Unexpected Friendship

Chapter One

By: Akinai

---

Snap!

Crackle!

Crunch!

BOOM!

"AHH!" screamed the young girl as she ran for dear life. "Stay away from me!"

A loud roar echoed from behind her, snapping and snarling as it pursued its prey. It would not let her escape, that much was certain. Its wide bounds, moving heavily across the forest floor made it almost impossible for her little body to control the balance it took to stand against the hard shaken earth. She tripped, stumbled and fell as she made her escape despite the gnawing pain her legs and arms gave her.

Unfortunately she wouldn't be able to keep herself at this pace for much longer. She was growing tired, and her legs were beginning to hurt. It would only be a matter of time before the monster caught up to her, with its long legs, and teeth filled mouth. If only she had stayed near, like she was supposed to…

The ground rumbled as she was brought out of her thoughts, before a menacing growl took place behind her. She screamed, trying to move faster, but only found herself slipping from the rubble at her feet. She groaned as her body connected with the earth, sending a wave of pain throughout her arms and legs.

There was no way that she was going anywhere now. With no place to hide, and her body too tired to get up, she was a sitting duck, and she knew the monster knew this. She was almost positive that it was right behind her too, with its hot breath breathing down on her tiny body.

She slowly turned her head to see, her body trembling as she feared for herself and what she would see. Her eyes widened, fear consuming her completely as the beast stood on all fours behind her. A whimper escaped the girl, not realizing just how massive this thing was, and how it resembled what she feared most.

It snarled at her, its body crouching as it prepared to leap. The girl screamed, her hands coming over her head as she thought of the one person she knew would save her.

"LORD SESSHOMARU!!"

The beast pounced.

---

Now, Kagome was never one to complain… at least not much anyway. But today… today was just really ticking her off. So far, they've managed to slay at least five demons, with no luck of finding any jewel shards. How on earth, is that even possible?!

They happen to go through more than one battle in a day and without any shards no less. How incredibly unlucky is that!? Then, to top it all off, Inuyasha was being rather crabby about it. He was complaining the whole time, why she wasn't able to find a jewel shard, and why were there so many demons coming after them.

Well, first, if she knew why so many demons were coming, then they wouldn't be having this problem. Second, the only reason for not being able to find a jewel shard is because there was no jewel shard, not because she was lacking with her miko abilities. How difficult can it be to figure that one out? He obviously wanted something to complain about, otherwise he wouldn't be yapping the way he was.

She sighed. 'If only it hadn't been around breakfast when this all started to happen.'

They had been eating when a large snake demon decided to slink its way into camp, and smash everything. It had been looking for the jewel shards, not that that was anything new, but they took care of it sure enough. By the time they were done, their little camp was in nothing but shambles. It was a nightmare, especially to clean up.

Inuyasha wasn't happy about it either since his bowl of ramen lay strewn across the filthy dirt. That was where his attitude began. When they all had packed up, and left their destroyed camp, they were yet again attacked by another shard obsessed demon. It was a bear demon that time, and proved to be a little more difficult than the snake, but they managed.

Later on, towards the afternoon, they were again attacked by a bird demon, which took them longer to defeat because it was so high up. Inuyasha and Sango were the ones to defeat it. He began complaining about it too. About how she needed to improve her archery and how slow she was. That was the beginning of her, own irritation beyond the jewel shards.

When they took a break an hour later, a boar demon came scrambling in their direction, squealing and huffing as they ate lunch, or tried to. It was easier that time, and since Inuyasha was getting tired of having his food all over the place, he decided he wanted to take the pig with them. It was too heavy of course, but they did scrape off a few slabs of meat for later on that night.

In the late afternoon, as they drew closer towards the mountain side, they came across an ogre, and that was definitely rough. They had barely won that one, considering how tired they were from all the previous battles. She nearly got her head swiped right off, but Inuyasha had stepped in. She was lucky, but not lucky enough when he started to snap at her about it.

"I told you to stay out of the way!" he had shouted at her.

She, not one to back down, decided to respond. "Who says I'm in the way?!" she said, folding her arms. "I'm only trying to help, Inuyasha!"

"Feh." He folds his arms. "The only thing you're helping with is putting yourself in danger!"

"Yeah, like I asked for that demon to come after me," she said a bit sarcastically while tapping her foot impatiently. "At least no one got hurt!"

Inuyasha growled, his hands balling into fists as they came to his sides. "If I hadn't jumped in when I did, you'd be dead!"

"Come now guys," said Miroku as he stepped in between them, not wanting this to get any worse. "There's no need to fight, we're all safe and that's what matters, right?" He looked at Kagome, knowing she'd agree before he turned his attention to Inuyasha.

His ears twitched, his head turned stubbornly away. "Well, Inuyasha?"

