Wolves in Red

by Jirubee

Upon sneaking out of her home, Kagome traverses the Japanese countryside, only find danger lurking at nightfall. After being saved from near death, by a wily woodsman, she takes him on a journey that makes him realize what it means to live. A loose take on Little Red Riding Hood. And, so much WAFF you'll probably bleed heart sparkles for days.

1. Chapter 1

Wolves in Red.

AU. InuYasha and Kagome. A very loose take on Little Red Riding Hood.

Upon sneaking out of her communal home to see her ailing mother in the city, Kagome's noble action is left within the salvating mouthes of wolves. Luckily for her, a wily woodsman happened upon her, leaving her with nothing but questions and a comfort she hadn't held since she was a child.

AN: Alright. So, I've been working on this off and on for a while, and I decided to post it. I know I have a lot of other things going on, which I'm also working on, but my time has been a bit pressed on completing them.

This is only going to be a few, probably no more than 5, chapters long.

I would like to indicate, that this is set in the early 1940's. Most people traveled by foot, bus and train, and I chose for Kagome to travel by foot because she was, infact, poor. I really enjoy the idea of Little Red Riding Hood, even if it's in a vague manner. I've always enjoyed the premise of seeing Kagome being somewhat helpless, but as being a siren of sorts, as well.

I'm rambling quite a bit in this AN, and I apologize. Haha.

The crispness of winter washed away the ache that troubled her weary bones. Where was she? A dark headed woman wondered as she stumbled through the cool arms of snow. The only reminder of her surroundings were darkly rooted and deathly ill trees. In spring, they told stories of love and whimsy, but now they were as black as the shoes on her feet.

All she possessed was a broken compass, worn by the salty sea where she found it,laying bare and rusted along the shoreline, and a basket with a few measly pinches of food. Her gray eyes were misty as she looked down at the meager givings.

Her stomach rumbled as she paced on, leaving behind a trail of lonely steps in her wake. This girl, Kagome, had been wandering these woods and this desolate field for days. Her mother had taken ill, and this was a futile attempt at visiting her before her death.

Little did she know that this would be the last time she, herself, would have the luxury of seeing her home, or finding solace in the warmth of a fireplace. A shiver ran down her spine as she tugged at the drapery of cloth around her small frame. Warmth, oh a daydream from the heavens abound... What lusterous delight would have been bestowed upon her callow bones had their been the scent of smoke, and the cherry plumes kindling.

Instead, as she opened her eyes to a maze of brush, she froze. The thrumming of her heart warmed her rusted fingers, making her chapped lips purse with bewilderment. There should have been a path, had she remembered correctly.

Panic beseiged her body, smothering her beneath the waves of nervous rapture. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled the remainder of her heart into the thin air. She could barely feel her toes, and her dark hair felt like frozen straw.

The compass in her quivering hand couldn't identify her position. Looking up, the dusky was quickly drawing its gloomy blanket over the skyline, draping a heavy hand of grays and violets over the golden kiss of the sun.

At least the night before Kagome had been lucky enough to find an inn. It had been by sheer luck that she found it in the middle of the forest. An old woman and her ailing kin took her inside and fed her, bathed her, kept her safe from the wolves that they had spoken of.

Kagome wasn't as naive as most people assumed, but she still dreaded the idea of being ravaged by a beast in the night. The old folks in the townships had many a story to tell, and show their battle scars before the demons could come back for them.

"That's such a stupid fairy tale, " Kagome muttered in nothing more than a whisper, as she shrugged off the warnings. The thistles and brittle branches cut across her skin as she dug deeper into the hollow. Even in the dusty light, she could make out a clearing just beyond another bundling of trees. "See. There may be some hope after all."

After a while of staggering through vines and a few bones, from what looked like small animals, she felt the wind behind to kick around the brown leaves littering the ground. An unease settled over her as she pulled her hood over her head, protecting her ears from the sounds of ravenous creatures beginning to prowl.

She could barely breathe as she closed her eyes and ran blindly into the clearing. She couldn't comprehend that she had lost her basket and compass as she was defeaned by the sound of wolves. Her hands quivered as she stared to the sky for her direction, yet no moon was found to light her way to any form of safety.

The shrill cries became louder, rustling feet became more drum as she filled her lungs with the arctic wind that stole her warmth. Where was she? She gripped to her body as though her arms could protect her from the impeding night.

