul.
Kagome slid off Inuyasha's back, surprised to find her legs somewhat wobbly. She turned to Kaede.
"As you can see," she said, finally drawing the old woman's attention, "we brought a new friend back with us. Perhaps we could, uh, go inside for tea, maybe?"
Kaede glanced around at the gawking villagers, then nodded. "Aye, let us retire to my hut."
A few minutes later, they were all seated around Kaede's fire, sipping tea. Kagome sat on Azaun's left side, Sango on his right. Inuyasha was sitting moodily on Kagome's other side. Miroku was eyeing the distance between Azaun and Sango from the slayer's opposite side. Kaede was watching the winged creature inquiringly.
"So, ye be a kyuuketsuki, ye say?"
Azaun nodded.
"And what, if I might ask ye, is a kyuuketsuki?"
The being smiled and shrugged dismissively. "It is simply the name of the demon breed that I am. As Inuyasha is a dog demon, and Shippo is a fox demon, I am a kyuuketsuki demon."
Kaede was frowning. "That word, 'kyuuketsuki', sounds unaccountably familiar. I am sure I have heard it somewhere before."
Azaun shrugged gracefully again. "Perhaps." He turned to look at Kagome. She felt a nervous flutter deep in her stomach as his dazzling blue eyes connected with hers. "Kagome, am I most curious to see more of the village. It is not often a demon such as I is welcomed among humans."
She smiled brilliantly at him. "Would you like me to show you around? The sun hasn't quite set yet."
As she and Azaun left the hut, Kagome heard Inuyasha's irritated voice behind her.
"What is it with you humans and that guy? He's just a demon."
As Kagome turned to study the profile of Azaun's face, she couldn't help but silently disagree with the hanyou. Azaun wasn't just a demon. He was so much more.
The village wasn't a large one, and she showed her guest every inch of it in less that an hour. Desperate to keep Azaun to herself for a little longer, she gestured to the forest.
"Would you like to see the Bone Eater's Well?" she asked. "It's just in the forest a ways."
"The Bone Eater's Well?" Azaun asked curiously. "That sounds intriguing."
Kagome smiled and took his hand, leading him away from the village. Little butterflies of nervous delight fluttered in her stomach as Azaun's soft fingers closed lightly around hers. She gazed up adoringly at his beautiful face and smiled.
He smiled back, and Kagome nearly collapsed from pleasure. Then he looked questioningly at the path ahead of them.
Kagome confidently led them through the trees. In a couple of minutes, they stepped into the clearing that contained the Bone Eater's Well. The setting sun was a fiery half-orb in the distance as it slowly dipped below the trees. Kagome led Azaun over to the well.
"This is it," she replied, gesturing with her free hand.
But Azaun wasn't looking at the well. He was watching her, his gaze roaming over her face, his eyes like maelstroms of the bluest sky. Kagome's heart thumped against her ribs, and suddenly it was hard to breathe. Azaun shifted slightly, turning the face her, and Kagome became acutely aware of the heat of his body so close.
"Kagome," he murmured softly, lifting their entwined fingers. He pressed his lips lightly to the back of her hand. "Kagome, do you know how beautiful you are?" he whispered.
She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. She could only stare into his eyes as he shifted closer, his free hand wrapping gently around her waist to draw her up against his firm chest.
Her heart thumped harder as she dizzily noted to feel of him against her. He pressed the back of her hand to his cheek as he leaned closer. His skin was so smooth and warm.
"Kagome . . ." he murmured.
She was drowning. It was ecstasy. She found herself leaning into him, tipping her face up to his. Her lips parted, and she nervously licked them.
Azaun's eyes caressed her face, finally coming to rest on her mouth. His hand gently rubbed the small of her back, sending shivers up her spine. He pressed her hand against her cheek before releasing it to wrap his other arm around her upper back. He pulled her closer.
He leaned forward and his soft lips brushed hers. Kagome was melting inside. She pushed against him, rising up on her tiptoes.
"Azaun," she moaned, her voice filled with yearning.
The winged being smiled softly and leaned forward, capturing her lips with his. He sucked gently, sending shivers rocketing down Kagome's spine. She pressed herself into him, needing to feel him, needing him.
Azaun pulled back slightly, and teasingly nipped her bottom lip. Then his mouth was pressed against her chin, his lips and tongue caressing her skin. She moaned again, tipping her head back as he trailed light, teasing kisses up her jaw. He gently nibbled on her earlobe.
"Ah, Kagome," he breathed in her ear, "you are everything I could ever want."
