A/N: Here we go…the second chapter…and quite a quick update, too, for my usual standards! A warning, though: I haven't bothered to proofread this yet, so please excuse any typing mistakes!

A big thank you goes out to all who reviewed my first chapter of ITR. I adore reviews; I simply can't manage to ever get enough of them! And I've read the reviews, delighted in the praise, and taken note of suggestions, one of which was to be more descriptive. I've tried to be more descriptive, but you guys will be the judges!

Enjoy reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Instinct To Run

Chapter Two

"Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha growled, jerking a startled Kagome behind him.

"Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru acknowledged, blank gaze settling upon his half-brother.

Inuyasha bristled. "If you're after the Tetsusaiga, you may as well leave." He smirked at the older demon. "There's no way I'm gonna lose to you."

Sesshoumaru lifted his head slightly, an arrogant tone to his voice. "I have no interest in taking the Tetsusaiga at this present time, little brother."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to spurt a foul retort, then snapped it shut, looking perplexed at the unexpected answer. Behind him, an astonished Kagome clutched at Inuyasha's shirt and peered around her protector's shoulder. Inuyasha shot her an annoyed look, and pushed her behind him once more.

"Stay back, Kagome."

Nearby, Sango, still wrapped in her own towel, was slowly reaching for her boomerang, a now-serious Miroku focused upon Sesshoumaru, hands clenching around his holy staff.

Sesshoumaru's eyes swept over the clearing, dismissing the monk and demon slayer with a haughty look, and then landed upon Kagome, who was peering out from behind Inuyasha again, despite his protests.

"Kagome, get back," Inuyasha turned slightly to snarl at her. "You could get hurt, stupid wench!"

"Let me get my arrows, I can help – "

"No, bitch! I said stay back!"

Kagome felt her temper flare. "Don't order me around!"

"Perhaps we should concentrate on the real problem at hand," Miroku offered helpfully, sending a pointed look at the demon lord.

Sesshoumaru's lip curled. "Your woman is not very obedient, Inuyasha."

Kagome stomped her foot and fumed. "I'm not a possession!"

"What the hell do you want, Sesshoumaru? And leave Kagome out of this!"

Sesshoumaru's cold yellow eyes slowly swung back to Inuyasha. "I wish to speak to her."

"M-me?" Kagome squeaked.

Inuyasha growled loudly, jerking Kagome fully behind his back. "Stay away from her, you bastard!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed, then he disappeared in a blur, re-appearing in front of Inuyasha. Inuyasha went to draw his sword, but choked, a striped hand wrapped around his neck. Inuyasha, snarling wildly at his opponent, shoved Kagome backwards away from them, then gripped Sesshoumaru's wrist, pulling hard. Kagome gasped, landing on her bottom, and scrambled hastily away from the two wrestling demons.

Sesshoumaru released his hold on Inuyasha's neck, only to seize Toukijin. Kagome screamed, but Sesshoumaru merely used the evil sword to send Inuyasha flying with an energy blast. Panting, clutching the towel to her, Kagome stared wide-eyed at Inuyasha, waiting for him to get up. He didn't.

"Inu…yasha?" She whispered.

Sesshoumaru appeared in front of her, tilting his head as he gave her a calculating look. Kagome scrambled rapidly backwards, not caring if it was undignified, and wished desperately for her bow and arrows.

"Inuyasha!" She yelled, then squeaked as a striped hand slid to wrap around her upper arm, warm calloused flesh sliding up her skin, claws scraping lightly and raising goose bumps. Sesshoumaru tightened his grip on her arm, dragging her to her feet.

"The half-breed is unconscious," he told her.

There was a jangle of metal, and then Miroku's staff was pointed at Sesshoumaru. Behind him, Sango hefted her boomerang, glaring.

"Let Lady Kagome go, Lord Sesshoumaru," Miroku said carefully, violet eyes narrowed.

Sesshoumaru's gaze landed upon the monk and the demon slayer. Kagome struggled in his grip, trying to wrench his hand off. "Let me go!"

Sesshoumaru's hand released her arm, and Kagome bolted away from him. A second later, she was shrieking as Sesshoumaru gripped her around the waist and lifted her up. She winced, feeling the points of his elaborate armour digging into her back. Sango gasped, then swung her giant boomerang in an arc, hoping to strike the demon lord from behind. She blinked, and suddenly Kagome was on the ground, face-first, Sesshoumaru's foot planted lightly on her back to keep her in place. Sesshoumaru swung to meet the oncoming weapon, hand glowing an ominous green, and struck at it. It cracked in two, dropping uselessly to the forest floor.

