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Hunter and Prey by Paralelsky

The hunter and his prey

He was hunting tonight. For what, he didn't know himself, with his usual prey having gone extinct more than one hundred years ago. But there was something in the air of the night, that made his blood sing with the promise of a good hunt.

He took a deep breath looking for his prey and immediately regretted when the smell of too many humans crowded in one place, exhaustion fumes and uncollected garbage assaulted his sensitive nose. He snarled in annoyance and almost gave up when something odd picked up his interest. It was new, yet old at the same time, calling back memories of a time long forgotten when he was the mighty demon lord that ruled the West and this was his domain.

He let the elusive feeling guide him, moving noiselessly on deserted, dark streets until he felt he had reached his destination.

Steps bathed in the moonlight stretched in front of him in a long stairway leading to a Shinto Shrine. He quirked an eyebrow at that. A demon lord sitting in front of a holy shrine, was certainly an odd situation, but nobody was around to see it.

Not that he would care one way or the other. He had long stopped listening to what the others said about him, their petty reasons and complains far too beneath him. So regardless of anyone watching he stepped on the first stair, right beneath the first Torii that guarded the entrance.

Power surged around him, holy energy that immediately pressed against him, and his demon youki rose to the challenge in a heartbeat. The two opposite energies battled for dominance, every surge from one of them perfectly matched from the other in a beautiful crescendo.

Then it stopped.

At one point, the holy energy - which despite the initial attack had reacted almost like a curious watchdog, rather than a vicious one – stopped rising and retreated into it's resting place inside the sacred gate as if satisfied with its findings.

Hn

Not only he had found the only shrine in Tokyo that still had active protective spells, and fresh one too if he wasn't mistaken, but also one that was welcoming demons into its premises. Or maybe only dog demons. He sent the thought in the back of his mind for later rumination, and started to climb the long stair, for every Torii that he passed, going through the same process: attack, challenge and retreat. And by the time he reached the top the air around him was humming with pent-up energy.

He felt more alive than he had felt for a long time now, his claws almost itching for a good fight. Too bad his brother was long dead; the impulsive hanyou would have been perfect to release the tension.

He scanned the empty courtyard, looking for anything that could have drawn him to this place, but the clean tiles and the quiet house bathed in the silver moonlight held no answers to his question. His sensitive ear caught up the sound of tiny paper slips rustling together and he turned around his attention captured by the magnificent God Tree standing tall at the edge of the courtyard.

It was alive, old and powerful, his keen senses told him as much, and with even steps he went for a closer look. There was something strangely familiar about that tree, and when he finally recognized it only a small falter in his steps marked the surprise he felt.

The God Tree from Inuyasha's Forest.

It was no wonder he didn't recognized at first glance, the ancient forest having long been replaced with modern buildings and roads. Yet, in the middle of the busiest city in the world to find a small remainder of the past, his past , made him, for the first time in many years, grateful to this feeling of restlessness that plagued him on regular intervals. He was so caught up in his musings that he never heard the sound of a drawn string coming from behind him. But the female voice was another matter.

"Demon. What do you want?"

He turned around slowly, not concerned with the threat implied in her tone, and his sharp eyes raked over her figure carefully cataloguing every detail.

A wannabe miko? Her traditional clothes in red and white, her serious countenance, her ready bow, it was an image from his past, something he thought he would never see again in this time when the holy warriors and demons were found only in stories and legends. Or maybe a fully trained one; if the tip of her arrow - glowing with holy energy - was anything to go by.

Time to test that theory. His youki flared around him, making his silver long hair move around him like blown by an unseen wind and his golden eyes glowed with the carefully contained power. Her reaction was almost amusing, the visible falter in her stance and the small shake of her otherwise steady hands showing how much the sight had rattled her. But the expected smell of fear never came.

"Woman, lower that down" he spoke with complete boredom.

Holy power surged around her, flaring wildly as she stood her ground with defiance in her blue-gray eyes and an upward tilted chin.

Was the slip of a woman challenging him? How annoying, but how... refreshing.

