Different Worlds

Inuyasha bared his fangs as he gave a great yawn. It was a habit for him, a way to assure himself that the night had passed and that he was again completely half-demon. Kintsuke resisted the urge to yawn as well as they made their way down the road, leading A-Un by the reins.

"How far to the next town, did you say it was?" she asked.

"Oh, it'll probably take us until noon to get there," he said leisurely. "Sango and I searched all through here as far as the river on the east side, so once we hit it on the north side, we'll be in new territory."

"We're not...I mean…"

"What?"

"We don't have to go into the town, do we?" Kintsuke cringed.

Inuyasha frowned.

"I mean, no, but it'd probably be a good idea to hear what they have to say." He frowned. "Why?"

"I would just rather avoid a human colony large enough to be called a 'town.'"

"They ain't gunna do nothin'," he said, nearly rolling his eyes.

"All the same."

"I don't get it. What is it exactly you got against humans? You get along alright with Kagome and Rin and the rest."

Kintsuke pursed her lips. Her thoughts flashed back to the colony that had infested the place she'd once called home, where she'd met, and then buried, Shinjirou and his family. Then, she remembered the grave, how it had been well-tended even after all those years. She felt torn.

"Nothing in particular. I've just never found much use for them. Remember, Inuyasha," she said, trying to change the subject, "I grew up around demons, and I've worked with and lived with demons my entire life. I've never had a want or need to interact with humans, save for very specific occasions."

"Yeah, well, maybe it's time you changed that."

She frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you are half-human, too."

"To my detriment," she muttered.

"I thought the same thing for a long time, too."

Inuyasha didn't spare her a glance as she blinked at him. For the briefest moment, Kintsuke thought that, perhaps, Inuyasha might have a point. He was the only other hanyou she knew, and he'd spent far more time around humans than herself. Was there something he knew about them that she didn't?

The sun was nearly overhead when the town came into view as they crested the hill. Another mile or two and they'd arrive at the river Inuyasha had described. Ahead, the main road along which they walked was met by several others, feeding people with large packs on their backs or hauling carts through the minuscule town gates. Inuyasha glanced at Kintsuke, but she was already sending A-Un up into the clouds. She didn't know how mortals would react to the dragon, and he wasn't hers to risk. Inuyasha nodded approvingly, and they continued on.

"We are following the river west, correct?" she asked.

"Yeah. It kinda wiggles around following another, larger river, so we may want to-"

Crash!

They both paused and glanced back to where the sound had come from. A cart had collapsed to one side, and two men were chasing after the goods that were spilling out. Inuyasha sighed a little but didn't hesitate to change course. Kintsuke caught his sleeve.

"What?"

"Where are you going?"

"They're gunna need a hand," he said, as though it was obvious.

"It's not our problem."

"Not like it'll take all day."

"Inuyasha," Kintsuke frowned, "we have greater concerns at present."

"You go on then."

He tugged his sleeve out of her grasp and backtracked toward the crippled cart without another word. Kintsuke chewed her lip. She simply didn't understand why Inuyasha was wasting his time. She huffed and followed after him, despite her frustration.

"Need a hand?" he quipped.

The two mortals watched warily as he hefted the damaged cart up with ease. One blinked at him, then sputtered.

"That kimono. You're- Y- Y-you're Inuyasha!"

The hanyou puffed with pride.

"Heard of me, have you?"

The man tried to quell his companion's distrust.

"It's okay, I promise."

"He's a demon!"

"He saved my village when the headman was possessed! Even brought back all of our stolen rice and meat stores!"

The second man still eyed Inuyasha with suspicion, and nearly scowled at Kintsuke as she approached.

"This is my friend," Inuyasha said, indicating her.

Kintsuke eyed the mortals, then nodded. The first one grinned.

"How fortunate for us that you were nearby."

"Where you headed?" Inuyasha asked.

"To the temple. Please, sir, if I could burden you…"

"Not a problem. Toss the rest on top."

The two men gathered as much as they could in their arms and loaded the rest onto the broken cart. Kintsuke trailed along behind them as Inuyasha led the way into town. She withheld a scowl, perplexed. Surely, this was just a waste of time. Her fellow hanyou seemed immune, or purposefully ignorant, of the suspicious glances the townsfolk gave the four of them as they wound through the streets to the edge of the temple. Inuyasha set the cart down.

"You got it from here?"

"Yes. You have our gratitude!" the man said, urging his companion to bow as well.

"Alright, then. Stay out of trouble."

"Oh-!" The man stopped himself. "No, nevermind. You've done enough. Thank you."

"What?" Inuyasha prodded.

The man shifted between his feet.

"That is… Are you still hunting down demons in the area?"

"I mean, it's kinda what I do," Inuyasha said, crossing his arms. "What's going on?"

The two humans traded looks. The suspicious one busied himself with sorting through the goods on the cart.

"If...if it wouldn't be too much trouble." He glanced between the hanyou. "Surely you noticed the road coming from the east, and how it was empty."

"I guess so, now that you mention it," Inuyasha said.