Sango's eyes widened in dismay. "Oh, no," she breathed out softly.

Then suddenly Miroku was there, his staff glowing with holy powers as he swung it towards Sesshoumaru. The demon lord looked angry as he caught the staff and forced it back, ignoring the sparks of holy power that seared his skin.

"You try my patience, humans. Do you truly wish for me to kill you?"

"Stop it!" Kagome screamed out, trying and failing to rise as Sesshoumaru pressed his foot harder into her back. She found herself suddenly flipped over by his foot onto her back, and then his foot was resting lightly upon her stomach. Kagome went to sit up, but Sesshoumaru's foot pressed harder once more. She sunk back down onto the grass.

"Stop what, girl?"

Kagome looked up at him angrily, momentarily forgetting that she was at his questionable mercy. "Don't hurt my friends."

Sesshoumaru's lip curled as he focused fully upon her. "Your friends are disrespectful."

"They're protecting me!"

"You do not need protection at this present time, girl."

"Are you trying to say that you're not here to hurt Kagome?" Sango looked doubtful as she eyed the way Sesshoumaru kept Kagome subdued.

"Given your current position, I find that rather hard to believe," Miroku added, groaning as he pulled himself to his feet and picked up his staff.

Sesshoumaru stared at them. He looked at the pair of humans disdainfully, scorning their slow comprehension. A sneer twisted his lips. "Do you question my word?"

"Lord Sesshoumaru, with all due respect, you have not given your word that you will not harm Kagome," Miroku said cautiously, eyeing the demon lord.

"Kagome," Sango began, eyes on the foot trapping her friend to the ground. She looked worried, and her arm was tensed, ready to draw her sword. "Is he hurting you?"

Kagome turned her head to face Sango, then tried to prop her elbows upon the ground and lift herself up. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed, and he levelled his foot again upon Kagome's chest. Kagome subsided with a squeak, laying back down flat on her back. The pressure on her ribs receded, and she drew in a shaky breath of air.

"Um," Kagome said awkwardly. "I'm okay, Sango. But," she looked up at Sesshoumaru, "Er – do you think you could let me up, though, please?" She saw the demon lord's expression darken, and hastily added, "You did hint that you weren't going to hurt me, and, um, well, being pushed into ground isn't exactly comfortable."

Blank golden eyes surveyed the girl, then turned towards the monk and demon slayer. "I wish to speak to this girl." Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed, a warning clear. "You will not follow."

"Wait – !" Miroku's cry came too late. He reached out with a grasping hand, his plea dying on his lips as Sesshoumaru flickered out of sight, taking a helpless Kagome with him. "Kagome!"

Sango gasped, then shook herself and snapped back to full awareness. "Kirara!" She cried, and she leapt upon the transformed firecat's back. They took off into the sky. "Miroku, stay and help Inuyasha! I'll try to find Kagome!"

Miroku stared up at her, and shouted, "Are you sure? Sesshoumaru is dangerous, Sango!"

Sango's eyes were fierce. "I'm getting her back, monk!"

Miroku frowned. "Be careful!" He called out. Sango's reply was lost in the wind as the firecat took off over the trees. Miroku's shoulders lowered. "Be very careful, dear Sango," he murmured, then turned to survey the fallen half-demon. Walking over to the prone form of Inuyasha, he sighed and tapped his friend's shoulder. Inuyasha didn't stir.

Spotting the blood, Miroku was reminded of the first aid kit Kagome kept in her yellow bag. Shippo would know where it was.

"Shippo," he called out, puzzled when the tiny fox demon didn't immediately appear from a nearby hiding place, "Would you get Kagome's medicine kit for me?" There was no response, and Miroku's brows lowered, perplexed. "Shippo?" The monk stood to scan the clearing, feeling a tightness in his gut.

"Shippo!"

Kagome, feeling another wave of pure terror and nausea sweep over her, decided frankly that Sesshoumaru's mode of transport really, really sucked. Being clutched in an iron-hard grip to an even harder set of metal armour, trees whooshing past at an alarming rate, did nothing for Kagome's sense of comfort. Squeezing her eyes shut and feeling vaguely ridiculous for being so pathetic, but too terrified out of her mind to care, Kagome clutched at the demon lord currently holding her. Her nails dug into his arm, drawing little bloody half-moons, the other arm moving to awkwardly seize the front of Sesshoumaru's armour, holding on for dear life.

