Inuyasha had gotten a good glimpse of her flesh as she stripped down to her undergarments for bed. The lacy, white gown had been light and nearly translucent. It was the image he now played in his mind as she slept. He frowned, subconsciously despite the image of her tight, round breasts through the fabric.
Was it fate that had brought them together? He knew it was chance that he had found her in the alley that day. If he hadn't of chosen to help her . . . He let the thought trail off. He knew it wasn't a choice. He had been drawn to her immediately. He also knew that it was chance she had found him after his capture, though his first thought upon seeing her had been that she had sought him to save him. That alone had scared him enough to hide behind his anger because he didn't rely on anyone, and he hated to admit that he had needed her help. But she hadn't really helped him, had she? At least not in the sense he wanted. She had purchased him like some kind of pet for her pleasure. And the nature of her pleasure had become evident when she kissed him. His skin still tingled from the encounter, and he closed his eyes to prevent his arousal. He wasn't about to let himself become some bought whore. The first chance he got, he was out of there.
His ears pricked at the sound of someone entering the tent, and his eyes shot open instantly. But it was too late. He'd been distracted by his thoughts, his senses dulled in his state of exhaustion.
His warning attempt was cut off abruptly as a hand clamped over his mouth.
"Hush, pup," he heard the whispered laughter. "You'll get to watch."
He let out a muffled growl, eyes darting around the darkened room. There were several intruders, all of them members of the queen's own squadron. His eyes fell on Kagome's slumbering form, dreading what was about to happen. He struggled as one of them approached her body, leering as he knelt. Inuyasha felt panicked and looked to the entrance of the tent, hoping that Sango would come and save Kagome before they were able to touch her. He jerked at the sound of a gunshot, looking back immediately and watched in surprise as the man fell limply to the ground.
"Shall I remind you that the price for treason is death?" Kagome spoke boldly as she rose, dropping the empty pistol and steadying her sword.
Inuyasha choked in amazement and felt his mouth be freed as the guard moved to help the others advance on the queen. Inuyasha looked again to the tent opening, waiting. Something was wrong. No one had come running, even after the sound of the gunshot.
The closest man to Kagome laughed as if her stand was amusing and childish. "Do you plan to run us all through? Even now the weight shakes your hand." When Kagome spared a glance toward the tent opening in wonderment, he added, "It's useless to try and buy time. They won't be coming."
Kagome glanced to Inuyasha, uncertainly. She looked as if she could cry, and it was the first time Inuyasha had seen her so vulnerable. As the guards slowly drew their swords, closing in on her, he called out earnestly, "Release me, and I'll protect you."
She didn't have to be told twice. The problem was getting to him. Suddenly there was an uproar, a mixture of shouts and clattering armor and a wall of fire blazed to life outside the tent. Kagome shook, despite her resolve. "What's going on?"
And then the roof was on fire.
Kagome shrieked as one of the men lunged for her, searing pain running the length of her left arm instantaneously. Inuyasha jerked at the ropes wildly, suddenly and irrationally terrified at the scent of her blood. But she was there kneeling beside him, slicing at the ropes frantically. She had sacrificed in order to reach him. His golden eyes widened as he met hers, and he knew that she trusted him with her life. He was the only one who could save her now.
He felt the ropes slacken, and she yelped like some kind of whipped dog as the men reached her, yanking her away by her hair. She managed to stab one of them before they wrenched the sword away, spreading her out between them. They were taunting her mercilessly and never saw him coming. He actually felt relieved at the feel of slick blood coating his claws as his first victim fell awkwardly in a contorted heap of lifeless flesh and other things. And then he felt exhilarated. Something inside of him had shifted; their blood was singing in his ears, calling out to him for release. There was going to be a massacre.
And then he came back to himself. He saw the first glimmer of fear pass behind her eyes once he had finished off the soldiers and turned feral eyes toward her. He scowled, fighting for control and not wanting her to see him this way. "I'm on your side, remember," he hissed angrily. Though it wasn't her that he was angry with.
"Are you?" was her only reply.