She shivered in delight as his words, and then he was kissing his way down her neck. His hands slid over her back, leaving burning trails of fiery desire over her skin. His lips found the soft spot under her jaw where her flesh pulsed with the beat of her heart. He sucked gently, sending waves of pleasure exploding through her.
The sun blazed brightly for one last moment before sinking beneath the horizon. Darkness fell over them.
And then Azaun's teeth sank into her neck.
Kagome let out a squeak of pain and surprise. She twisted, but Azaun held her tight to him as he closed his mouth over the wound.
For a dizzying moment, the world spun crazily, and then Kagome slammed back into herself.
She screamed at the top of her lungs, struggling frantically, but the demon had her right where he wanted her. His arms crushed her against him, no longer gentle. His teeth held her neck while he kept his mouth tight over the wound in her neck.
She twisted and tried to scratch him, to bite him, to kick him, to do something to free herself, but nothing she did made the slightest difference. She was completely overpowered. His arms and wings were wrapped around her, pinning her tightly to him. She could barely even breathe.
As the world began to dim and her thoughts fuzzed, she cursed herself for a fool. She had been so bedazzled by Azaun's beauty and charm, so enraptured by his presence, that she had forgotten the most important thing: he was a demon.
He had already killed. She had watched him calmly murder a dozen demons with ease. Yet she had let him lead her around like a blind fool, like a gullible child, luring her away from the safety of the village and Inuyasha.
A flare of bitterness caused tears to prick her eyes. No, he hadn't lured her. She had led him here. It had been her idea. And then, when he started to make his move on her, she had stood there dumbly, like a love struck adolescent.
She suddenly realized that she was slumped weakly against the demon's chest. She could feel the warm blood running down her neck to soak the collar of her blouse. As Azaun's grip on her relaxed, she summoned up the vestiges of her strength and flung herself away from him.
She landed hard on her backside, her legs unable to support her. Fear clawing at her heart, she looked up at the demon—
—and gasped.
His wings were dark, the feathers as black as night. His gorgeous blond hair had darkened to the colour of dried blood. His clothes had morphed from white to the darkest ebony, the golden embroidery and sash now blood-red. A long, scaled tail swished idly behind him, the end tipped with a wickedly curved, reversed triangle. Eyes as black as obsidian watched her with sadistic amusement, the whites glowing red with demonic power.
"Whatever is the matter, Kagome?" he asked, eyeing her curiously as though slightly puzzled, his voice deeper and darker than before. "Don't you want me anymore?"
She began to tremble. He had transformed from angel to devil, but he was still beautiful. Still so very beautiful.
And she could still feel the pull of that beauty.
"You—you put me a spell on me, didn't you?" she demanded, half terrified, half infuriated.
The demon smiled generously, revealing long, pointed fangs. "If it makes you feel better to think that, then go right ahead, Kagome."
Kagome dug her heels into the ground and scuttled backwards away from him.
Suddenly he advanced on her, his movements still filled with grace—predatory grace she had been too befuddled to recognize earlier for what it was. The demon knelt down beside her, smiling kindly. She cowered back from him.
"What's the matter, Kagome?" he asked gently. "Don't you want to finish what we've begun?" He leaned closer. "Your blood is so pure, so delicious, so powerful. From the moment I saw you, I knew I couldn't rest until I had tasted you."
Kagome pushed herself back another foot. "What are you?" she demanded fearfully.
Azaun shook his head sadly, as thought pitying her blindness. "I already told you, Kagome. I am a kyuuketsuki. Don't you see? Because you inadvertently saved my life, I was merciful. I gave you plenty of warning, and even went so far as to tell you right out what I am." His smiled softly and patted her arm sympathetically. "It's really not my fault that you didn't know what that meant."
She cringed away from his touch. "Why did you change?" she asked, trying to buy time while her mind raced.
Azaun's expression shifted to one of compassion. "Poor little girl," he murmured. "Are you afraid? I will tell you then, to put your mind at rest. I revert to my true form at night, you see. During the day, the sunlight diminishes my power, and I change form to conserve my strength. The sun would positively burn me if I stayed like this, don't you think? But at night," he smiled, "at night, my power is infinite."
Kagome swallowed hard, her heart pounding for a different reason now.
Azaun's smile was a gentle mockery. "But don't worry, Kagome. Only sunlight hurts me, not other kinds of light, so, until morning, no one can stop me." He moved closer to her, one hand reaching out to softly stroke her cheek. "No one will be able to come between us."
Kagome whimpered, her eyes searching the dark clearing. Where was Inuyasha? Why hadn't he come?