He looked at Kagome, who then looked at him, pleading with her eyes. He huffed, turning away. "Yeah, whatever," he said. The miko smiled. "Now let's go before it gets dark."

That was the only time he decided to stop their bickering until now, as the sun was going down. They hadn't found any jewel shards still, and he decided since they weren't getting anywhere, that he was going to make everybody miserable, especially Kagome. It was all her fault for not being able to sense any jewels, at least that's how she feeling when he refused to stop complaining.

It was beyond her why he refused to think of other options, but Miroku and Sango didn't seem to care, or that they weren't paying attention. It was amazing how they were able to block him out so easily, while she could hear him loud and clear, practically screaming about their misfortune.

Kagome sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Things were becoming stressful, and if they didn't find a jewel shard soon, then she's more than likely going to pop out her frustration.

A loud scream brought the miko from her thoughts as she stopped in place. "Huh?" She turned herself to the trees, her eyes roaming through the darkness. "What was that?"

The others stopped too, and became very quiet as they listened.

"AHH! Stay away from me!" the voice screamed.

"It sounds like a girl," spoke Sango in a worrisome tone as she looked at Miroku, who looked at her.

"Where is it coming from?" spoke the little fox kit as he stood atop the houshi's shoulder.

Inuyasha turned his nose to the air, sniffing out the location. "I'm not sure…" he mumbled, turning to his right. "But it seems… to be coming over here." He nodded towards the trees Kagome had been staring at.

She looked at him, worry creasing her brow. "I wonder who it could be," she whispered.

"I'm not sure," he said, curling his nose. "But whoever it is, a demon is not far from behind."

"What?!" shouted Kagome surprised. "You mean there's a demon chasing a little girl?!"

He shrugged, turning back on the path. "Yeah, seems like it."

The miko gaped. "Inuyasha!" she scolded. "We've got to help her! We can't just leave her alone, it would be cruel!"

"No way!" he snapped without so much as a glance back. "I've had enough demons for one day. I don't need any more if they're not even worth my time to go looking for them."

"But Inuyasha--!" started the miko before a tug at her soul drew her back. She gasped, turning back to the trees. 'A jewel shard…'

"What now?" he said a bit irritated as he turned to her, the others looking as well. She was staring directly into the trees now, her face alight in surprise as she stood planted to her spot. He recognized that look…

"AHH!" came the scream from before, before the miko launched herself through the trees.

Inuyasha stood surprised for a moment, a bit shocked at how quick Kagome was to react to the child's desperate cries. Of course, she was going after the jewel too. That was why she was in such hurry, right? He hoped so.

As he turned towards the group, the hanyou nudged his head to where the miko had left. "Lets go," he said, before he and the others followed after.

---

It was probably not the most rational thing Kagome could've done, not that she had much choice to begin with, but it was the best thing she could think of at the time. She had to find that little girl, and get to her before that demon did, that was her main goal. Then, if she could manage to get a good shot, she could get the shard, no problem. Her only hope was that the demon was not clever enough to outwit her. It wouldn't be good if she ran into a demon with a two scents.

A tug at the miko's soul pulled her out of her thoughts. 'I'm close…' she realized before drawing out her bow and knocking it with an arrow. 'I better hurry!'

Kagome sped up, running faster than she thought she could as the tug grew stronger the closer she became. It was then that the ground began to rumble, a vicious snarl rolling through the air followed by the softest of whimpers. 'They're just beyond those trees!'

"LORD SESSHOMARU!!" screamed the young girl, before the miko burst through the shrub and fired.

The arrow soared, glowing with a pink reminiscing light until it hit its target. The demon howled at the searing pain until it was thrown back against the trees behind it. Kagome smiled at her small victor before turning her attention to the reason she came there. The little thing was curled up on the ground in fright, her body trembling as she waited for the end she wasn't going to get.

The miko ran up beside her, immediately dropping to her knees as she inspected the little one for any injuries. She frowned. Her knees were bloody, as well as her shins, and her arms were no better either, telling by the bruises. Kagome hesitantly placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. She whimpered, her body trembling a few octaves.

"It's okay," she gently shushed her. "I'm here to help you."

The girl slowly opened her eyes, her arms moving in unison before she looked at the older girl. The miko smiled. "Are you alright?" The young one didn't respond as she sat up, her eyes scanning the area before resting on the fallen demon.

Kagome followed her gaze. "It's alright," she said. "You don't have to be afraid anymore." The younger girl looked to the older one. "It should be out for the moment. I made sure of that." She smiled, turning her gaze back to the little one. "But we probably shouldn't stay here much longer. It could wake up, and--?!"

A startled expression came across the miko's face as the young girl latched herself around her waist and began to sob into the older girl's shirt. Kagome frowned before she wrapped her arms around her and soothed her comfortingly on the back. "There now, you're okay," she encouraged. "Everything's fine—huh?"