Her heart played a symphony of violence, pricking her flesh with the heat she had yearned for since she left the old inn. Looking down, she found a large branch, covered in slush in which she picked up as a pair of eyes pin pointed her from the back.

Sucking in a breath, she looked around her, fearing the sounds of crows blessing the grounds with their playful taunting. As they fluttered and flew away, she wished that she could have followed.

The ringing in her ears grew louder as snow began to fall on her coat, making a pale ash along her frame. Tears willed themselves to prick at her eyes, but withstood the meager attempts at staining her flesh.

A rumble from behind her tore her from her ruminations, and replaced them with sheer dread, fear, the realization that she would be torn apart by the voracious hunger of this starving beast. His fangs were drawn and wide, ready to engulf the tender flesh resting atop her bones.

Kagome could no longer hold the defeaning cry that erupted from her lips, clearing the forest of anything other than them. Her hand shook wildly as she held the branch in front of her. The wolf was large, black as the night, and slick and sheen to the dwindling light.

A growl penetrated the air and she closed her eyes, knowing that there was nothing else that she could do. And within that moment, that her heart nearly stopped, her eyes tore open as a crescendo of gunshots rang out in a triumphant melody of disbelief.

The beast before her squealed, thumping over dead as blood splattered her face and raped her memory of any murderous display. Panting, she smeared her fingers across the warm liquid and stared at the wolf's carcass, still twitching.

Taking only a moment to catch her breath, she heard another shot and series of noises before she pushed herself to her feet and began to run. There was no way for her to know where she was going, or even care as long as it was away from the carnage she had just been bestowed.

Twigs, branches, vines, all crushed her and marred her porcelain skin with scratches and angry brushes as she tried to escape. Before she could delve any deeper, she was greeted by a tall man smoking a cigarette as he carried his axe over his shoulder. A small musket still steady in his hand.

Every breath was silent, and her eyes were fixated upon the golden eye staring back at her. The other was pinched closed, and his hair tied behind his head. She swallowed and gripped to her chest as he walked closer, unsettling the very essence in her soul.

Being cold was long since forgotten as she watched him intently place his gun back into a satchel at his side. "Awfully late for a pretty little thing to be out alone, don't you think?" He said gruffly, sweetly blowing his smoke away from her face.

The smell was oddly comforting as it was nauseating. "I-I left the town this morning. I was on my way to the city, and...and the path...it's..."

"It's long gone. It's not been there for months. All the snow ate it all up and the only way is through here, and I ain't bettin' on you making it much further." He said, hoarsely.

"Thank you for... for saving me." Kagome said, eyes wide with curiousity, spellbound relief, and something she couldn't put her finger on. The man was gruff, bristly with stubble and had two mismatched eyes she found beautifully placed. "I...I don't know what to say. I'm cold, I'm hungry, I just want to sleep and forget this happened." She began, feeling those damned tears creeping along her lashes.

The man rolled his eyes as he knelt down and shucked his coat from his shoulders, cigarette still pressed between his teeth. "What if I wasn't saving you? Hm?" He asked as he tossed it around her small frame, "What if I was going to hurt you? You ever think of that?"

Kagome shuddered in the blanketed fabric and turned away from him shamefully, as though she knew that it was a mistake in trusting him. There was no one there to know what happened to her, other than him of course. "I have no other hope but to trust you." She said softly, keeping her eyes trained on the decimated forest floor. "If you kill me, at least I know that I was torn apart by an animal."

The man smirked and gestured to his side, "Well, at least there's that right? You can either come with me, or stay here all night." He said as he brushed his fingers over the handle of his axe. "Like I said, no reason to trust me, but at least you can be some what warm." He shrugged, watching the girl's face through the darkness.

A howl made her jump and grab onto his strong arm, buring her head fearfully into his back. "I want to be safe. I don't want this." She cried, feeling his body shift.

Absently, he began trudging north and sighed. It wasn't every day he went out and found someone in his forest. Hell, he hadn't seen another person in weeks. He wasn't sure if he should have felt chivalrous for slaying the proverbial dragon, or it was just the fact he was in the right place at the right time.

Hell, he didn't even know who this girl was and she was attached to him like a child would be their mother. The entire walk home, every time a twig snapped Red, as he'd silently dubbed her, was jumping and wincing.

There was the occasional yelp and growl, but that was the price of living in the middle of their territory, after all. A little ways ahead of him, he saw the dim light flickering in his window. He lived in nothing more than a shanty and was perfectly content without the luxuries of the city. Fresh air, visceral natured air... that was what he yearned for.