Sesshoumaru glanced down at the human girl clinging to him like wet silk, and felt a smirk tilt his lips. Amused at her terrified appearance, he suddenly leapt into the air, watching with dark humour as the girl squealed and huddled closer to him if possible. His nose twitched. As entertaining as this was, he was going to have to bathe after this to rid himself of the stench of human.

Landing lightly on the ground, his eyes narrowed as he caught a whiff of cat demon. The slayer was following, then. He paused, wanting to go back and teach the ill-mannered human how to follow orders, but his half-brother's woman struggled in his grip, obviously sensing their followers. He took off, deciding a delay would only prolong his suffering of the impudent girl's company. At his side, Kagome gasped, then tensed up and grabbed hold of him once more, swallowing back her nausea.

Sesshoumaru delicately scented the air after a few minutes, satisfied when the scent of the firecat was distant and faint. He angled sharply to the right, and pulled to a sudden stop in the clearing that appeared. He let his human cargo drop with a disdainful twitch of his arm, and stared down impassively at the rumpled girl by his feet.

Kagome stared up at Sesshoumaru, feeling fear curl up icily in her stomach as she met blank golden eyes. "Se – Sesshoumaru," she panted, forcing back her terror at being alone and defenceless. She gained enough presence of mind to glance around at her surroundings, surprise flickering across her face. "Uh…what? Where are we?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. Kagome squeaked, cringing away when his clawed hand was raised, thinking that he was going to strike her for being impertinent and disrespectful. She felt incredibly stupid when the demon lord huffed impatiently, and reached down to pluck a clump of leaves from her ankle.

"Huh?" Kagome stared up at him, thoroughly confused. She watched Sesshoumaru bring the clump of leaves to his eye level, smirk, then deliberately squeeze it. Something squealed out, and there was a puff of smoke. Kagome gaped at up Sesshoumaru. The pale-striped wrist extended outwards, a tiny fox demon with orange hair clawing vainly at the hand gripping him.

"Shippo?" Kagome sat up a bit straighter, staring incredulously at her adopted son.

Sesshoumaru's fingers loosened, and Shippo dropped to land hard on the ground. "Ouch!"

"Pup." Sesshoumaru's lip curled. "You are interfering. Leave."

Shippo shook himself, and then glared bravely up at the tall demon lord, curling his fingers into tiny fists to hide the reflexive trembling at the sound of the intimidating voice. "Leave Kagome alone!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened fractionally, then narrowed into slits. "Who are you, pup, to say such?"

"I won't let you hurt my mother!"

"Mother?" Sesshoumaru voiced, tone blank and passive. His cold eyes focused upon Kagome. "Explain," he ordered imperiously.

Kagome glanced from Sesshoumaru to Shippo. "We found him, and I took him in."

"You adopted a demon child?"

"Yes."

"Hn." He looked completely unimpressed, but one eyebrow did arch elegantly at the girl still sprawled at his feet. His brows lowered as he turned to survey Shippo. "Leave, pup."

Shippo trembled as Sesshoumaru levelled a mild glare upon his unmoving form. Defiantly, he refused to move away.

The demon lord snarled at the fox demon. "This Sesshoumaru will not ask again, pup. Leave."

"N-no!" Shippo shrunk under the demon lord's ferocious look, but one glance at his surrogate mother, defenceless, lent him enough courage to not merely turn tail and run. "Let my mother go!"

"Shippo, don't – " Kagome began, highly aware of the irritated demon lord standing before them. Sesshoumaru cut her off with a rumbling growl. Looking up at the silver-haired demon, Kagome felt a chill run down her spine at the flash of ivory fangs.

"Disobedient pup!" Sesshoumaru snarled out, his voice no longer smooth but rough, and he raised his clawed hand. Kagome panicked. With a cry, she threw herself into the space between Shippo and Sesshoumaru, hugging the child to her and sheltering him from the angry older demon.

"Don't hurt him," she pleaded. "He's just a child, Sesshoumaru, please, don't – " She cut herself off with a choked gasp at the furious glint in his eyes. He growled again, a deep, purely animalistic sound, all the more terrifying coming from the normally stoic demon lord. She cringed when his hand moved towards them, closing her eyes as curled protectively around Shippo.