"Well, you see, there are many tributes to the temple and headman here that come from that road, and it has become unpassable as of late. That's why my cart was so full. No one will take the road anymore on account of the demons that have appeared."

Inuyasha raised a brow, catching on.

"And what would I get? I got a wife and kids to feed, after all."

"Yes, of-of course. I'm sure I could convince my village to pull something together for your efforts."

Kintsuke nearly rolled her eyes at the depth of pleading in the man's voice, but Inuyasha didn't seem nearly as annoyed.

"Which village are you from, again?"

"Sumidake. If you go-"

"Yeah, I know where it is. I'll take a look then stop by, how's that do for ya?"

The man bowed deeply.

"Thank you. Thank you!"

The interaction couldn't end soon enough. Kintsuke was glad to be back outside the town walls and on the road again. Inuyasha paused, glancing over the forked road.

"You aren't actually considering-" she began.

"Could be a lead. Either way, I said I'd at least take a look."

"And how would he know, either way?"

Inuyasha glared at her.

"I said I would, so I'm gunna," he said firmly. "I got a reputation around here to keep."

He stared her down, and she took a deep, calming breath. The thought was bitter, but she had to admit, he was right. Any inconsistency in the area could be a lead.

"Fine," she said shortly.

Kintsuke and Inuyasha followed the main road until it split toward the east. It was empty, just as the man had described, and the two hanyou continued along the path with senses keen. No humans, no demons, just the sound of the nearby river and the wind through the trees. Kintsuke lifted her nose and perked her ears, trained on the forest while Inuyasha focused on the road and the grasses beyond.

"Didn't you say you and the taijiya had searched this area already?" Kintsuke asked.

"We did," Inuyasha said warily.

"How long ago was that?"

"Not too long. Everything was clear, far as we could tell."

"Perhaps you missed something."

"Or maybe something's changed."

Kintsuke wasn't sure which scenario she disliked more. They continued along the path, watching, listening, following the arc of the narrow river. Then, Inuyasha stopped. Kintsuke did as well, listening harder, sniffing deeper. She didn't have a chance to ask him what he'd found. Someone screamed in the near distance. Inuyasha didn't hesitate. He bolted after the sound, and Kintsuke stayed hot on his heels. She'd felt no draining of her power, and she was confident that Inuyasha, brash as he was, would not dive head-long into such a dangerous situation.

She was right.

Around the bend, they came upon a small collection of travelers laden with heavy packs. Apparently, they had decided to brave the dangerous road, thinking numbers would protect them. Around them tangled the emaciated, ghostly forms of what Kintsuke recognized to be forest spirits. One tore at a human's calf, clamping down on the bloody wound.

"Oh, no you don't!"

Without a thought, Inuyasha struck. So weak was the creature that it melted on his claws like snow on a flame. The surviving spirits recoiled, intoning their fury.

Something's not right, Kintsuke thought. These are kindly tenders. They rarely if ever are aggressive, let alone attack mortals.

"Inuyasha, wait!"

He left his hand on his sword hilt but didn't back down.

"What?"

"They could know something."

He growled but stayed his hand. The humans didn't wait for permission. As soon as it seemed safe, they fled. The spirits tried to follow, but Kintsuke blocked their path.

"Peace," she said, raising her hands. "Peace, good spirits."

"Move, half-breed, or you'll suffer the same!" one cried.

"That is not your way," she said calmly. "You feed on dew and nectar, not flesh and blood."

"We will feed on whatever we must to survive!" said another.

Inuyasha kept an eye on the road, making sure it was still clear, his hand still hovering over his sword.

"Of course," Kintsuke placated. "Anyone would, but why leave your forest?"

The spirits roiled around one another.

"Death has taken our home," said one.

"It would have taken us, too!" cried another.

"Do you mean that it's gone?" Kintsuke asked.

"Not gone. Taken."

Inuyasha glanced at Kintsuke, who nodded.

"If we go find a way to get your forest back, will you leave the humans alone?" he asked.

"You?"

"What could you do, hanyou?"

"A lot more than you think," he gritted.

Kintsuke raised her hands to calm them again.

"You lose nothing by letting us try," she urged. "Where is your forest?"

The spirits considered for a moment, then, as one, motioned northward.

"Across the wide river."

"Right, then." Inuyasha finally took his hand from his sword. "If we come back and find you've been attacking humans again, I won't hesitate to finish you off."

Kintsuke withheld a sigh as the spirits fled into the nearby trees.

"Was that necessary?"

"What? You got a better idea to make them behave?"

"They still need to eat, Inuyasha."

"Yeah, just not humans. They got a forest right here."

"That they can't feed from."

"A tree is a tree, right?"

"Not for them. Forest spirits are tied to their own trees, they can't survive in a forest they weren't born in."

Inuyasha shrugged.

"Guess we should hurry, then, huh?"

Kintsuke sighed. He didn't get it. He didn't understand how important even these small creatures were, how they kept the earth fertile and made the flowers grow. What were a few human lives in return?