Azaun smiled benignly. "Now, Kagome, dearest, you weren't thinking of calling for help, were you? That would be very selfish of you. If your friends come, I will have to kill them. It would be your fault that they had to die, and it would be yet another burden on both of us. You don't want that, do you?"
Kagome clenched down on a wave of panic. "Inuyasha will kill you!" she spat defiantly.
Azaun shook his head mournfully. "The half-breed? No, Kagome, he could not defeat me, even with that demon sword of his." He smiled indulgently. "But if it pleases you to believe so, I shall not dispute it with you."
Kagome stared at the demon. He was twisted. He was going to kill her, had threatened to kill her friends, and yet he acted as though he was her friend. He was toying with her mind, and enjoying every minute of it.
Azaun's hand suddenly closed around her arm, pulling her to her feet. She wobbled for a moment before the demon steadied her with a gentle hand under her elbow.
"Now, Kagome," he said kindly, "where would you like to go so we may finish what we've begun? I would like you to be pleased with your final resting place."
She stared at him. He continued to smile at her, his dark eyes full of apparent sincerity.
And then her gaze caught on the Bone Eater's Well.
She snapped her eyes back to Azaun's coldly beautiful face. "Um, well," she said shakily, turning to stare at the dark horizon as though thinking. "There is one place."
And then she leaped for the well. She saw a flash of dark movement but didn't stop to see Azaun spring after her. She leaped over the side of the well.
And stopped in midair.
She hung upside down, Azaun's hand tightly gripping her ankle. She stared up at him in terror.
"And what could you possibly be planning to do down there, Kagome, love?" he asked pleasantly. He started to lift her out.
But she wasn't done yet.
As he lifted her up out of the well, she cocked her knee and pistoned her foot into his face.
With a cry of surprised pain, he dropped her, and she fell headfirst into the swirling light of the timeslip.
: x ∙ x ∙ x ∙ X ∙ X ∙ X ∙ x ∙ x ∙ x :
Inuyasha stared moodily into Kaede's fire.
What was with everyone? Even Miroku had been smitten with that damn pretty boy of a demon. He wasn't that interesting to look at. Sure, you didn't see a demon with bird wings everyday, but still!
He growled under his breath. And what the hell did Kagome think she was doing? What was taking her so long? All she'd gone to do was show that damned demon around the village. She'd been gone for over an hour! How long did it take to tour one tiny village?
Kaede's voice roused him from his thoughts.
"I am certain that I have heard the term 'kyuuketsuki' somewhere before, yet the memory continues to elude me."
"Who cares?" Inuyasha snapped.
"I think it may be important," Kaede replied.
Miroku sat up straighter. "What do you mean?"
The old priestess stared gravely into the fire. "That word, 'kyuuketsuki', every time I hear it, my heart fills with a strange, inexplicable foreboding."
Inuyasha sat up a little straighter. "Foreboding?"
"Aye," Kaede said, "but I cannot say why."
Inuyasha was on his feet and heading for the door before the old woman finished speaking. "I'm going to go get Kagome," he said tersely.
"I think that would be best," Kaede said as he stalked out the door.
Inuyasha snarled as he took off at a slow trot, following Kagome and Azaun's scents through the village. That stupid girl, going off alone with a dangerous demon. And stupid him, for letting her.
But, damn it all, that demon made him feel so—so inferior. Just standing near Azaun made him feel grubby and pathetic. And ugly. The demon was just too damned pretty. And it made Inuyasha feel like dirt.
Inuyasha followed the twisting scent trail through the village. Luckily, since it was late, not many of the villagers had been out and about to obscure Kagome's scent, and he could follow it easily.
When the scent led him out of the village and into the surrounding forest, Inuyasha felt a flicker of worry ignite inside him. Why was Kagome taking the demon out here? He sped up, racing down the trail towards the Bone Eater's Well. He burst into the clearing, claws raised for a fight.
Emptiness greeted him.
: x ∙ x ∙ x ∙ X ∙ X ∙ X ∙ x ∙ x ∙ x :
Sango stared into the fire.
What was wrong with her tonight? She couldn't seem to stop thinking about Azaun. He was demon, for goodness sake. Yet, the thought of his beautiful face, his unfailing grace, his charming smile; it made her heart pound and her breath quicken.
She shook herself. What was she thinking? She shouldn't be having those kinds of thoughts about a demon. Not even a demon as beautiful as Azaun. Not even a demon as perfect as Azaun, as majestic, as alluring, as painfully exquisite . . .
"I'm going for a walk," Sango said abruptly, rising to her feet.
Kaede, Miroku, Shippo, and Kilala all stared at her.