She felt a hand settle on her head, fingers sifting through locks of hair, claws scraping gently on her scalp. Sesshoumaru's fingers clenched around dark tendrils of hair, and he slowly tugged her head up, sliding his hand down to her neck as she opened her eyes wide in surprise, manipulating her successfully into sitting up, facing him. He was crouched before her, a frown marring his face, and Kagome felt her heart pounding, eyes wide and fearful. Instinctively, she clutched Shippo to her abdomen.

"Girl," Sesshoumaru's voice rumbled in his chest, and Kagome was surprised to realise that the sound calmed her. "What makes you think I would hurt a mere pup?"

Oh. Oh. So that was why he was so angry. She had unintentionally insulted him by insinuating that she thought he hurt children. Kagome stared at him, dumb-founded. "I – you – I mean, you looked…really angry," she mumbled, "I was afraid for Shippo when he refused to leave."

Sesshoumaru's grip on her hair loosened. "Hn," was all he said. The girl had instinctive urges to protect her pup. Intriguing. Perhaps she was indeed a wise choice. His glance shifted to Shippo. "Very well. The pup may stay – so long as he is quiet."

Wide-eyed, Shippo nodded hastily, curling up into Kagome as the older demon gave him a measuring look. Sesshoumaru rose, hand shifting in Kagome's hair to tug her up to her feet.

"Come," he said, and then turned to walk away, pulling Kagome along, rather gently, by her hair. Kagome stumbled, then reached up with one hand, the other still cradling Shippo, and without thinking, she grasped the wrist of the hand imbedded in her hair. "Hey!" She cried indignantly. "Is there a reason why I'm being dragged around by my hair?"

Sesshoumaru stopped, turning to eye her. His hand did not release her hair. "I see you have regained your foolish, rash behaviour paraded as courage."

"Um," Kagome said unintelligently. He didn't seem to be mad at her forward behaviour. She blushed, and removed her hands from his arm at a pointed look from the demon. "Do you think you could let go of my hair?"

Sesshoumaru turned around once more, his hand tugging her forwards by her hair. Kagome grinded her teeth together and glared daggers into his back.

"Please?" She ground out uncomfortably. The demon lord turned his face in her direction, and her mouth dropped open at his small, definitely amused smirk. Deliberately, he tugged on strands of her hair, and Kagome silently fumed as he lead her unceremoniously through a patch of trees and into another clearing. She forgot her anger, though, at the startling sight of a little human girl chasing a toad demon in circles round a two-headed dragon.

"Jaken," Sesshoumaru said.

The toad skidded to a halt, panting, the Staff of Two Heads resting over his shoulder. His eyes widened as he turned to face them. "My lord!"

"Huh?" The girl had stopped too, and a smile lit her face. "Lord Sesshoumaru!" She cried happily, running across the grass to clamp onto Sesshoumaru's leg. The demon lord released his hold on Kagome's hair in order to pat the little girl's head. Kagome rubbed her head and shot Sesshoumaru a disgruntled look, which he ignored loftily.

The little girl turned to peer shyly up at Kagome. "Who is the pretty lady, Lord Sesshoumaru?"

"The one I told you about, Rin."

Kagome shot Sesshoumaru a puzzled look, but knelt down to Rin's eye level. Shippo scampered out of her arms and moved behind her, eyeing the dragon warily.

Rin stepped back from Sesshoumaru, twisting her kimono in her hands nervously. "What's the pretty lady's name?"

"I'm Kagome." She smiled at the adorable little girl. "It's very nice to meet you, Rin."

Rin glanced at Shippo. "Who's that, Lady Kagome?"

Kagome started at the formal title, but ignored it for the moment. "This is my adopted son, Shippo. Shippo, Rin." She grinned when Shippo crept forward, nose twitching as he leaned close to Rin and sniffed carefully. Rin giggled. "Hi!" She said, and Shippo grinned, relaxing and returning the greeting.

"Rin," Sesshoumaru said quietly.

"Yes?"

"Go play."

Rin turned to skip off, then paused, glancing back at Shippo. Shippo looked pleadingly at Kagome, clearly wanting to go play with his new friend. Kagome glanced up at Sesshoumaru, who tiled his head in acquiescence. "Go on, Shippo," she murmured.

"Jaken, go with them," Sesshoumaru ordered, ignoring the toad's protests. When the others had left, the dragon lumbering steadily after them, Sesshoumaru turned to face Kagome. "Do you like Rin?"

Kagome smiled softly. "She's a very cute little girl. Yes, I already like her."

"Hn," he sounded out. He gave her a measured look. "You will look after her when I am not able to."