He snarled, trying to get a firmer grasp on reality and grabbed her arm—her injured one by accident. She didn't try to fight or pull away, knowing it would only play to his dark needs, but there was defiance in her eyes.
"Come on," he ordered, tugging her toward the tent opening. "We've got to get out of here before the whole damn thing burns down."
He felt himself returning to normal, and gripped her arm tighter subconsciously as if it were the only anchor to his sanity. She hissed, and his first thought was that he had harmed her.
"But my clothes!" It was then that she tried to jerk away from him. "I can't go out there," she argued. "I'm indecent."
She frowned at him, and he gave a lopsided smile at her stubbornness before tossing her over his shoulder and bounding out into the campsite. The men had been slaughtered. Those who hadn't either deserted or had joined the traitor's ranks. They had taken most of the supplies. With a split-second decision, he grabbed a nearby rucksack and darted for the woods, ignoring the queen's earsplitting protest.
After he had sprinted a considerable distance through the underbrush, he tossed the rucksack down, jerking Kagome from his shoulder to her feet. He whirled her around in one fluid movement and jerked her backward, pressing one arm across her chest as she swayed unsteadily, forcing her back against the front of his body as he slid his palm over her lips. "Are you trying to tell them where we are?" he growled in her ear, tightening his hold on her shoulder.
She tried to jerk forward, but he held her fast so she bit his hand, drawing blood. He pushed her away, cursing, and she tumbled, clutching her hurt arm. "How dare you!"
Her cry was shrill and painful to his ears in the pitch darkness of the night. He lowered his head slightly, hoping that he hadn't further hurt her arm in his anger.
"I'll have your head," she seethed, once more kindling his anger.
"You, little girl, are in no position to make such demands." He ground out the words, dropping to his knees beside her. "Here, let me see it," he added more softly, reaching for her arm. He ignored her shimmering, unshed tears and the guilt which followed them, instead digging through the rucksack for some medical supplies. "This is going to hurt."
Her cry got stuck in her throat, instead emitting a choked sob as he cleansed the wound with alcohol before wrapping it. "Thank you," she replied quietly once he had finished.
"Keh," he ducked away from her attention, focused again on the travel pack. "You're lucky it was shallow."
He stood, and she let her gaze linger for a moment on the image of him, arms crossed over his chest as he scowled lightly at her. She stared up at him, searching for appropriate words for a conversation. He tensed suddenly, and she bolted to her feet as the nearest bushes began to shake. A guard stumbled out, breathing heavily, and Inuyasha was on him instantly.
"Wait!" Kagome called as he lifted the man into the air by his neck. "It's okay; he's a friend."
Inuyasha eyed him wearily before setting him down, unwilling to trust him just yet. The man gripped his throat, coughing and trying to regain his breath. "You, my friend, are hard to keep up with," he finally wheezed out.
Inuyasha only glared at him in response so he turned his attention to the queen. "I'm afraid there is bleak news, your Highness."
"It's okay, Miroku, you don't need to be formal in front of Inuyasha."
Miroku nodded, glancing at the demon from the corner of his eye before continuing. "I caught sight of you leaving the camp, though I cannot account for any other survivors."
She knew exactly who he meant. "Sango."
Inuyasha's ears twitched at the sadness in her voice.
The guard seemed quite shaken up over it himself and moved closer, sliding an arm across Kagome's back to comfort her. "We can only hope that she escaped. I've come to offer my services in any way I can, Kagome. You know I'll support you until the end."
"Keh. Seems to me like you didn't do such a good job of protecting her to start with." It's not like he was jealous; he was merely stating the facts.
"Inuyasha!"
Her voice was full of exasperation and he felt the corners of his mouth twitch. Hearing her call him by his name—he couldn't remember the last time anyone had done that. He crossed his arms but didn't answer, feigning impatience.
The guard had fallen silent and was just standing there, maybe awaiting instructions? Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. There was something funny about that soldier; he was staring–no, leering down at Kagome in her semi-transparent nightgown. He felt a growl rumbling in his throat and took a menacing step forward before he even realized what he was doing. But it was too late. Kagome's shriek echoed through the woods as she nearly leapt into Inuyasha's arms to escape Miroku's offending hand.