"Um, okay," Miroku said, his brow furrowing. "Be careful, Sango."
She nodded curtly and swept out of the hut, suddenly needing some fresh air. Even without Inuyasha in the hut, it had felt unaccountably stifling. And when Inuyasha returned with Kagome, it would be even worse.
As she walked aimlessly through the dark village, her thoughts once again turned to Azaun. There was something about him . . . something that called to her very soul. She wanted to near him, to be with him, to touch him—
A moan interrupted her thoughts.
Sango turned, looking around. The groan came again, softer this time. Sango turned towards the nearest hut.
She pushed aside the door flap just as one last faint moan of pain reached her ears.
It was pitch dark inside the hut. Sango took another step into the small room.
"Hello?" she called, her voice loud in the darkness.
There was no answer.
"Is there anyone in here?"
Silence.
But she knew that she'd heard something. She took another step into the room, letting the flap close behind her. She took a couple slow steps into the room until her foot connected with something soft.
She nudged the thing on the floor with her toe. It shifted but didn't move. Frowning, Sango knelt in the darkness and blindly reached out one hand.
Her fingers found cloth. Groping blindly, Sango followed the clothed object upwards until her fingers found cold flesh.
A person. It was a person.
One hand touching the woman's long hair, Sango touched the cold cheek, sliding her fingers down, searching for the pulse of the neck. Please, let the woman be alive.
Wet. Sango pulled her hand away, rubbing her fingers together, feeling the cool slickness of liquid between the pads of her fingers. She touched one finger to the tip of her tongue, and grimaced at the coppery taste. Blood.
The woman was dead.
Her heart pounding, Sango rose carefully to her feet. She shuffled forward in the darkness. It was only a matter of minutes before her feet encountered another obstacle. She knelt once again, reaching out.
This time, her fingers found the slippery coils of entrails.
Bile rose into her throat, but Sango continued groping in the slimy mess until she found the body.
A child, his belly torn open, his guts splattered across the room.
Sango staggered to her feet, stumbling through the gore. She had to get out of here. She had to get Miroku. These people had been murdered.
Why hadn't she gone for help in the first place? Why hadn't she at least gotten a light?
She groped blindly for the door. Where was it?
Her feet connected with something else on the floor, and she fell, sprawling in yet more blood. Pushing herself to her knees, she reached out one trembling hand to touch the face of a man, his throat ripped out.
Finally, her stomach rebelled, and she retched. It was horrible. An entire family, murdered in their own home. She had to get help! She had to get Miroku and Inuyasha! There must be a demon on the loose!
She staggered to her feet again, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. She had to get out of here.
Arms suddenly closed around her from behind, steadying her in the darkness. A warm body pressed against her back. A soft cheek rubbed against hers as lips brushed her ear.
"Sango," a deep voice whispered, "Sango, do you know how beautiful you are?"
: x ∙ x ∙ x ∙ X ∙ X ∙ X ∙ x ∙ x ∙ x :
Miroku stared into the fire.
Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Kagome hadn't come back. Azaun hadn't come back. Inuyasha hadn't come back. Sango hadn't come back.
Something was very, very wrong. Something that was connected to Azaun.
He looked at Kaede. "Are you sure you don't remember where you heard 'kyuuketsuki' before?" he asked.
The old priestess shook her head slowly. "Nay, I cannot. But I shall continue to think on it."
Miroku went back to staring at the fire. The name nagged at him as well, so vaguely familiar he wasn't sure if he was imagining the feeling or not. And why hadn't anyone come back? Why hadn't Inuyasha, at least, come back? If he hadn't been able to find Kagome, wouldn't he have returned for help?
Probably not. He would have gone looking for her all by himself.
And why hadn't Sango come back? She had just gone for a walk. Though, come to think of it, she had been acting kind of strange. Ever since they'd hooked up with Azaun.
There was something fishy about that guy. He was just too . . . too perfect. No one, especially a demon, could be that perfect. It just wasn't possible.
And now that demon, along with Sango, Inuyasha, and Kagome, had disappeared.
Miroku rose to his feet. "I can't just sit around here when Sango, Kagome, and Inuyasha are all missing. I'm going to go find them."
Kaede nodded. "Aye, do so. But use great caution, Miroku. I sense a powerful demonic aura this night."
Miroku froze in the act of pulling Kagome's flashlight from her backpack. He turned to face the priestess.
"I don't sense anything," he said slowly, realizing it for the first time. He had been able to sense the demonic auras of Azaun and those other demons that afternoon, but at some point, without him even noticing, he had stopped sensing Azaun's aura.
"I don't sense a thing either," Shippo piped up from the corner.
