A/N: hello again friends! Here's the second story I've written. This idea popped in my head as I was in a car on a family vacation, so I wrote it down! I hope you enjoy :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any characters.
Runaway
The wind jabbed at her worn coat. It probed around her shivering body until, at last, it found an opening in the cloth. Eagerly, the wind swept through the crevice and whirled briefly inside the jacket, before billowing off to harass someone else.
It would've been a beautiful night. The sky was clear, and millions upon millions of twinkling stars smiled distantly at the long figure walking along the deserted road. The moon, a thin crevice hanging delicately from the black sky, lit the ground upon which she walked.
It was eerily quiet, now that the wind disappeared. The crickets were silenced as she walked past, but she didn't seem to notice. Her head was drooped, her arms wrapped around her body. Her black hair fell in ragged tangles around her shoulders.
The sound of a car split the silence. Within seconds, she had moved to the side of the road. The car passed without an incident. She let out a sigh of relief.
She had her eyes set on the hill in front of her. If she could make it there before morning came, she would be safe. But the paved road in front of her stretched for miles and miles, and she had no food or water to sustain herself. All she had was an old coat, and a photograph, which lay wrinkled in the coat pocket.
Surrounded by silence, the woman felt weighed down by the events that had just happened. What exactly had happened? It was like lightning; some second she was there, and another second she was here. She stifled a sob, and kept walking.
The sound of another car approached. She turned to watch it pass. It was a large truck. In the dim light of the moon, she could barely read the words on the side of the trailer: Inu Shipping and Handling. She let out another sigh of relief. She was safe, for now at least. She walked off the road and waited in the grass for the truck to pass. It didn't.
To her horror, the truck stopped right next to her, and the driver got out. From the silhouette, she could tell he wasn't human. Unless, though she doubted it, he was wearing a headband with pointy ears.
"Are you okay?" the driver called as he approached. His voice was gruff. She didn't like it. She didn't trust her voice; she simply nodded, and started walking away.
"Wait!"
She heard footsteps approaching and faster than any human could ever move, he was beside her. She stiffened.
The first thing she noticed was his hair. It was beautiful, there was no other way to describe it. Like someone had taken a sliver of the moon and colored his hair, the driver had a sheet of smooth silver hair cascading from his head. It was almost as long as hers, ending at his shoulders. Then she noticed his clothes. He was wearing a large red coat. That was the only way to describe it. The red robe covered his entire upper body except for his hands, neck, and face. It looked warm. His dark jeans, ripped at the knees and once on the upper thigh, were barely visible in the dark.
"Are you okay?" he asked again.
Again, she nodded, and tried to turn away. He reached out a hand and grabbed her shoulder. She winced, and he loosened his grip.
"Sorry," he apologized. "Can you talk?"
She paused, then nodded once.
"Will you talk?"
She paused again, then shook her head.
"That's okay. Are you headed toward the town down there?"
She nodded.
"You're on foot?"
A single nod.
"It'll take you a while to get there."
A shrug.
"Even driving, it'll take a few hours."
He watched as her posture fell apart. A single tear slid down her face, and she lifted an arm to wipe her face on the dirty coat.
"Here, why don't I give you a ride?"
She looked up at him and stared. He could see the thin moon reflected in her eyes. They looked haunted, as if they had seen too much.
"I won't hurt you," he said softly. "I promise, and I don't break my promises."
She regarded him for a minute. She didn't want to take a ride from a stranger, especially not with that had happened. But she needed to get to the town, and she was, according to the driver, very far away. Besides, agreeing to get a ride wouldn't get her caught. She gave him a slight nod, and received a small smile. A single fang popped out, and caught his upper lip.
He caught her staring, and his smile widened.
"Half dog demon," he explained, gesturing to his hair, his ears, his fangs. "But I'm like a puppy. I won't hurt you."
She nodded, and was surprised to find that she didn't have a bad feeling about this.
"Come on, let's get you warm."
He turned and walked back to his truck. She followed.
The inside was warm. He had cranked the heat all the way up, and she appreciated the warmth that was now spreading through her bodies. Though her fingers were still frozen, she could finally feel her arms again. She could tell he was watching her, as she held her hands out in front of the hot air.
"Are you ready?" he asked after a while.