"I changed my mind. Kill him," she fumed, her face burning with embarrassment.
The guard's eyes grew wide and he swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry. "Would you believe me if I said it was a curse?" he choked out as he backed slowly away, hands held up in front of him in a sign of defense.
"No," they both snapped in reply.
Miroku smiled in defeat. He had denied himself so many times in the fear of royal punishment. But seeing her like that in the woods had proven too great of an opportunity and temptation. At least he could finally say he had managed to grope every woman in the castle before his death. "Well, it was worth a try."
Inuyasha's ears twitched at a sound too distant for the other's to hear. "Great, they've heard us."
He grabbed the handle of the rucksack before tossing it to Miroku without warning. He caught it with an, "oomph," as it knocked him backwards slightly. Inuyasha then bent down before Kagome, one knee resting on the ground with his back to her. "Climb on. We'll have to run."
His tone left no room for argument, and Kagome obeyed, sucking in a deep breath when she felt her bare thighs rub against the thin material of his shirt, her gown riding up to an almost indecent level as he slid his palms beneath her for support. Miroku raised a quizzical eyebrow before the demon was off and running, and he was left chasing them.
Kagome fought against his long hair where it whipped in her face, before finally resigning to rest her head against his back, out of the wind's flow. Her action caused his breath to hitch in his throat and his steps to falter, but he regained his footing before they could pitch forward into the darkness and forced any thoughts of her out of his mind, focusing instead only on getting them as far away from the band of soldiers as possible. Miroku did a surprisingly good job of not falling too far behind, though Inuyasha noticed that he had ditched his armor along the way in order to run faster.
By the time Miroku was out of breath and keeled over, Inuyasha felt that they had sufficiently lost their enemies. The men had been riding horses and would have overtaken them otherwise, and Inuyasha hadn't been able to hear them for a few hours now. Hopefully, they would be able to rest through the remainder of the night and travel to the next town after sunup. There he would feel less guilty about ditching Kagome. He just couldn't bring himself to leave her to get lost in the woods.
Miroku proved himself useful by starting a fire and was thankful that neither mentioned his previous transgression against the queen. However, he wasn't stupid enough to think he would be given another chance should he stray again so soon. With a sigh, he gave up on the idea temporarily and turned his thoughts toward those of their present predicament.
Inuyasha once again sifted through the heavy rucksack, throwing out items of little need as he examined the contents. He pulled out a clean shirt and pants, tossing them to Kagome. The night air was cool, and she had begun to shiver.
"But these are men's clothes," she protested.
He shrugged, not bothering to look up. "Do you expect me to find a formal gown in here? Just put them on."
Finally she relented, and he dug further, producing the items of his search with a triumphant grin. He sauntered over to the camp fire and plopped down next to Miroku, feeling the exhaustion of his body as it caught up to him. After taking a deep swig of its contents, he passed the canteen to Miroku who accepted it gratefully. He set the small metal pot over the fire and began opening the various pouches to examine their content. "Beans and rice. One person's provisions won't last long between three people I'm afraid, but it's better than nothing."
Kagome joined them, settling on the opposite side of the fire, dark eyes dancing from the flames. He caught her gaze and held it for a moment before forcing his attention to the food once more.
Kagome had suggested that the boys split her share of the provisions since they were doing most of the physical labor, but Inuyasha wouldn't hear of it.
"I don't want to have to listen to your whining later," he snapped, finally ending their argument, causing Kagome to thrust her chin into the air indignantly as she looked away in anger. But she was secretly grateful as she devoured the warm food later, savoring what little she had. She hadn't realized she was so exhausted until she found herself fighting to stay awake, lulled by the food and warmth of the fire.
"Kagome," Miroku's tone was serious as he interrupted the silence that had befallen the three when he suspected that soon the queen would be retiring for the night.
She glanced to him curiously, lips pursed in concentration.
"I'm willing to offer you my body for warmth through the night." With a determined nod of the head, he continued before she could deny him, "I know; I know. But it is a sacrifice I'm willing to make for you, my queen."
He bent on one knee in mock chivalry.