Kaede frowned. "It is a very powerful aura. How is it that neither of ye can feel it?"
Miroku turned to face the priestess. "Because Azaun doesn't want us to," he said softly, beginning to see the truth. "He wants us to let our guard down. If we were constantly aware of his powerful aura, we wouldn't be able to forget that he's a dangerous demon. He's done something—I don't know what—but he must have done it before meeting you, so it's not affecting you."
Kaede nodded gravely, rising to her feet as well. "So Azaun has used magic to hide his aura from ye so ye will not fear him. But why?"
Miroku snatched Kagome's flashlight and strode to the door. "So he could lure Kagome away without us worrying about her." He looked over his shoulder at the priestess. "Please stay here, Kaede, in case any of the others return. You too, Shippo. Kilala, come with me."
Striding out into the dark night, Miroku looked down at the demon cat pacing alongside him. "Can you find Sango please, Kilala?"
The demon cat mewled, then trotted off towards the far end of the village. Miroku followed, a strong feeling of apprehension growing in his heart. He sniffed. Something smelled odd. It was almost like . . .
Like carrion.
"Just a moment, Kilala," he called, swerving towards the nearest hut. He threw open the door flap and shone the flashlight inside.
The floor was black with blood. A mother lay in the middle of the room, her chest ripped open, a gaping hole where her heart had been. Four children of different ages were dumped in one corner, their throats torn out.
Gagging on the smell of blood, Miroku backed out the hut. He stared at the door flap for a moment, then sprinted for the next hut. Ripping the door flap off, he shone the light inside.
The man was pinned to the wall with his own sword, the hilt jutting out of his stomach. His young wife lay on the floor, the side of her neck streaked with blood. Their babe lay in its cradle, staring sightlessly at the ceiling, its ribcage caved in.
His stomach heaving, Miroku stumbled out of the hut and sank to his knees. Had Azaun done this? Could a demon as pure as Azaun seemed to be really have butchered those innocent villagers? Or was there another demon at work this night?
Staggering to his feet, Miroku's panicked eyes found Kilala.
"Quickly, Kilala!" he cried. "Find Sango!"
The demon cat transformed in a flash of fire, then tore off at a fast run. Miroku charged after her, his heart in his throat.
Oh, please let Sango be okay. Please, please, please.
The demon cat skidded to a stop in front of a hut. Miroku stumbled to a stop beside her, his stomach rebelling against the strong reek of blood coming from the small house.
"Guard the door for me, Kilala," he said softly.
Moving forwards cautiously, he pulled aside the door flap and stepped into a slaughter.
The husband, wife, and their three kids were splattered all over the walls, the floor one huge puddle of drying blood. And lying in the midst of the blood was Sango.
A strangled cry escaped him as he knelt beside her still form.
"Sango?" he whispered.
He reached out a hand and touched her cold cheek. She didn't move.
"Sango!" he cried. He grabbed her shoulders and rolled her onto her back.
Her pale face was slack, the blood running from the wound in the side of her neck stark against her white skin.
A yowling scream brought him to his feet. He rushed out of the hut.
Kilala was on the ground, lying in a rapidly spreading pool of blood. A dark shape stood over her.
Miroku swung the flashlight around, illuminating the killer.
Azaun smiled pleasantly. "Hello, Miroku," he said calmly. "Isn't it past your bedtime?"
Miroku stared at the black wings, at the dark clothing, at the obsidian eyes. "You—you did this!" he gasped. "You killed them all!"
Azaun's expression shifted to one of lament. "Ah, well, yes, I did, but it's actually Kagome's fault, you understand. She's the one I wanted, but then she had to escape."
"So you decided to kill everyone else instead?" Miroku demanded furiously, tears of anguish filling his eyes as he fought with the raging pain and hatred boiling up inside him. "So you decided to kill Sango!"
Azaun nodded agreeably. "Yes, that's about right. I did warn Kagome, though, so, really, some of your hatred should be directed at her."
"You killed them!" Miroku shouted.
"Ah," the demon smiled, revealed long, pointed fangs, "but Kagome was the one who condemned you all to death."
Miroku grabbed the sutra beads wrapped around his right hand. "I'll kill you," he ground out through clenched teeth. "I'll kill you!"
He whipped off the beads and unleashed the windtunnel on Azaun. The black void opened, and Miroku felt grim pleasure at the sight of Azaun's surprise.
And then the demon raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
The windtunnel cut off without a sound.
For a long moment, Miroku just stood there, staring. Then, ever so slowly, he turned his hand over and looked at the windtunnel.