A nod.
"Let's go."
He started the truck up, and began driving. Having walked for so long, she hadn't even noticed how much her legs ached. But now, they throbbed more than they ever have. Gently, she rubbed her calves, her thighs, her feet. Every now and then, the driver looked over. Silence surrounded them, but it was comfortable. She felt warm, comfortable, safe.
It was half an hour later that he spoke again.
"What happened?"
She looked at him, puzzled.
"I don't think it's normal for a person to be walking through the mountain pass at midnight. Especially alone, and with no supplies."
She blushed, and looked away.
"Okay. You don't have to tell me," he assured her. "But if you do, I promise I won't tell anyone."
She eyed him.
"Really. I promise."
She gave him a small shrug and looked out the window at the bare scenery flying by. She would reach the town before morning for sure now. She was already feeling more relaxed now that she was warm.
"Even half of what happened," the driver prompted. "I just want to know if you're going to be okay."
She opened her mouth to say something, but her voice refused to cooperate. She closed her mouth, and continued looking out of the window. He looked at her one last time, then returned to staring at the road.
The silence that followed was heavier. She felt like he was shutting her out. Guilt spread through her body. He was already being so kind, the least she could do is explain herself. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. The more she thought, the less she wanted to talk about it. But inside of her, was a growing desire to finally tell someone. To finally let someone else know, to share her story. Later, she decided. She'll tell him later.
An hour later, he switched the heat off.
"I'm sweating," he explained.
She gave him a small smile, and he smiled back. Now or never, she figured.
"I ran away."
"What?" the driver asked, startled. His expression had been one of complete surprise, and under other circumstances, she would have laughed.
"I ran away." Discretely, she tried to clear her throat. She hadn't spoken in a while; her voice was rusty.
"From who?"
"From whom," she corrected with a small smile. "I ran away from my foster home."
"Oh," the driver said quietly.
"My dad was abusing me," she said, her voice steadier. "He threatened my life all the time."
"I'm sorry," the driver murmured, glancing over at her with concerned eyes.
"I got used to it," she muttered. "I turned 18 two days ago. I decided I was sick and tired of living with him, so I left home."
The driver said nothing. She said nothing. The heavy silence returned.
"Why are you heading to that town?" the driver finally asked.
"My real parents live there," she said. "They gave me up because they couldn't afford a child at the time. I want to find them."
"And I'll help you," the driver declared.
A single traffic light loomed ahead of them. Red. Green. Yellow. Red. The truck screeched to a stop.
"I'm Inuyasha," the driver said, turning to face her. He stuck out his hand, and she shook it in a firm handshake. "Yours?"
She shook her head. Giving him her name might cost her her life. If her father found out where she was, she definitely wouldn't walk out of that beating with her life.
"Not right now."
Inuyasha nodded understandingly.
"I promise, right now," he said fiercely, "that you'll find your parents. I guarantee it."
"Thank you," she said, desperately trying to hold back tears. When was the last time someone had shown kindness to her? She honestly couldn't remember. One unruly tear left her eye and trailed slowly down her cheek. Inuyasha lifted a hand and gently wiped it off. His fingers lingered on her face.
The light turned green. He turned back to the road and the truck began moving again. Yet another silence filled the space, but this time, it was light. She had a friend. Or at least a potential friend. The first person she had ever told. Already, she felt happier. Lighter. Like the young woman she used to be.
"What do you do?" she asked politely.
"Me? Oh, nothing really. I just drive this truck."
"What do you ship?"
"Pretty much anything. Office supplies, kitchen appliances, and even the occasional runaway," he said with a smile and a wink. She smiled back. She felt so at ease in his presence. It was nothing like what she was used to, and she began to regret the moment she had to step out of the truck.
"What if your parents can't take you in?" Inuyasha asked cautiously.
"Oh," she murmured. She hadn't thought of that. She had been so intent on leaving her foster father's house that she had forgotten the fact that her parents still might not be able to care for her. "I… I don't know."
Inuyasha glanced over at her, and saw tears threatening to spill again. For some reason, he felt connected to her. He, too, hadn't had a good relationship with his father. Much better than her relationship, but still, not the best. He, too, had tried to run away when he was younger. But he had been caught, had been beaten, and never tried to leave again. His father had even stopped him from pursuing his dreams by denying him funds for college.