Kagome jerked in shock, widened eyes raising to meet his incredulously. "What!"

Sesshoumaru turned his eyes away from her own, staring towards where the group had left. "I have decided you are a fit mother for Rin when needed. She will be left in your care when I cannot take her with me."

Kagome stared at him. "You trust me to look after her?"

"Is there a reason I should not?" He slid a glance at her briefly out of the corner of his eye.

"No, of course not!" She retorted, flustered slightly. She hesitated, then asked timidly, "But won't leaving her with me mean that she'll be with Inuyasha and the others?"

"Yes."

"But – "

"The half-breed will not be in charge of Rin," he interrupted. He turned to pin her with his gaze. "You will be."

"Um," Kagome mumbled. "Ookay. But – why me?"

"You, girl, are an adequate mother to the boy, and I have seen your interactions with children before."

Kagome's brows lowered. "Forgetting the obvious part about how you must have been following me to know that, you're calling me adequate? I feel so complimented," she muttered sourly. She glared up at the demon lord. "I also have a name, you know."

Sesshoumaru arched an eyebrow haughtily, feeling reluctant amusement at the girl's antics. "Indeed?"

Kagome frowned. If she didn't know better, she would have said he was teasing her. "Kagome," she said. "My name is Kagome. Ka-go-me. Call me by my name!"

Sesshoumaru now looked faintly amused, a fang glimmering as one corner of his mouth curled upwards. "As you wish," he began, and then added in a deadpan voice, "Ka-go-me."

Kagome stomped her foot in a fit of pique, glaring indignantly up at Sesshoumaru. "Must you do that?" She cried.

His eyebrow rose up again. "Do what…Ka-go-me?"

He was definitely teasing her now, Kagome concluded glumly, glaring at the amused smirk crossing the demon lord's mouth, glaring harder when his mouth curved further upwards. She knew it – he was laughing at her silently, finding enjoyment in her annoyance.

Sesshoumaru turned serious once more. "I will return you to your companions now. Rin will accompany you."

"So soon?" Kagome questioned, then felt stupid for voicing the pointless question when Sesshoumaru looked at her, golden eyes blank. "Um, well, okay."

"Jaken," he called. Moments later, the strange group re-appeared, Shippo and Rin trailed by the dragon as they chattered happily. They ignored the grumpy toad demon trotting ahead of them.

"Rin." The girl bounced over to them, Shippo following behind her. "It is time to leave. You will be staying with Lady Kagome for now."

Kagome squeaked in surprise as she felt something soft accumulate under her feet. Rin giggled as she jumped onto the cloud forming beneath Sesshoumaru and Kagome, Shippo following behind her once more, this time with less enthusiasm, eyeing their new mode of transport warily. Kagome felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise as she sensed the massive amount of demonic energy Sesshoumaru was generating to produce the semi-solid cloud, but surprisingly, her priestess powers didn't automatically rise to her defence and purify the threat.

She watched Rin carefully as the cloud lifted off the ground, and copied the little girl by sitting down carefully. Shippo soon followed suit. Kagome glanced over the edge, and immediately regretted doing so. Her stomach turned at the sight of the ground rapidly dropping away, and she scrambled further away from the edge, accidentally bumping into a still-standing Sesshoumaru's leg.

He glanced down at her, and as she blushed and inched away from his leg, she took the chance to raise an eyebrow at him. "'Lady Kagome'?" She asked him.

"Hn," he replied.

Kagome huffed. "Well, that's a great explanation."

Against his own wishes, his mouth quirked upward in amusement. The girl was highly entertaining. His eyes swept over her towel-clad form, barely suppressing the urge to smirk, amused, when he realised fully for the first time what he'd obviously interrupted when he went to collect her. She would have to change as soon as possible – her current 'clothing' was highly indecent.

He looked down at the girl sitting by his feet. "Ka-go-me," he started, and the girl glanced up at him, "You will not dress so inappropriately again after you return to you camp."

"What?" Kagome asked him, puzzled until she looked down. She blushed as she was reminded of her state of makeshift clothing, and the red deepened in her cheeks when she caught Sesshoumaru haughtily eye her up and down, clearly disapproving. "This isn't exactly my normal style of clothes, you know," she grumbled half-heartedly.

Sesshoumaru ignored her. "We are approaching your camp," he told her quietly.

"Oh," Kagome mouthed softly.

God, but how was Inuyasha going to react to this new set of events?