The hole was still there. But no wind, no void, issued from it.
Azaun chuckled, amused. "You think to destroy me with that child's toy? The curse of the void is a painfully juvenile magic. Only amateur sorcerers even bother with it." The demon spread his black wings to their full extent and raised his arms over his head. His eyes glowed red with power. "I am a demon of the night, monk. Until sunrise, you possess no power that can defeat me."
Suddenly, Miroku remembered. A warning from long ago. A warning from his father.
"Beware the kyuuketsuki, Miroku. Beware the demons of the night. They are the worst enemy of the pure and good."
A trembling spasm rocked through Miroku as the images of the dead women flashed in his mind. The wounds on their necks, the lack of blood.
"You're a vampire," he whispered. Demons that fed off the blood of the pure, of maidens and priestesses, of those with spiritual powers.
Folding his wings again, Azaun's expression became one of satisfaction. "So, one of you finally guessed." He actually sounded pleased. "I had wondered how long it would take, if ever. I'm glad to know that you've realized who, and what, will kill you."
Miroku didn't bother with a reply. He whipped out an ofuda and cast it at the demon, infusing it was all his spiritual power.
Azaun swatted it away as one swats a fly.
"Come now, Miroku," Azaun admonished him. "Don't you want to die with at least your pride in tact? Do not waste my time with such useless tricks. Ofudas? You amuse me."
Azaun glided forward, all predatory grace and rippling muscle.
This time, when the tendrils of entrancement began to wrap around him, Miroku recognized them for what they were—demon magic. But even as the knowledge came to him, he realized he was helpless to stop it. He was already ensnared. The demon had been weaving his magic around them since the moment they'd met him.
Azaun paced around Miroku in a slow circle, his hand brushing over the monk's chest and shoulders. Miroku fought the magic, but his body would not obey.
"I do truly prefer women as my prey," Azaun said with some reluctance, "but your spiritual powers are strong, so I think I'll make an exception."
As he pressed against Miroku's back, the demon brushed his lips over the monk's ear. "Sango's flavour was magnificent, Miroku," he whispered. "I pity that you never had the chance to truly appreciate her as I did."
As Azaun's fangs sank into his neck, Miroku could not stop the tears of bitter despair that flowed down his cheeks.
: x ∙ x ∙ x ∙ X ∙ X ∙ X ∙ x ∙ x ∙ x :
"Kagome? Kagome!"
Inuyasha scouted desperately around the clearing, searching for Kagome's scent.
There!
The hanyou dropped to his knees, bending low to the ground and sniffing frantically. Kagome's scent was here, and Azaun's . . . and then . . .
His head bumped against the well. Sitting up, he stared at the ancient wood.
She went home? Why would she go home now? Without telling him?
Shaking his head and snarling, Inuyasha climbed to his feet. Stupid girl, running off like that. What was she thinking, leaving without telling him?
Snarling to himself, he peered down into the darkness of the well. Maybe he should go to her time and get her. He'd sure like to give her a piece of his mind for worrying him—not that he'd tell her he had been worried.
He stared into the well a moment longer, then turned away. Kagome was safe in her era. And right now, Azaun was on the loose and possibly a threat. He'd rather Kagome stay safe and out of the way right now. He'd yell at her later.
Gazing around the dark clearing, he wondered where that Azaun had gone. Sneaky bastard, creeping around at night like this. Scowling, the hanyou stomped across the clearing.
A scent on the breeze stopped him in his tracks.
Blood.
Lots of it.
Coming from the village.
Inuyasha broke into a run, sprinting through the forest. The scent of blood grew stronger. It reeked like a slaughter.
Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kilala, Kaede! No!
Inuyasha skidded to a stop at the edge of the village. Blood. The stench of blood was everywhere.
Inuyasha started running again, his heart pounding in his chest. No, no, no, this couldn't be happening. He swerved, sticking his head inside the nearest hut.
Bodies lying in pools of black blood were scattered over the floor.
Inuyasha ran on, speeding for Kaede's hut. The reek of blood was overpowering. Dead, all dead. Every hut he passed, he could smell the blood. Who had done this!
Coming up on Kaede's hut, Inuyasha charged through the door.
And was blasted backwards by a spiritual barrier.
Climbing to his feet, Inuyasha roared, "Kaede!"
"Inuyasha!"
Kaede stuck her head out of the hut. Seeing him, she pulled the sutra off the door. The barrier faded.
"Inuyasha!" the old woman cried. "Thank goodness ye are safe. It's Azaun, Inuyasha. He's is a vampire."
A vamp—Azaun! Azaun had done this!
"Kaede—" he began.
