Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Kagome or any of the other fictional characters. I do own a small box of earl grey tea, though, and I plan to make very good use of it. :D

Guardian
One Shot

One clawed hand grasped at the wooden structure from inside the well, fingers enclosing tightly over the lip. The wood creaked in protest as the weight caused a temporary increase in pressure, and familiar silver strands of hair soon peeked out from inside the well. Inuyasha pulled himself out of the confines of the well, swung himself over the edge and landed swiftly on the ground beside it. Lowering himself to his haunches, he inhaled deeply and surveyed the dark and damp surroundings.

It was night and while Kagome had promised to return back to the feudal era within three days time, the hanyou had grown impatient of waiting on the eve of the second day. Naturally, he had decided that dragging Kagome back was the best solution. We need her to find the rest of the shards, he had convinced himself, like so many times before.

Letting out a frustrated grunt, he began climbing the few steps to the entrance of the well house. He slid the doors open and slipped outside, not even bothering to slide them shut behind him. The scent he had been searching for filled his nose, and he bounded off in the direction of the house.

He skidded to a halt just short of the exterior of the house, beneath the window to Kagome's room. Balancing his weight between the balls of his feet, the hanyou caught enough momentum to launch into the air. His hands caught the ledge of the window and he heaved himself up with ease. Knowing that Kagome would love nothing more than to sit him if he broke something, he carefully slid the window open and slipped inside the room.

It didn't take long for his senses to adjust to his surroundings. Kagome's scent lingered on every object in the room, emanating the strongest from her bed. It was an older scent, one that quickly made him realize that she was not occupying the bed like he had expected. Confused, he inhaled again and frowned. The room was empty. His ears twitched and flattened back against his skull, a deep sense of discomfort veiling his mind. Where could she have gone at this hour?

Sudden images of Kagome flooded his mind, along with the feelings of anger, dread and then sheer panic as his imagination prompted the worst possible scenarios. Kagome could be in danger. His Kagome could be in danger.

Inuyasha bristled and moved swiftly across the floor. Yanking the bedroom door open, nearly pulling it off its hinges, a dangerous growl rumbled in the back of his throat. The sound grew into a full-blown snarl the moment that the cold air of the house engulfed him, carrying with it a scent that overwhelmed him. It was the feeling of fear.

Kagome's fear.

"Kagome!" he breathed. His clawed hand instinctively went to the hilt of Tessaiga, wrapping tightly around the handle as his feet moved, making way through the dark hallway. There wasn't a single speck of light throughout the nooks and crannies of the house, and while he had no difficulties seeing in the dark thanks to his sharpened half-demon senses, it did not ease his mind one bit. Something was terribly wrong. The instant he reached the top of the stairs, his apprehension turned into absolute fear.

A blood-curdling scream rippled through him like a sharp blade, tearing at his heart.

He fell into a mad dash down the stairs, taking three steps at a time, and rounded the corner. The echoes of the scream fueled his frenzy, even as he drew Tessaiga from its sheath and threw himself with a wild yell into the room from where it had originated. "KAGOME!"

Tessaiga ripped through the air and came crashing down on something hard, just a few paces from where he knew the petite form of Kagome lay huddled in terror. It gave a loud wheeze and whine as it sliced through his target, imbedding deep into the wooden floors. Another feral snarl escaped the hanyou, and it wasn't until he had made sure he had hit his mark that his death grip on Tessaiga loosened. His ruthless expression disappeared as reality dawned on him. "Kagome!" he repeated, amber eyes now filled with worry. He quickly pulled the katana out, sheathed it and rushed to kneel by the trembling form. "Kagome, are you okay?"

A moment passed in complete silence.

Then another.

Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief as the raven-haired girl raised her chin, but it was short-lived upon seeing the incredibly dark look in Kagome's eyes. Oh… shit…

"Inu… yasha…"

He knew that tone all too well. Every instinct in his body told him to flee, to get out of that house. He turned on his heel and bolted for the door, ears twitching at the high-pitched roar that erupted from the infuriated girl.

"I WAS WATCHING THAT MOVIE AND YOU BROKE MY TV, YOU BASTARD!"

He reached for the door, his only lifeline, grasping at the handle. He managed to fling the door open halfway when Kagome's shrill cry echoed throughout the house.

"OSUWARI! OSUWARI! OSUWAAAARIIIIIIII!"

Three desperate cries of pain consecutively followed the resounding thuds out in the hallway as the hanyou was subdued and flattened against the floor.

Kagome removed herself from the warmth of her blanket and crawled to her feet, marching across the living room, past the now two-piece television set. Her eyes fell momentarily on the broken object as she passed it by, and the sizzles emitting from it. Glancing from it to the hallway, back to the TV and then vice versa, her rage flickered and flared up once more. Hastening her pace, she stalked out into the hallway in time to see the hanyou attempting to crawl out the door in his subdued state.

