Inuyasha: The Story Continues

Chapter 21: The Village of Half-Demons Pt. 1

Izayoi's POV

Kaede helped with my wounds and injuries while I explained what had happened. The others listened as I explained how my fight with Naraku wasn't so much a fight as it was a smack down that he won at. Once my wounds were done healing, we headed out again, this time going North.

As we walked into the next village, I felt eyes glaring down at me, sending chills down my spine. "Hey guys," I whispered from the back. "Is it me or is everyone glaring at me?"

"Just stay calm Izayoi," Mochigo whispered. "Try ignoring it."

'Easy for you to say when you don't have anyone staring at you, trying to burn a hole in the back of your head.' I thought.

"Welcome travelers," the village elder greeted. "What brings you to our village?"

"We were wondering if you have heard anything about a demon named Naraku." Ayuma said.

"We have never heard of this 'Naraku',' the man said. "We are a peaceful village you know."

As the man kept talking, I saw that a young child in a hood was taking food from a stand. I was going to say something but the stand's owner quickly noticed the child. He slapped the child in the face and sent her to the ground, causing her hood to fall off and reveal her reddish-black hair and green eyes. Everyone gasped. "Of course, another half-breed!" the stand's owner growled.

He slapped the child again in the face and caused tears to come from her eyes. Before he could hit her again, I quickly picked the child up and held her as she cried. "Are you okay?" I asked, holding her and rocking her slowly- trying to calm her down.

The child nodded and cried into my shoulder.

"How dare you save that child!" a man spat. "She is a half demon!"

"So what?" I asked with rage. "She's still just a child! How dare you beat her up like that!"

"That cruel, slapping a child." Kayuma said.

"She's a thief!" the stand owner shouted.

"That still doesn't give you the right to harm her." Ayuma said.

"If you do not respect the way the village is, then you will leave." the village elder said in harsh way.

"Fine by me!" I spat as I carried the child with me outside the village. I stopped and turned to look at the villagers. "Oh, and by the way, you people make me sick!"

When we were outside the village, the child looked up at me with curiosity. "Now, where do you live?" Shippo asked.

The child pointed towards the forest.

"You don't live in the village?" I asked.

She shook her head.

I growled. "People like that make me sick." I said.

"Unfortunately a lot of people like that are around." Mochigo said.

As we walked towards the forest, I felt like someone was watching us. The little girl soon relaxed and fell asleep in my arms.

Suddenly, Mochigo, Ayuma and Kayuma fell into a hole that appeared as the ground below them gave way. "Guys, are you okay?" Shippo asked them from below.

"We're fine," Ayuma called up. "We're just stuck down here is all."

"We'll get you up in a moment." I told them.

Shippo went to grab a vine but as he did, a net appeared and snared himself and Kilala in it. "You know, I'm starting to think that someone set up these traps on purpose." Shippo stated.

I sweat dropped. "What was your first clue?" I asked.

That's when several small figures came out from the woods. They all held strange spears at me and had hoods covering their faces. "Stop right there you!" one barked.

"Release Naomi right now!" another one ordered.

"Naomi?" I asked. "You mean this little girl right here?"

"Just do it!" the first one commanded.

"Okay, okay," I said. "No need to get all huffy." I shook the little girl lightly, trying to wake her. "Naomi? Come on sweetie, wake-up."

Naomi's eyes opened to reveal their beautiful green color. She smiled at me and then she looked down at the figures. "Brothers! Sisters!" Naomi said as she ran towards them.

I looked at them all with confusion as Naomi hugged one of the figures. Another one went up to me and looked at me. The boy turned his head and then said, "She's a half-demon."

The others looked at me, as if I were some shiny new toy or something. "She is a half-demon." another spoke.

They all took off their hoods to reveal that each and everyone of them was a half-demon. "What is your name?" a young boy, who had green hair and purple eyes asked.

"Izayoi," I said. "Izayoi Takahashi." (That's the last name that Papa chose to use for the family name. If I go to the present though it's Izayoi Higirashi.)

"What half are you?" a girl with orange hair and cat ears asked.

"What half?" I asked. "Oh you mean demon wise. I'm half dog demon."

"Why do you travel with 3 humans and 2 demons?" the boy with green hair asked.

"Because they are my friends." I answered.

They all looked at me with confusion.

"That's enough children." the voice of a young man spoke. We all looked to see that a blue haired boy with orange eyes had appeared.

"Haruo!" the children said as they ran to hug him. The young man smiled at the small children and giggled as they went and babbled to him.

Haruo looked over at me and smiled. "I'm sorry if the little ones bothered you and your friends. They were only trying to protect Naomi, honestly." Haruo apologized.

"It's fine really," I said. "If you could just help get my friends out of the traps and stuff that would be great."

Haruo nodded and made the children helped everyone out. "Again, I'm sorry." Haruo apologized.

"It's no big deal, really." Ayuma said.

"Naomi, why were you bothering these people?" Haruo asked.

Naomi hid behind Haruo's leg and tried her best not to look at him.

"She wasn't bothering us," I said. "If anything, she was being treated like dirt by the villagers."

"Oh," Haruo said. "That is to be expected when half-demons enter the village. The villagers despise half-demons. We only enter the village in order to buy food."

"I see," Ayuma said. "Those villagers are nothing but cruel people."

"Please, let us put you up for the night in our own village." Haruo said as he led the way through the woods. We followed Haruo through some brush and then were surprised to find an actual village. We saw that there were children running around in the village, playing with each other and laughing in the river.

"So you live here?" Mochigo asked.

"Yes," Haruo said. "This is the village of half-demons."