"Inuyasha, could ye not find Kagome?" the priestess interrupted. "Sango and Miroku are missing as well."
Inuyasha's blood ran cold. "Kagome is in her era," he said shortly. "I'm going to find Miroku and Sango."
And then I'm going to rip that bastard Azaun limb from limb.
Inuyasha bounded through the village, leaping from roof to roof. More blood. The stench of blood and offal was everywhere. And then—
—Kilala! That was the scent of Kilala's blood!
Inuyasha shot forward, running as fast as his legs would carry him.
There! Kilala was lying on the ground in a pool of blood. And a dark shape, a demon from nightmares, was standing nearby.
"Azaun!" Inuyasha screamed, drawing Tetsusaiga in a flash of gold light. He landed ten paces away from the vampire.
Azaun looked up in surprise. Smiling, he released his hold on Miroku. The monk slumped to the ground, unmoving.
"You bastard," Inuyasha said, his voice soft, deadly.
The demon nodded amiably, still smiling. "Inuyasha, I had been wondering where you ran off to. Did you happen to find Kagome? She disappeared down that well."
Inuyasha snarled. "She'd beyond your reach, you foul bloodsucker. How dare you slaughter the villagers!"
Azaun shrugged indifferently. "I told Kagome I would kill everyone if she caused me any trouble, but she escaped anyways. You can blame her for what's happened."
Inuyasha began to shake with rage. His knuckles turned white as he gripped Tetsusaiga. "You killed them all, didn't you? The villagers, Sango, Miroku, Kilala—" His choked, his voice failing him.
Azaun nodded in agreement. "Yes, I did. I must say, I have never felt quite this powerful before. Sango's blood was that of the purest maiden, and Miroku's was simply saturated with spiritual power. Quite delectable, though I really would have like more of a taste of Kagome's."
"More of a—you bastard! I'll tear you apart!"
Lifting Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha charged the demon, aiming the blade for the demon's face.
Azaun leaped easily away. His long, scaled tail twisted around Inuyasha wrist and wrenched. Tetsusaiga flew from his hands as the demon threw him with nothing but his tail.
Inuyasha slammed into the ground twenty feet away. Staggering to his feet, he felt the demon blood inside him pulse with awakening power. He glared murderously at Azaun as the demon landed lightly a couple paces away.
Not even one attack. He hadn't even managed one attack before the demon had disarmed him. That bastard.
Inuyasha's reason was rapidly slipping away as his demon blood took over.
Azaun's expression became one of delight. "Why, you are transforming, Inuyasha! How fun!"
The last thing he remembered was screaming with rage as he leaped claws first for the demon.
: x ∙ x ∙ x ∙ X ∙ X ∙ X ∙ x ∙ x ∙ x :
Kagome pulled herself out of the well, heaving her backpack after her.
A vampire. Azaun was a vampire.
Kyuuketsuki meant 'vampire'. Grandpa had confirmed it.
Now, armed with every talisman and charm they'd had at the shrine to repel demons, and more specifically, vampires, Kagome ran for the village.
She hadn't been gone that long. Long enough for Azaun to have left the clearing, but not long enough for him to have done anything else. Right?
Shining the beam of her powerful flashlight towards the village, the first thing she noticed was the body lying in the middle of the path.
Her footsteps slowed. She stopped ten paces away, staring at Miroku's body, at the blood covering the left side of his neck. Too in shock to feel anything, she slowly turned, and found herself staring at Kilala, lying in a puddle of sickly black blood.
"I did warn you, Kagome."
She turned with unbearable sluggishness, her flashlight illuminating Azaun. His black feathers glinted darkly in the light, his tail swishing lazily back and forth.
He was holding Inuyasha by the hair. The hanyou hung limply, his face obscured by bloody clumps of silver hair, his kimono torn and black with blood.
"Inuyasha?" she whispered, unable to believe what she was seeing. It was a nightmare. It had to be.
Azaun took a couple steps towards her, dragging Inuyasha behind him.
"Ah, Kagome, I am pleased that you have chosen to return to me. If only you'd come back sooner—or never left—your friends and your village might have been spared." His expression became mournful. "But because of your rashness, I had no choice but to kill them all."
Kagome's mind seemed to have shut down. The horror was too much, too much.
"You . . . killed them . . . all?"
The demon nodded sagely. "As you should have known I would. I was very upset by your abrupt departure, Kagome. I could not bear it, so I had to act. I did warn you, after all."
Azaun released his fistful of Inuyasha's hair. The hanyou slumped to the ground, blood gushing up out of one of the wounds in his chest. He didn't move.