This little broken thing beside him, she had probably never seen a wild animal before tonight. Songbirds and rabbits didn't count, he scowled darkly as he rubbed a weary hand over his tired face. The wind was making him ache, and his bad knees were starting to grate. Little Red couldn't know her savior was a bag of old bones, barely making it in the winter, right?

Through the silence, and big doe eyes she batted at him, he shook her off of him as they made it to the small house. Smoke coiled out of a makeshift chimney and made her body swell with that familiar scent. Upon entering, Kagome was surprised that it was neat and tidy, and almost bare.

The man looked around the door while she stood just inside, making sure there was nothing lurking around his homestead. Quietly, he latched the door and thunked his belongings on a small table he had made.

Kagome had, at some point, ran to the flickering, almost dead, fire and pressed her hands against the bricked chasm. It felt so good to feel again. Thawing was the only way she could put it, really. Her swollen face was melting in the heat and soon, she removed layer by layer until she was only in her little black dress.

The man was bustling around the quaint space, fixing his furnishings with quilts and small down blankets. There was really only one room that made up his home. The only decernable space was where he slept. There were a few cracks in the walls, no decoration, and little to no room to be alone, unless you were alone.

Quietly, the man watched the woman brush her fingers through her long hair and pick at the drying blood on her cheeks. She looked so young, he frowned. She couldn't have been more than sixteen.

What in hell made her think that she could have survived those woods without a weapon? Or hell, without him stumbling upon her? Shit, she couldn't woo wolves with those bright, wide eyes of hers. Scoffing to himself, he grabbed a spare from his table and knelt over a pot of water he had boiled, and dipped it in.

Kagome had since sat down on a blanket and stared downcast at the floorboards. She had barely registered that he was trying to hand her the rag until water dripped onto her dress. Blinking, she smiled awkwardly and took it. "Thanks. I'm still kind of shaken." She said honestly, brushing the warm water over her cheeks. She almost nuzzled the damn thing. It felt so good to have all of that blood off of her skin and to be greeted by the sweetness of the fire.

"What's your name?" The man asked, pulling his hair out of the bind. Kagome looked up at him, inspecting the gray bleeding into the blackness around it.

"Kagome." She murmured, trying to keep her eyes from transfixing on a scar he held on his upper lip. "I didn't get yours in all of the commotion."

He grabbed his cigarettes and hunkered down in front of the fire, arm draped over his knee. "InuYasha." He rasped, "Nothing special about me." He smirked, "Just came from a long line of samurai and ended up being a woodsman. And I kill wolves for damsels in distress." He added humorously.

Kagome scowled a bit at that as she rung the rag around in her hands nervously. "I was just trying to go see my mother in the hospital." She sighed miserably. "She isn't fairing too well, so I just wanted to see her before she passed." Sadness ate at her as InuYasha nodded empathetically.

"I lost mine not too long ago. She had some illness that they couldn't cure. I'm not really all that educated, seeing as I live on my own and don't see the outside world that often."

"I snuck away from home." Kagome said with a shrug, "Well, it wasn't my home. It was a place for displaced children. I'm not a child, but the family that ran it let me stay because my brother lives there."

"I didn't know killing a wolf was going to be a gateway to our life stories." InuYasha was rather crass as he snuffed his cigarette out. "Only time I ever go to town is when I have to. I do have a friend, of sorts, that brings me things I need. I've been expecting him for a while now, but with all this snow, I can't be too hopeful. So, if you don't mind day old stew I can give you some of that."

Kagome bit her lip and nodded weakly as she wrapped her arms around her thin legs. There was something almost calming about the way InuYasha moved around her. There was a work worn man, aged by his own doing and steeled by his surroundings in which he built himself. As he moved his cast iron to the fire, he settled upon one knee and brushed a ladel through the concoction.

His axe, which her eyes gravitated to, was resting patiently to be used another day, and his simple bed was covered in ornate patchwork that had to have been made by his mother. A foolish mistake on Kagome's part made her feel almost eased that she had housing for the night.

Maybe, she thought, he would guide her somewhere safer in the morning. If she could just make it through the night, purpose would be served. Her fingers made a mess of her hair, as she tried to uncoil the curls at the ends.

Her heart was aching for home, or the memory she held of it. The home where her mother made their dinners over a fire, and bittersweet smell of persimmons cut through the air. This was the closest thing she had to that feeling and she relished it in the wake of the madness.