He quickly hid the small smile that threatened to destroy his impassible mask and gathering his youki sent it towards her in a concentrated beam of greenish light. Her reaction was immediate, releasing the arrow almost at the same time and their powers collided with an impressive lightshow when they canceled each other.

He didn't linger on his spot and at the same time the last flicker of light died out, he attacked from a different direction, but to his growing surprise a second arrow whizzed near his face nicking a few strands of hair. Landing on the ground he watched them as they slowly felt to the ground, his slightly risen eyebrows the only visible sign of his incredulity.

That had never happened before. Not a single human that had stood against him had ever managed to actually harm something on his person and now this woman...But that wasn't true, a distant memory whispered from the confines of his mind and the image of a defiant young woman, barely older than a child, her brazen attitude and the armor that lay broken at his feet made him narrow his eyes in thought.

Inuyasha's wench. He studied the woman before him. He could clearly see a resemblance - coming from family ties most likely - for no ordinary human could have lived for five hundred years. The God Tree, the sacred gates that accepted him, they all made some sort of sense now and for a brief moment he wondered how much of her family history she was aware of.

Well, it does make the game more interesting.

Gathering his youki to himself he leaped high and disappeared from her field of vision landing lightly on a nearby roof. He could feel her searching for him, her power stretching until they covered the entire courtyard. He had to admit he was impressed, for a human she had quite a degree of control over her holy powers, even in this time and era when most of her kind would have considered them obsolete. The demon waited for a few moments before going for the kill. She won't escape this time.

xxxxxx

The young miko remained in the same spot from where she released her second arrow, weary at the demon lord that had invaded her home and sanctuary. Although he disappeared from her vision and hidden his aura she was aware that he didn't go far. Always at the edge of her mind, she couldn't pinpoint his exact location no matter how much she concentrated.

Time to bring out the big guns then.

She gathered her miko energy around her coiling it tight, before throwing it all over the courtyard like a fisherman his net, covering all with her powers. She stood motionless for a few moments, but when nothing disturbed the peace she made her first mistake for the evening.

She was tired, having gone through one of those days when nothing seemed to go right, and an impromptu battle of wills with an obviously well rested demon lord was the icing on the cake, so to speak. She had almost left him alone, the long silver hair and the proud stature a dead give away of his identity, but with the brothers last confrontation still fresh on her mind – a time where she couldn't do anything but watch – it made her take up her bow and try to drive him away. To prove herself she wasn't worthless.

She only managed to intrigue him apparently, hopefully she added in her mind, but watching him look bewildered at the falling hairs had been amusing. She just hoped she won't pay very dearly for that one moment of hilarity.

Gathering her powers back into herself, she turned to the house intent on her bed that looked more appealing by the minute when he stroke.

Before she could even think to react she was slammed against a rock-hard chest, an elegant hand cupping her face, with deathly claws pressing against the delicate skin of her chin and neck. She swallowed a small whimper when the other powerful arm, circling her right beneath her breasts, pinned her closer to the warm body behind her. She was trapped, her life literally at his fingertips. Yet, strangely enough she wasn't afraid. Not entirely that is, since she knew if that particular demon would have wanted her dead, she would have been long gone from the land of the living.

Shivers ran down her spine and her skin suddenly turned extra sensitive when a warm breath ghosted on the shell of her ear.

"The game ends here for now."

Then he was gone, and with her legs suddenly turned to jelly she felt to the ground, heart pounding in her ears. She stood like this for a moment, gulping down air and trying to calm down before straightening up. Game? She was no game, and one arrogant demon lord will learn that the next time they would cross paths.

Slowly she walked inside the house, the door giving one final click before silence once again reigned over the moonlit courtyard.

At the base of the stairs a demon lord carefully studied a lock of glossy black hair, then taking it to his nose took a deep breath imprinting her smell into his mind. Now that he found his prey, it wouldn't do to lose it, not when she smelled so wonderful: clean and fresh and all woman.

With a smirk adorning his beautiful face he disappeared into the night, for the first time in many years looking forward for his next hunt.

INUYASHA © Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan • Yomiuri TV • Sunrise 2000
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