Sensing the furious miko behind him, Inuyasha rolled over onto his back to stare up at her. His eyes widened and a sound much similar to a whine left his lips. He lay there perfectly still, hoping, praying that she wouldn't sit him again. But as he drank in the wondrous sight of the livid woman before him, his heart sank in his chest and he braced himself for the worst.

Kagome inhaled sharply and placed one foot on the hanyou's chest, keeping him flattened as she leaned over him and brought a finger down to his face in an obtrusive gesture. "You… you!" she ground out through her teeth, ignoring the way he flinched under her hardened glare. "How… how dare you!? Do you have any idea what you've done?"

He had a brief idea. It wasn't difficult to put the pieces together. There had been no danger, nothing threatening her life. Kagome was furious with him because he had once again broken something of hers. But… she was scared. I could smell her fear. And that scream… he thought sadly, oblivious of the rant that Kagome had broken into. All he knew was that she had been terrified of something.

And that she wasn't in danger. She wasn't hurt.

"…I was just watching a horror movie! What is my mother going to say about this when she gets home? How could you be so-" Kagome's rant ended abruptly as the figure beneath her shifted and moved with an unbelievable speed. She barely registered the blur of red before she found herself backed into a wall, amber eyes burning into her brown ones.

Inuyasha's hands came up to press his palms against the wall beside her shoulders, trapping her between the wall and his own body. "Damn it, wench," he growled, fangs grazing his lower lip in frustration. "I could smell your fear!" As if to emphasize, he brought his face down to the crane of her neck and inhaled her scent, feeling it calm his rampant nerves. "You screamed… fuck, Kagome, I thought something had happened to you!"

Kagome swallowed hard as his breath tickled the skin just above her exposed collar bone. His chest rose against hers in a heavy sigh and she felt the fury leave her body with his every movement, the fact that she had a broken television and a large gaping hole in the floor to explain to her family completely forgotten. "You… It wasn't… I'm okay," she admitted in defeat, marveling at the heat that seemed to radiate through his haori. "I'm sorry if I scared you."

"Keh," he retorted as his arms came down to wrap around her smaller form, pulling her further against his chest in a tight embrace. His clawed hand came up to rest against the back of her head, tangling his fingers into her hair as he continued to breathe in her scent. He felt her body stiffen and then relax as she nestled her cheek against his shoulder.

They stood there in silence as minutes passed, unwilling to move or break contact.

Kagome was the first to speak, "Inuyasha… why are you here?" Her whisper was muffled against his haori, but his keen ears picked up on every word.

Because I needed to see you. "You spend too much time here," he blurted out, cursing inwardly as he felt her stiffen against him. "I mean, the stupid monk and runt need you around. Sango needs you, and we need to find the rest of the shards, so I came to get you."

He felt Kagome's hands slide up his chest and shuddered briefly as she grabbed two fists full of his haori. "… Inuyasha," she spoke again and he replied with a low sound much similar to a mix between "hmm" and a moan. There was a moment's pause before she perched herself on her toes, pulled him down a little by his haori and raised herself up to press her lips just barely against the ridge of his fuzzy ear. "You insult me, my friends and you break my mother's TV…" she whispered sweetly, the spiteful intent behind her tone much too obvious to him. "I am going to give you a five seconds head start before I sit you into oblivion."

Inuyasha's ears twitched, his eyes widening. Releasing her, he shot out through the door towards the well, leaving Kagome in a tousled mess of hair and pajamas.

He reached the well house and made the jump over the edge of the well itself when Kagome's voice resonated throughout the grounds. The beads around his neck began glowing and its force yanked him, mid-air, into the well below. He barely had the time to let out a yelp when it completely subdued him and pulled him through the well, across time, and finally flattened him against the hard soil on the other side.

The dust settled and the hanyou coughed. At least she went easy on me this time, he thought miserably, feeling the effects of the rosary wearing off slowly. As he lay there, contemplating the night's events, thanking whatever stars there were that she had not brought down the full extent of her wrath on him, a single thought invaded his mind.

… What the hell is a horror movie?

-Owari-

Author's note: Three cups of tea, one cup of coffee, one frazzled and insane mind, intense cold due to radiator being broken and a screaming five-year-old cousin in the background… the perfect recipe for horrible fluff!

Huge, huge, humongous thanks to Aamalie for nominating 'Torn' for Best Oneshot at Eikyuu Kosai. Your review was uplifting and inspired me to write more. Thank you!

To visit the site, make sure you go to community dot livejournal dot com slash mirsanawards. Just replace the dots with actual periods and the slash with… well, a slash and voila!

Read and review, please? I promise to cut down on all the fluff a bit for my next piece if you do! Or to increase the amount of fluff, depending on your preference! Reviews are tasty, though. They make me all warm and fuzzy inside. ^ 3 ^