Indescipherable calm cascaded over them as InuYasha hunkered down with a ceramic bowl and a spoon. Kagome graciously took it and devoured her portion. She barely had time to taste it before he refilled it and handed her a cup of water.

"How old are you?" Kagome asked idly, rubbing her sleepy eyes as she sipped from the cup.

InuYasha smirked at her, "Too old." He wanted to smile, and she could tell the lines around mouth wanted to prevent it.

"Really," She said, "You look like you've been a man a while, but not terribly long."

InuYasha rolled his differential eyes and made himself a bowl of stew. "I don't know what relevance it is, but I'm twenty eight." He said sharply, "And you? You can't be a day over sixteen."

Kagome shook her head and let out a small laugh. "I'm twenty. I've been treated like an infant all my life because I look like one. My Mama told me before she went to the hospital, that I was always going to be her doll. My sister would have been twenty two this year, but she passed of Scarlet Fever a couple of years ago."

"You've lost a lot, it seems." He said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I don't let it stop me from living. Only wolves and illness can keep me from that. You stopped one of them, so now I have to hope I don't get sick." Kagome replied, leaning back upon her elbows.

"That's a good way to be. I live here because I don't want to live a lie somewhere else. I'd rather be here on my own, knowing I'm the only enemy I have." The man said quietly, watching the warmth of the fire crease over Kagome's soft features.

"Fair." Her hair fell over her shoulder, as she blew the bangs from her eyes. There was a moment where their eyes met and she felt bound to his unusual gaze. Part of her wanted to blush, that part that was still sixteen, and the woman in her made her grin crookedly instead. "I'm surprised you made me stop crying like a baby. I guess when you're truly afraid of something you just dissolve into this mess of a person."

InuYasha scratched the back of his head as he finally shed a toothy grin. "You didn't get much of a chance to grow. That's all it is. You don't know what it's like to be an adult, do you?"

Kagome furrowed her brows and lolled her head back. "I'd be a liar if I said I did. I've been given chance after chance, for all of the things I've done wrong, and I still can't get it right. I don't know why I'm telling you this. I just met you."

"I don't know why I'm talking to you, either." InuYasha retorted, making this strange nasally grunt that she found almost amusing.

"It's probably because you're alone and don't have anyone but your axe and the trees to listen."

"You a poet now?"

"No, I'm simply saying that if a person has no one to converse with, they become as stunted as one of those tree stumps I saw out there. I assume you chopped it down?"

"Of course." InuYasha said, laying himself down beside her with his head propped in his hand. "I don't think that anyone else would have bothered on those things. It's hard as shit to do that work."

"I didn't say it wasn't." Kagome exhaled, finding her full body to be almost unbearable. She was stuffed to the toes on stew and ready to collapse. "Is it okay if I have another blanket?"

InuYasha blinked at her, slightly taken by surprise at this woman. She was beautiful, smart, and was nearly murdered and kept on like nothing happened. After the crying was done, he didn't think he was going to actually have a talk with her. He felt more or less he was going to be stuck with a pillow over his head all night, wishing he had left her to die.

"Um," He cleared his throat, feeling his blood rushing to his skin. "Yeah, do you want to sleep in the bed? Who knows how long it'll be before you get to sleep in one again."

Kagome raised up and nipped at her lip slightly, causing his eyes to drift to her small teeth. "I'll be fine here, I don't want to make you give up something you need. I'm just grateful to have a fire to sit by and walls to hold me."

"Just go get in that damn bed." InuYasha said dryly, leaning behind him to grab a blanket from his old chair. Handing it to her, he nudged his head. "If you need something to sleep in, I have some clothes folded next to the bed."

Kagome finally let her flush expose itself. She quickly lowered her head as she stood upon a pair of long legs. "Thank you, InuYasha." She smiled warmly as she pattered across the wooden floor.

Her heart skipped a little as she took the liberity of diving into his pile of folded clothes. There were some hakama and a few haori intermixed with Western clothing. Ever since the war, there had been such a change in Japan that she barely blamed him for being so cautious and living in the forest.

The wind could howl, and the rain could drench this house, but she doubted she was any safer anywhere else. She had never felt so secure with a man, and as she pulled a flannel shirt from the pile. InuYasha kept his eyes from wandering as she swiftly pulled the shirt over her head and let it dangle around her knees. He was so much taller than she was, that it made her feel fragile.