Kagome rubbed her temples, weary from his antics. She had seen them in action toward many attractive, young women but had never experienced them directed at herself. It was flattering to a point, but in actuality served more to remind her that she had been temporarily stripped of her power. Had their situation been different, he wouldn't dare speak to her in such a way, even though she had come to consider their friendship genuine and allowed him to speak freely in front of her. Honestly, she just didn't have the strength to reprimand him wholeheartedly; at least he had proven himself loyal. "No."
Inuyasha glared at him causing him to laugh nervously and rise from his previous position. "I was kidding, really."
"He's right. You shouldn't sleep alone tonight. Too dangerous."
It was as if he hated to admit it, and she gawked at his admission. She rose to her feet feeling indignant. How dare he; she was a proper lady. "I'll do nothing of the sort."
He was amazingly fast. She realized this when clutched her wrist, jerking her backwards slightly when he caught her off-guard. He had been sitting on the opposite side of the fire, yet within seconds she found her body forcefully pressed against his. The concept was dizzying.
"Let go," the words were hollow along with her resistance.
"You don't have to sleep with me," he leaned into her, and she shuddered at the feel of his breath against her neck. "But you're not sleeping alone."
"Well, I'm not sleeping with him," she retorted angrily, not used to being given orders.
Miroku feigned hurt but was ignored; suddenly Kagome had become terrified of losing all familiarity of her former life for one of constant submission to others. She had to pull it together—survive long enough to fix her crumbling kingdom and protect her younger brother from Naraku's malicious clutches. And if that meant losing her dignity as a woman so she could survive the night's chill then so be it.
"Fine," she hissed, wrenching her arm free so she could jerk away from him. "But we'd better reach the next town tomorrow, because don't think for a second I'm ever doing this again."
He actually looked amused as she huffed away before realizing she had nowhere to go.
Inuyasha wasn't going to deny that he enjoyed the feel of her feminine curves pressed against his side or her delicate arms where they wrapped around his waist. He was acutely aware that her scent had transferred to his clothing and didn't pretend to dislike it. He actually hadn't thought that she would freeze to death during the night. In all truthfulness, he had felt it the only way of making sure the lecherous guard didn't take advantage of her in her state of unconsciousness. Everything else was just a bonus.
It was with this thought that he allowed himself to drift to sleep, having previously warned the guard that if he dared to venture in their direction at any point during the night, he'd quickly find himself in a world of pain. Miroku, for his part, grumbled about the unfairness of it all before finally falling asleep as well; the morning would come early with the grueling task of extending their chance for survival.
Surprisingly, Kagome was the first to awake. Dark eyes blinked up at the early morning sky and she sighed, feeling the tension in her body leak out slowly as she relaxed against his body. Luckily, he hadn't taken advantage of her in the night, though she hadn't really expected him to. Overall, he seemed to be a man—or rather, demon of his pride. And even though she had known him only a short while, he had proven himself good to his word in her mind. She knew that her reasoning might be based on emotionally traumatic experiences and, in return, taint her judgment, but she really didn't have time to worry about it. She tried to rise but was caught partially beneath the weight of his body and partially snagged against his arm, his claws tangled in her shirt. If she forced it, the cloth would surely rip.
"Inuyasha."
She watched in amusement as his ears twitched at his name, but the rise and fall of his chest remained steady.
"Inuyasha," she tried louder, again to no avail. The annoyance was evident in her voice.
She was trapped, and so she did the only thing she could. She punched him.
Inuyasha jerked away immediately, scrambling to his hands and knees as he instinctually went for her neck until she pushed it aside irritably. She rose, not offering a morning greeting, leaving him in a bewildered heap as he sat back on the ground and covered his hurt cheek. "What the hell was that for, wench?"
"You were oversleeping," she explained flippantly as she marched away, determined to make a quick breakfast before their day's journey began.
"So you attacked me?"
Miroku sat up from his spot near the extinguished fire, curiosity and suspicion lighting his features at the demon's heated words. "It seems unlikely for a woman to capable of attacking a demon such as yourself; don't you think, Inuyasha?"