"He… He didn't come…" the girl sobbed.

Kagome stared confused. "Who didn't come?"

The girl sniffed, her eyes looking up tearfully at the older girl. "My lord; Lord Sesshomaru..."

The miko stiffened at the mention of Inuyasha's half brother. She never expected his name to pop up, especially not from a little girl. Kagome looked at her, a bit unsure, her eyes scanning over the young one's face carefully before realization suddenly hit her. "Rin?"

Sniffing, the young girl nodded before lowering her head into the older one's chest. Kagome had to refrain from groaning. It was one of those days. Of course, it was already bad before, but this just takes the cake. Sesshomaru would kill her if he knew where his ward was, not that it was her fault, but he would surely put the blame with the child in her possession.

What was she doing in a place like this anyway? Doesn't she know it's dangerous?! She looked at Rin a bit confused. 'No, that's not right,' she thought, frowning. 'Sesshomaru would never let her out his sight, let alone let her come to any harm.'

Kagome looked towards the fallen demon, whose jewel shard was still imbedded in its body. Her brows furrowed. 'Then how come this demon was after her with Sesshomaru nowhere to be found?'

A vicious snarl interrupted the miko's thoughts as the body of the large demon began to shift. "Oh crap…" she said while she tried scrambling onto her feet. The young girl groaned, bringing Kagome to look at her with concern. She was falling asleep.

'Not good,' she thought as she reached for her bow, while trying desperately to put her and the girl up right.

The demon had rolled onto all fours by then; shaking itself out from the nasty spill it had not a few short moments ago. It was beginning to make Kagome nervous. She had, after all, been the one to shoot it. Now with it being conscious and all, it would only be a matter of time before it spots them, and then they were done for.

She gulped, wishing she hadn't left her friends in a hurry. She could really use their help now. Kagome shifted in her spot, hoping against hope that it wouldn't hear them as her fingers danced on the brim of her bow. The girl groaned. Crap.

The demon's head shot up, looking feverishly around before directing its attention on Kagome and the girl in her arms. A menacing growl escaped from the giant beast, obviously remembering what happened earlier.

The miko's eyes widened. "This is not good," she said before grabbing her bow and hoisting the girl up in her arms. There was no way she planned on staying there for that thing to eat them. She wasn't too fond of being the main course of someone's meal, especially a demon's. They had sharp teeth.

A loud roar erupted from behind them as she took off sprinting, heavy footfalls trailing after as the demon followed in its chase. There wasn't a chance it was going to let them get away, it was much too mad for that, and Kagome knew this. Her only hope was that she was fast enough to outrun it, but from the looks of it, she wouldn't be getting too far.

The demon was massive. Its body was as big as the trees, maybe even bigger. It almost reminded her of the time when she last saw a four legged creature that size, but of course it wasn't the same. This one had its face matted with fur all the way down its chest. The rest of its body was sleek and sharp looking, the tail also being the same.

Its paws were also quite large, but held no claws that she could see, not that she had the chance. That was certainly a relief for sure, until you saw its mouth. It had rows and rows of extremely sharp teeth, good enough to tear you to shreds even, and that wasn't very comforting considering it was not so far behind.

The miko looked to prove her point when her legs were suddenly swept up from beneath her. She gasped, falling straight to the ground. Luckily she had adjusted herself so that she took the brunt of the fall, while Rin stayed safely out of harm's way. The contact did wake her up however, and she practically screamed having thought it was something else entirely. A dream no less.

This was not a dream however, and as soon as she realized this, a blood curdling scream was made. It practically made Kagome deaf, but she could see why when she opened her eyes and stared up at the demon that loomed just over them. She should've figured it had something to do with their little fall. It growled.

Kagome pressed Rin closer to her, who complied instantly as she buried her head into the older girl's chest. She wouldn't want her to see when the demon decided to shred them into tiny little pieces. No child should see such a thing in their final moments. It just wasn't right.

A wave of hot air assured her that there was no way of stopping the inevitable. They were going to get eaten and that was that. Just thinking about it made her shiver, little Rin following in her footsteps as they held on to one another. 'This must be the end,' she thought, deciding now was the best time to close her eyes. 'We're really going to die.'

"Kagome!" A familiar voice shouted.

This caught the miko's attention almost immediately before she swiveled her head to see the red clad figure leap up from the trees. "Inuyasha!" she shouted surprised, watching as the demon was knocked off its feet.

Inuyasha turned to the raven haired girl, his hand on tessaiga. "Get out of here!" he snapped as he launched himself at his opponent. The demon snarled, getting onto its feet.

The miko was a little dumbfounded by this, and took her a second before she scrambled onto her own feet. She really didn't want to leave Inuyasha or the others to fight for her mistake. She was the one who took off running after all.