Kagome swayed, but Azaun's arms closed around her, steadying her. He nuzzled her cheek.
"Now, Kagome, love, don't worry. I won't let you suffer, knowing that you're the cause of their deaths. The pain will end soon, I promise."
"No," Kagome said slowly. She reached into her pocket, her hand closing on the ofuda.
"No!" she screamed, and slapped the spell onto the demon's face.
He stepped back in surprise, then laughed. Pulling the paper charm off his face, he crumpled it in one hand tossed it back over his should. His tail thrashed with mirth, and he laughed again.
Her backpack slipped from her limp fingers.
"Kagome, you didn't actually think you could stop me with that?" he asked, still chuckling. "Remember those demons that you saved me from? They—and the twenty others I'd already killed—were the most powerful demons in the area, and it took them three weeks of constant hunting to wear me down enough to actually have a chance at killing me. And you think you can defeat when I am at the height of my power?"
He caught her as her legs buckled, cradling her gently to his chest as though she were a small child. Smiling benevolently as he smoothed her hair back, he said kindly, "That's so sweet, how you want to avenge your friends. But there's no point in struggling anymore, little Kagome. Just accept your fate, and it will be so much easier, I promise you. Now, come with me, Kagome, and we will finish what we began this night."
As the demon spread his wings and prepared to launch skyward, Kagome in his arms, she felt tears slip down her cheeks as she stared at Inuyasha's still form. Azaun's magic was woven tight around her, just as her grandfather had warned her to guard against, and there was nothing she could do. Nothing at all. It was over.
Azaun's lips brushed her cheek. Kagome squeezed her eyes shut.
"Kagome," he whispered softly to her. "You are like a precious jewel, my love. There is no other like you, and I will have you for my own."
Jewel?
Kagome didn't even pause to think. With a wrench, she grabbed the Shikon Jewel shards from her pocket and smashed them, bottle and all, into Azaun's face.
The demon screamed, releasing her as he clawed at his face, the jewel shards flashing with bright pink light. Flinging the jewel shards away, the demon pawed at his eyes, snarling viciously with furious pain. Realizing the light had blinded him for the moment, Kagome didn't waste another second. Diving for her backpack, she dug through it until her hand closed over the smooth shaft of an arrow.
She had no bow, but an arrow would have to be enough.
Leaping to her feet, the lunged for Azaun just as he pulled his hands away from his face. Screaming her rage and anguish, she buried the arrow in his chest.
Azaun screamed again. His wings snapped open, and an explosion of dark power hurled Kagome backwards. She landed hard of her back, the air whooshing out of her lungs. Dazedly, she pushed herself up and looked around.
Three black feathers fluttered softly to the ground. The dark night was still and silent.
Azaun was gone.
: x ∙ x ∙ x ∙ X ∙ X ∙ X ∙ x ∙ x ∙ x :
"Are you sure you're well enough to be moving around, Inuyasha?"
The hanyou grunted irritably as he pushed himself to a sitting position.
"There's no point in arguing with him, Kagome," Miroku said wearily from the other side of the hut. "You'll only wake Sango."
Kagome sighed and shook her head. Filling another bowl with Kaede's thick stew, she carried it over the hanyou.
Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku had all nearly died. Sango had lost so much blood, she could only stay awake for a few minutes a day. Miroku wasn't much better. Inuyasha, thankfully, had recovered from his injuries fairly quickly, but was still weaker than he would willingly admit. Kilala was badly wounded and couldn't move, but Kaede assured her that they would all make full recoveries.
Sighing, Kagome looked out the small window at the setting sun.
It still terrified her to think of what might have happened that night. It had been two days since Azaun's attack. The village was still in mourning. The kyuuketsuki had killed almost two dozen people in his vengeful rampage.
And if she hadn't thought of the jewel shards at the last moment, if that hadn't stopped him . . .
She would be dead. Inuyasha and others would probably be dead as well.
Only because he had been interrupted had Sango, Kilala, Miroku, and Inuyasha been saved. Kagome could only thank kami that luck had been with them that night. Miroku had come along before Azaun had finished off Sango, and then Inuyasha had come before the demon killed Miroku. And then she had arrived in time to save Inuyasha.
Kagome glanced at the three black feathers lying by Kaede's herb basket and shuddered. She had defeated Azaun with her sacred arrow. But she could only hope that she had killed him.
Quickly stoking up the fire, Kagome nervously watched as the last of the sunlight faded. They had survived. They had made it out alive.
But when darkness fell, she would always fear what might be waiting for her in the shadows of the night.
: x ∙ The End ∙ x :
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!