Cautiously, she settled a top his messy bed and watched him as he grabbed the blanket she had held and wrapped it around himself. Deep down, Kagome wanted to let her guard down at least for a little while. She felt almost delirious as her eyes began drifted between daylight realms and the blackness of their lids.

This day, these past few days, had they all been worth the trouble? She weakly mused, barely hanging on to the numbess of sleep that clung to her withering bones. The train was still running, why couldn't she have just done that? Oh, that's right... She didn't have a cent to her name.

For a moment, she gripped to her shirt collar, and inhaled the musty scent. InuYasha was eying her precariously from his perch upon the floor, which she noticed with a bruise of blush creeping on her cheeks.

Shaking her head, she washed away the absent idea that he was attracted to her and slumped back on the bed. At some point, the girl had drifted away, leaving the man sitting alone in front of the fading fire, as the wind began to sing a whistling song.

He focused on the battering branches that crossed his window, and he pushed himself to his feet. He tapped the pane with his knuckle and felt the air freeze his skin. Snow was falling a bit heavier than it had earlier in the evening and he sighed.

There seemed to be no cause for it to stop, seeing as how his luck had damned him to being so bitter and antisocial. A calloused hand brushed over his stubbly chin and he let out a groan. Maybe when he took the girl to town, he could purchase a few odds and ends in trade for his firewood.

It was probably a godsend that he found her, not only for her sake, but for his. As he sat back down, he grabbed a knife a piece wood and began to whittle. InuYasha chewed at his jaw as he hunched over his knees. Being alone, save from the patron monk bringing by his share of rations, was something he had grown accustomed to.

This little girl on his bed had the faintest of ideas about what kind of person he was, or who he really was, for that matter. The last woman that did went running out and got herself killed. He supposed trust was something that was as differential as the seasons, and held a different meaning to each person.

Alas, the rest of the night, he spent tossing and turning, whittling, smoking, and poking at the embers barely illuminating the room until his eyes blacked out.

Kagome roused at the smell of coffee, strangely enough. It filled the room with its heady stench and warm aroma. Barely parting her eyes, she rubbed them with the heels of her palms. She soon found InuYasha, dressed in black hakama and a dark haori, hunkered down over his firepit.

Looking around, she noticed it was still dark and frowned inwardly as she brushed a hand through her winding hair. "Did I sleep for long?" She asked hoarsely.

InuYasha shot her a half-hearted glance over his shoulder and grabbed a cup. "Not long enough. It's not dawn yet. I don't sleep but a few hours a night, so the monk was nice enough to bring me some of this to help me function."

Kagome pulled the blanket off the bed and took a seat beside him in his handmade chair. Looking down at the crown of his head, she noticed at the white hair curling into the darker strands like someone had spilled paint at the apex.

"Obaba made coffee every morning, too." She yawned, feeling her toes prickled by the draught.

InuYasha smirked to himself, handing her a cup as he manuevered to pull on some tabi and grab some hot rice. "The snow came down pretty hard last night, so I cleared a path out of the house this morning. I'm going to take you to town today."

Kagome's heart lumped in her throat as she downed the hot beverage. She wanted to jump and squeal, but refrained for fear of being rude. The adult in her kicked in and kept her exterior poised, while her insides churned like waves. "I appreciate it very much." She said, smiling crookedly at the man as he gave her a portion of rice.

He merely nodded in response as he ate and grabbed up his belongings. InuYasha was a man of habit, and never left home with his axe, gun, and several odds and ends that he may need. When his eyes fell on the girl, holding up her dress, he let out a sigh and headed to a closet, pulling out a stack of clothes.

"You'll freeze if you were that." He said sharply, reluctantly holding out his arms.

Kagome blinked and weakly nodded as she pulled out the clothes. Looking around the room, she realized there was no place for her to change. She was too tired to care last night, but InuYasha noticed and held a blanket in front of her.

"Go ahead." He said, "I'm not going to look at you."

"Um, thanks." Kagome muttered awkwardly. "Who's clothes are these?" She asked vacantly, as she pulled a detailed sweater over her head.

"They were my wife's." InuYasha sighed, "She died about five years ago. I bought those for her in the city because she wanted them so bad. She only got to wear them maybe twice before she died."

Kagome ran her fingers over the fine stitching, carefully pulling on a pair of buttoned black trousers. "I'm sorry. I feel terrible for wearing them." She said, "I'm afraid they'll get ruined.