"You could stay with me," Inuyasha suggested hesitantly.
She looked up at him, genuinely surprised.
"What?"
"You could, you know, stay with me," he muttered, embarrassed. He refused to look at her, but she could see the light blush spreading across his face. "If you want."
She considered the idea. Living with a complete stranger. No, living with Inuyasha who was kind enough to help me when I needed it most, she corrected herself. The idea sent her heart racing with happiness. She knew she would be safe there. She knew he would protect her, would take care of her, would make her who she used to be.
But what if? What if he turned out like her foster father? She spat internally at the term. Father. He had never been anything but a bully. What if Inuyasha turned out like Naraku? What if he beat her, and threatened to kill her like Naraku did? What if she had to run away again?
But she doubted it. With Naraku, her senses were always alert, she was always on edge. In the hour she had been with Inuyasha, not only had she let her guard down, but she had actually told him about Naraku. She'd never done that before.
"I… I would love to," she finally said.
He gave her an enormous smile. Pulling over on the side of the road, he reached over and enveloped her in a warm hug.
"You're going to be safe, now," he whispered in her ear.
He felt tears on his jacket, but he didn't mind. He had a friend, she had a friend. She was going to be safe.
She pulled away first, with a small blush tinting her cheeks.
"Thank you," she said warmly.
"Of course."
Inuyasha pulled the truck back onto the road and continued driving. Streaks of red, yellow, and orange were already coloring the sky as she finally saw the first buildings of the town appear. Her heart pounded. She was going to see her parents. Her real parents. The town approached slowly. More and more buildings appeared; a pharmacy, a library, rows upon rows of apartment buildings. The sky lightened even more. The sun peeked over the horizon and illuminated the inside of the truck. She squinted out the window and saw that even the landscape outside had changed drastically: rather than mounds of dead grass and dry trees, the ground was littered with tufts of green grass and the occasional vibrant flower. She swallowed, and turned to face the town.
Within a few minutes, Inuyasha pulled into a gas station.
"Well, here we are," he said.
He sounded sad. Why, she didn't know, but hearing him sad made her sad too.
"Here we are," she echoed.
"Do you know where your parents live?" Inuyasha asked. He gave her a reassuring smile that didn't reach his eyes. She noticed they were the color of amber. Warm. Comforting. Sad? There it was again. A flash of sadness trailed through his eyes before he blinked and looked away.
"Yes," she said distantly. The photograph in her pocket had the address written on the back. She had been found with the photograph on top of her: a woman and a man, hugging and laughing.
"I can't stay for long," Inuyasha said. "I have to get going if I'm going to make the destination by tomorrow."
"Okay," she whispered. She opened the door and climbed down. He did the same.
They stood face to face in front of the truck.
"I need to go do something," she said suddenly. "Will you wait here?"
"Of course. I'll be right here," Inuyasha assured her.
She scampered into the little store by the station, and he watched her leave. Already, she was looking better. No longer was she slouching; her chest was out, her shoulders back. She almost had a spring to her steps.
She returned a few minutes later, looking the same as when she went it.
"What did you have to do?" Inuyasha asked, looking her over.
"Nothing," she said, and he didn't question her.
"So."
"So," she echoed.
"Good bye?"
"Good bye."
This time, she initiated the hug. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she felt as if she were leaving a friend she had known for years. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and she pressed her face into his chest. She tried to memorize the smell.
He stepped back first, and she followed. She stuck out a hand, and offered Inuyasha a small smile.
"I don't even know your name," Inuyasha blurted out, taking her hand and shaking it again.
She only smiled.
Releasing his hand, she bit her lips as if she wanted to say something. He waited, listening intently, but no words came out of her mouth.
Looking determined and resigned, she flashed him one last smile before turning around and walking away. He watched her retreating figure until he could see her no longer, then turned to look at the piece of paper she had given him during their last handshake.
My parents live in the blue building across from the library.
If things don't work out, find me there.
He looked up at where she had disappeared.
"I still don't know your name," he whispered to the still air.
He glanced down at the note and looked up, only to bring the note up to his face. He had completely missed the last line she had written.
My name is Kagome.