A rumble from the ground brought her from her wonderings as the demon tumbled over in her direction.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" shouted the hanyou. "Get going!"

Kagome gasped, and without another moment's thought, she began running. Unfortunately, the demon had noticed this, and instead of continuing its quarrel with its opponent, it retreated after the escaping miko. Inuyasha was going to have none of that.

"WINDSCAR!"

The ground tore open at the hanyou's feet as he brought tessaiga down to earth in a bright stream of light. It caused the ground to rumble, and the demon to stop in its pursuit as it turned its attention to the deadly wave behind it. Inuyasha was hoping for this, and while his opponent side stepped his attack, leaving itself completely open, he dashed to its side. The demon hadn't expected this of course, and when he turned his attention to the hanyou, tessaiga's fang tore open the flesh across its face and neck, leaving nothing but blood in its wake.

It gave a deafening cry, wailing uncontrollably from the pain before falling almost completely to the ground while it tried regaining balance. Inuyasha was pleased by this, because while the demon shook itself of the momentary pain, he looked to where Kagome had run off to, concern written on his face. 'I hope you're all right, Kagome,' he thought, despite their earlier quarrel that day. 'Please, be careful.'

---

"Nee-san?" mumbled the girl in her arms. "Can we stop yet?"

Kagome looked down at Rin, who tightly clutched the front of her shirt as she continued on her long sprint through the dark forest. She hadn't realized how long they had been running it seems. The girl practically had a death grip on her, which would probably take a couple of minutes to try and pry the poor thing off of her. She supposed it was time to stop, at least for a moment.

Slowing down, the miko finally came to a stop before she and Rin took a breather. "There you go," she breathed, setting the girl on her feet. "Feel better?"

The young girl looked up with a nod. "Thank you," she said before straightening herself out. Kagome smiled. She was so polite.

Straightening herself out, Kagome thought it was best to take a look around while she caught her breath. Everything was so dark out, except for the moon which cracked above the trees; it was hard to tell where they were. It was the least she could do in their situation; they couldn't just stay out there forever, they had to get back to Inuyasha and the group. Which reminds her…

She looked behind her at the darkened path. Where were her friends? Hadn't Inuyasha taken care of that demon already? Now that she mentioned it, she didn't see Miroku or Sango when he was fighting, not to mention Shippo for that matter. Weren't they following him?

A tug at her shirt pulled her from her thoughts. "Nee-san?" spoke the little raven haired girl, her voice cracked with dryness. Kagome looked at her. "I'm getting thirsty."

The miko smiled. "Of course," she said, bringing hope the little girl's face. When she reached for her yellow bag, and found nothing but air, realization suddenly hit her.

"Oh no…" she frowned. "I think I dropped my bag back there with that demon." The girl frowned as well, and sighed an almost ragged sigh. She must've run for a long time if she sounded like that. If only she hadn't forgotten her bag.

SNAP!

Kagome and the girl froze. "What was that?" whispered the young one before a hand came over her mouth.

"Shhh!" said the miko as she looked around uneasily. Everything had grown very quiet in the past few moments that they had been standing there. There wasn't a single sound around except for their breathing, which was odd enough when you were in the middle of a forest.

SNAP!

Both girls gasped. Something was there. Kagome looked at the younger girl, who then looked at her. Had they been followed? The miko looked to the trees. But by whom, she wondered. The young girl drew herself closer.

Of course, there was the fact that a giant demon had been chasing them previously, and the fact they were in a forest in the middle of nowhere with other lurking demons; that could definitely be a reason for the unexplained noises. She hadn't thought of that. It didn't make any difference though. They weren't going to chance running; not that standing there would help them. It was more likely they would get caught if they brought attention to themselves, and that was something they both wouldn't want, she was sure.

So for now, she and Rin were going to stay there, at least until the coast was clear. Hopefully it wouldn't take too long; Inuyasha and the others were probably looking for them already. It wouldn't be good if they couldn't find them.

After a while of standing in complete silence, Kagome deemed it safe for the time being. It was lucky for them that a demon decided not to show up, not that she would have a problem she still had her bow after all.

"Is it gone?" little Rin asked, her voice timid and overwhelmed with dryness. The poor thing; she really needs some water.

"I think so," replied Kagome, scanning the place before turning her eyes on the girl. "But we probably shouldn't stay here much longer. It would be bad if another demon saw us, ne?"

The young girl nodded before taking the older one's hand as they began to walk. A deep growl stopped them short however, and Kagome, who was the first to notice the presence, turned to look. Sapphire met with red as she stared at the figure in the shadows. This was not good.

She took a step back. It growled, its eyes narrowing. This was definitely not good. Looking at Rin, and then at the seemingly recognizable being, Kagome picked the girl up in her arms before running like her life depended on it, which, in this case, was. The demon followed.