"I wouldn't have offered 'em if I didn't want them to be worn." InuYasha replied softly, trying to hide the distraught rumbling in his voice. "But come on, it's going to be dawn and I've got to take this wood to town before someone else does."

Kagome nodded and picked up a Western coat from the bed and pulled it around her body. It was almost as red as hers, she smiled sadly. InuYasha bundled up and headed out the door, where she saw him dig out a rickshaw from the snow embankment.

Eagerly, she helped him load the damp trunks upon the cart, splintering her fingers with the coarse bark. InuYasha watched her out of the corner of his eye, amused by the sheer ease in which she moved.

That dark hair so heavy against her pale skin and eyes... It reminded him a little of his wife, but he stuffed those feelings down as she grabbed one arm of the cart. "What in hell are you doing?" He furrowed his brows as he lit a cigarette.

"I'm helping you." Kagome said as though it was preposterous she didn't do so.

"Get the hell out of the way. You don't have any business pulling this shit." He flailed as he tried to shoo her away.

"Just grab the other side." The girl spat. InuYasha snorted at her, but did as she said. He picked up the left arm and began to walk through the slush. The sun was barely peeking through the branches and stiff tree limbs as they made it to the thicket. Kagome's breath was stolen by the cold, making her nose ruddy like her cheeks. Whereas, InuYasha was sturdy and blanketed by his long hair and thin clothes, making it hard to settle on paying any attention to it.

They talked a little about their lives, and the things that they didn't quite particularly enjoy on their journey. Kagome had taken a genuine liking to the man, even though, when he got to talking, he was a bit crass.

It was a lot better than traveling alone, she mused, adjusting the cart as they ran over a few rocks and roots hidden beneath the snow. InuYasha laughed for the first time when she made an off hand joke about him being a hermit, and it made her stomach flutter.

The day was relatively calm, a bit windy and chillier than the day before, perhaps.

"So, how far is it to the city?" Kagome asked idly, smelling his smoke from his umpteenth cigarette.

InuYasha winced at the sky and shrugged a lanky shoulder. "I'll probably have you there by around sun down if it doesn't start snowing again."

Kagome nodded contently as they rounded a another set of dead thistle, which lead to a muddy pathway. A sign indicated they were close to a town, called Tama. She was almost delighted when they saw a few of the occupants along the road, selling their wares.

InuYasha nodded at a few and said a few words as they hit the cobble to a line of shacks and nicer establishments. There was one old building, made of crumbling brick that he stopped at and dropped his end of the rickshaw, nearly knocking her down from the surprise of its weight.

"You wait here, and don't run off with anyone, okay? I don't want someone buying you or nothin'." He grumbled, shaking out his sore hands as he entered the small structure. A few women carrying small game bristled by her looking her up and down, as though she were foreign.

They wore traditional kimono and held their bodies high beneath the hefty skins of wolves and bears. She felt out of place, especially since matters between the countries hadn't been too keen ever since the reformation.

Nervously, she chewed at her lip, waiting for the man to come back outside. It felt like hours when he finally did, followed by a handsome young man in robes. He immediately blanched when he saw Kagome, bowing and grabbing her hand gently. "My, InuYasha, did you think such a tennyo would fall in your lap!" He richly exclaimed, seeing InuYasha's expression falter as he tried unloading the cart.

"Keh. Where in hell do you get off talking to me about any woman? Just because you dress like a saint, don't make you one." InuYasha rasped, rolling his eyes at the cherubic man.

"Don't mind him, he's a bit crabby, after all. Anyone should be so lucky to have someone as beautiful as you in their company." His rosy cheeks raised in a thoughtful, humbled smile as he patted InuYasha sternly on the back. "What's your name, miss?"

Kagome brushed her hair behind her ear and looked down at her black shoes, cold and wet from the walk. "Higurashi Kagome." She bowed, making the man's eye brow arch.

"Takimaru Miroku." The man bowed in response, waiting for his friend to finish stacking his wood by the door. "How long have you known my friend here?"

"Since last night." She said in nothing more than a whisper. "I was trying to make it to the city before I got lost."

"Well, I see that you're in decent condition, so he must have done a good job taking care of you."

InuYasha's skin flushed as he grabbed the shorter man's shoulder, "Enough of that. You need anything else, you better tell me now, Miroku."

Miroku brushed away his hand, "InuYasha, I believe this will be fine for now."