It was the first time the guard had used his name, and something about it felt off. Inuyasha shrugged off the prickling sensation in his mind as being overly cautious. Maybe he was just annoyed about the previous night's sleeping arrangements. He had made no secret of the fact that he had rather it been him that had slept with Kagome than Inuyasha. Fat chance in hell, Inuyasha thought to himself and suppressed a grimace. No matter what Kagome said, he wasn't about to trust a stranger. The only one who had proven a genuine interest in Kagome's safety, and therefore trustworthy in his mind, had been the female soldier, but there was no telling if she was even still alive.
"No breakfast," he called to her as he rose to his feet. "No time. Let's go."
It had been hours and her stomach had started to growl despite her best efforts. Inuyasha had taken to carrying her when she first started feeling unwell. He had been concerned to notice that she had developed a fever which only seemed to worsen throughout the day.
"Do you want to stop for lunch, Kagome?"
He glanced over his shoulder as he spoke to her, but she just shook her head lightly against his back. "I'm fine."
The fact that she grimaced every time her injured arm was jostled didn't escape him. He was certain it was the cause of her illness and could only hope that they reached a nearby town before the cut became fully infected. Miroku had fallen silent earlier that day and hadn't spoken since. When they finally reached the roadside, Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief. Surely it was just a little ways longer.
"Hang in there, Kagome."
They reached the nearest town without incident, and Inuyasha immediately began inquiring about a doctor. There was only one, due to the small size of the town's population—an elderly priestess toward the forest, just outside of the town walls. As they approached the tiny, wooden hut, Inuyasha hesitated. He was well aware of the looks the villagers had been giving him, the whispers they shared behind his back. The message was clear; he wasn't welcome. It was only common sense to assume his reception would be even worse from a priestess.
He stopped, letting Kagome down from his back gently. She had fallen into a fitful sleep before they had even reached the small town's gates. Miroku glanced at Inuyasha questioningly as he rose with the girl draped across his arms, offering her to him.
"Here; take her."
Miroku obeyed, but was cut off before he could question his actions.
"This is as far as I go," Inuyasha explained with a jerk of his head to indicate the hut. He felt bad about leaving Kagome in the other man's care, but she should be safe enough in the hands of a priestess. It was time to take his freedom.
Inuyasha turned to go but was stopped as an arrow snagged his shoulder painfully. He let out a strangled cry in surprise as his body jerked forward, cursing as steadied himself. He reached behind him, grimacing as he gripped the staff, trying to pry the arrow from his back but only managed to snap the wood at the base of head where it was embedded in his skin. "Dammit, Miroku, do something," he growled, forced to kneel from the pain, feeling his body already begin to go numb under the effects of the spell.
"I'm sorry, my friend, I'm afraid I can't help you this time."
He glanced to the guard in shock and sudden fear. "What?"
Miroku shrugged, his closed expression unreadable to the demon. "Surely you didn't think that I trusted a demon as a traveling companion. I had been worried about Kagome's safety for some time, but didn't know how to go about subduing you without placing her in danger."
The words were matter-of-fact and without malicious intent. Inuyasha couldn't really blame him for wanting to protect his queen. But somehow the words had cut him deep.
"I never hurt her." He didn't mention the fact that he had done nothing but protect her.
Miroku sighed, ignoring Inuyasha's feeble protest while subconsciously tightening his hold on Kagome in his arms. "It seems our kind priestess has saved me the trouble of this task. Though I'm truly sorry it had to be this way."
"Bastard," Inuyasha hissed, feeling panic grip at him. He had made a mistake by leaving Kagome in his care. Somehow he was failing her. "I ought to slit your throat open."
He struggled to get up, but instead tumbled to the ground as he felt himself slowly slipping into an unnatural state of unconsciousness. I'm sorry, he thought more to Kagome than himself. And then there was nothingness.
AN:Yay for another chapter. :) When I edited the first chapter I added a brief mention of Miroku, so if his introduction in this chapter seems a bit odd, that's why. I also kept wanting to have Inuyasha call him "monk" because it feels so natural, but hopefully none of those references made it into the chapter. Thank you for reading, and if you like it, please let me know.