Kagome listened to the men exchange a few more words before he handed him some paper and coins. InuYasha left the rickshaw against the side of the building, and waved off his friend. A few of the other townsmen stopped and chitchatted with them before they made their way to a merchant selling pickled meat and some rice.

InuYasha picked up a few odds and ends and put them in his bag. She felt guilty for staring at him, and how his body moved so gracefully. He was a strange man, but handsome and in some way, a very sweet person at that.

Whether he would ever admit it or not, that was up to him, but Kagome was a bit dejected by the idea of only having a day to spend with him. Surely, once she visited her mother, she would find a way back to him and see how he was doing. Perhaps, she would bring him a pastry from the city, or a coat, or something she could afford.

As they headed down the path, she heard the faint cry of a train rushing down the warped old tracks. "There's a train station?" She asked with some sort of hope.

InuYasha looked down at her and nodded, "Yeah, but that shit's too expenive."

Kagome smirked and grabbed his 'hand, "Tell me where to go." She said, gray eyes wide with delightful mischief. Making the best of the time she had with him seemed like a good option to her. Why not help him live a little in his awkwardness?

"It's down the hill and past the pond." He said as he felt the warm of her hand engulf his long fingers.

"Is it a station or just a drop off?" Kagome asked, picking up her pace as her hair whipped behind her, making the wind kiss her ears with its frosty mouth.

"Drop off." InuYasha answered as his feet slid slightly, fumbling down the decline over the pebbles and lost belongings on the pathway. At some point during the race, Kagome had gripped to his hand so tightly, he felt her nails drive into his skin.

He wasn't sure what it was about her, but when she smiled at him, he wanted to keep that light in her eyes focused on himself. She was so different than anyone he had ever met, but so easily trusting it made him nauseaous.

All of the breath in his lungs, and hers as well, was filled by the burn of the air prickling at their insides. Kagome was laughing, letting go of his hand only to slow herself and steady her racing heart for a moment. InuYasha held his aching knees, warming them with the residual heat Kagome had left on his hand.

Panting, he looked around, finding the smoke stack of the train decorating the air with its vile smog. "The drop off should be over there." He pointed, still hunched over his knees.

Kagome skimmed over the tree line, finding the green locomotive grinding across the curve, slowing itself to a near hault. "Thank you for everything." She said softly, not wanting to pull him behind her.

The girl fearlessly extended a hand through his curtain of hair and grabbed his chin. Eyes radiating such life. InuYasha flinched at her touch, and felt his heart rapturously beat like a drum. Her soft mouth carressed his own and retreated as soon as it had landed. "Sayonara, InuYasha." Kagome whispered, running into the forest.

The man stood spellbound, brushing his calloused thumb over his lips. He could still see her running over the snow, black hair featering in silken coils, and red coat washing away the cold.

The moment she escaped him, his body aged a thousand years. There was something within that brief gesture that made him feel alive. None of this was real, was it? How often does a woman come to his forest and need saving and stay with him without question? Sighing, he lolled his head back and closed his eyes before he ran after her.

Part of him scolded himself for being so stupid, and trusting. She would be gone like the rest of them, and only a memory in which he would have folded like a lost photo in the back of his mind. It felt like forever trying to catch her, but he did find her.

A middle aged couple had stepped off the train with a few European style bags in hand, and Kagome was sneaking aboard the back, holding onto the frame work as she stood on the tiny space behind the door.

InuYasha swallowed hard as he heard the gears beginning to turn. Kagome whipped around when she heard him call her name and she knelt down, extending an arm to him as she steeled herself against the railing.

It took all she had to pull him up, but latched onto him with a trembling heart. "I'm glad that you came with me." She said on baited breath, brushing back his hair from his eyes. The browns and golds gleamed in the morning light as she took his hand and sat with her legs dangling off the edge of the train.

InuYasha rested an arm on his and stared at the world he knew disappearing. One day can change so many things, but the caliber of it was still so overwhelming. Looking beside him, he listened to Kagome talking about something he didn't understand. The fear had all but subsided and the wolves in the forest were nothing but a bad dream.

And, somewhere, in the bottom of his heart, he hoped that Kagome wouldn't become the wind and disappear as swiftly as she came.

AN: WAFF.

SO MUCH WAFF.

I hope that you guys enjoy this piece. I had a lot of fun starting it and I'm working on the next chapter now. Like I said, it will be really short since I have a lot of other pieces I need to update. Let me know what you think, good or bad.

Jiru