The newly awoken demon's gaze washed over her, scanning every one of her features. A blush began to creep across Kagome's cheeks as he stared into her eyes, his own widening. "Kikyo?"
Kagome froze, tilting her head as her brows furrowed in confusion. Kikyo? "Huh?"
"Is it really you?" The demon asked in a hushed voice, reaching his hand out to caress Kagome's cheek. She flinched, her blush returning as quickly as it had disappeared, growing hot under his touch. She pressed her own palm against her chest so that her heart wouldn't fall out from beating so hard.
"My - My name is Kagome." She stuttered, gazing down at the demon's hand which was still resting on her face. "I'm not Kikyo."
The demon lifted his free hand to scratch one of his dog ears. "You must be her." He replied, "You look exactly like her. Although -"
The demon stopped for a moment. His hand which was cupping Kagome's cheek fell down to grasp her arm, pulling her in. She fell against his body, letting out a squeak as her chest pressed against his. What was this?! Kagome had never gotten this close to a boy before.
He pressed his nose against her hair and sniffed. "You smell different. You really aren't her. Who are you then?" Once the demon realised Kagome was not the Kikyo he had thought, he pushed her backwards so she was no longer touching him. Kagome let out a deep breath, relieved and maybe slightly saddened that the moment was over.
"I told you." She said, her hands on her hips. "My name is Kagome, and I need your help."
The demon scoffed. "Of course you do. And what would that be from?"
Kagome bit her lip, tearing away from his gaze. "Well -"
Before she could finish, Kagome was interrupted as she found herself being pulled down the pitch-black hallway, her body yanked upwards and onto something which she couldn't see. She steadied herself, reaching forward for whatever she was sitting on. She felt a tickle on her body and face. It was...hair?
Oh, she was on the demon boy's back.
She found his neck and wrapped her arms around it, securing herself from falling. "Where are we going?"
"We're gettin' outta here." The demon told her. His running slowed to a stop as Kagome saw the first sign of light, flickering in front of them. Once they came to a stop, she hopped off the demon's back and stepped towards the light.
"Going somewhere?"
Kagome screamed as she was pulled back into the darkness, the familiar voice of the older, evil dog demon sending shivers down her spine. She struggled to free herself from his grasp, proving unsuccessful. "Help!" She called out, hoping her demon would come and rescue her.
And in a second she fell to the ground, freed from the evil demon's clutches. Her demon must have heard her message. Kagome attempted to search her surroundings for anything visible, but there was still pure darkness all around her and she couldn't locate the two demons at all.
"Sesshomaru." Her demon suddenly growled. "Long time no see, eh?"
"Inuyasha." The evil demon responded. So that's his name, Kagome thought, making a mental note. Inuyasha. "I see you've met my little friend."
Inuyasha scoffed. "You don't do friends, Sesshomaru. Usually, she'd be done with by now. What s different about her, huh?
"The girl possesses something I've been looking for. She's going to give it to me."
"No she's not!" Kagome called out, slamming her hands over her mouth as soon as it left her mouth. Idiot!
Inuyasha growled, "Shut up! I'm trying to help you here."
Sesshomaru let out a small huff. "You'll die before I let that happen."
The two demons fell silent for a few moments. Kagome began to feel uneasy at the eery silence and darkness. Suddenly, a metallic sound reached her. Then a clash. Were they fighting?
Kagome began to panic. She felt a pang in her chest, a worry casting over her for the demon boy she had only just met. She didn't want him to risk his life for her, what if he were to be killed? She wanted to help him in any way she could, but how could she do that when she couldn't even see?
Inu - Yasha? She called, her mouth fumbling over his unfamiliar name, afraid to get it wrong.
"Just stay there!" His tone was sharp but somehow calmed her instantly. She was just relieved that he wasn't dead. "I'll protect you."
Steel clashed against steel for a while longer, the demons battling to what seemed like no avail. Kagome sighed. She felt useless sitting on the floor in the darkness, being unable to aid Inuyasha in fighting the evil dog. She had to help in some kind of way. She thought for a moment, turning her head towards a sudden faint flickering in the corner of her eye.
She felt a sudden pull within her body, an urge to move towards the tiny light. She quietly stood, tiptoeing away from the feud to follow her body's request and find the source of the light.
She walked until she found it, feeling slightly disheartened at her discovery. The source of the light was simply an old, dusty set of arrows and a bow which looked like they had not been used for at least five hundred years. Kagome's gaze focused on one of the arrows in particular. It was glowing, in exactly the same fashion as the bow that had been inside of Inuyasha.
Kagome reached forward and placed a hand on the glowing arrow. Upon doing this, an intense rush soared through her arm and into her body, similarly to the strange sensation that had allowed her to injure the evil dog demon.
"What if...?" Kagome thought to herself for a moment before picking up the bow and arrows. She slowly made her way back to where the demons were, using the sound of their clashing swords as her guide. As she grew closer to the sound, she hid her glowing arrow behind her back so that she wouldn't be seen.
"Inuyasha?" She called.
"Kinda busy here." He called back. Her demon sounded exhausted now, his voice had grown hoarse and he was panting for breath. Kagome sensed that this would be the right time for her interference.
She lifted the bow and placed the glowing arrow onto it, its light allowing her to see the demons finally. The pair were constantly on the move, jumping around in order to dodge or attack the other. It would be difficult for Kagome to hit her target; she wasn't particularly talented at using weapons like this. She pulled back the arrow, fluttering her eyes closed for a moment. "Please," she whispered. Was she talking to the arrow? "Please hit Sesshomaru."
Her hands were shaking. She was terrified of the possibility of releasing the arrow and having it hit Inuyasha by accident. She was anxious, but she had to try something, so she took a deep breath and yelled, "Inuyasha, look out!" as her fingers finally let go.
She kept her eyes shut tight, only listening for the yell of whoever had been targeted by her arrow. She waited for a few moments, but there was no sound. Nothing. Did she miss?
She started to slowly open her eyes when she felt a sudden force push her upwards. She was being carried, pulled away from the dark hallway. She didn't know who was carrying her, was it Inuyasha or Sesshomaru?
Kagome let out a scream, punching at the arm which was grasping her waist. Her eyes were still closed, but from the adjustment of light through her eyelids, she could make out that she was no longer in darkness. Kagome had no idea where she was headed and so she began to panic. "Let me go!"
"Cut it out, would ya?" It was Inuyashal! Kagome instantly relaxed into his grasp, sighing in relief. "Thank goodness." She murmured. She must have hit Sesshomaru after all.
He adjusted her body so she could rest onto his back like she had done before. She knew what to do now, wrapping her arms around his neck, gripping tightly so she wouldn't fall off. They moved through the forest for a short while before Kagome's head began to grow heavy. She had been through an ordeal already and hadn't slept properly last night, so her fatigue was catching up to her. She rested her head on Inuyasha's shoulder and closed her eyes as he moved through the trees, letting her body fall into a slumber.
It was nighttime when she awoke, the heat of a small nearby fire and the smell of cooked fish reaching her senses. She sat up, stretching her body as she searched for her demon. To her relief, he wasn't far away. She found his body resting against a tree with his eyes closed. She watched his chest rise and fall softly, a small smile twitching at the corners of her mouth.
Kagome had begun eating one of the fish when her demon awoke, moving from his tree to sit near her. "How you feelin'?" He asked, though he refused to make any eye contact.
"Okay." She replied, taking another bite of her fish. "Thank you for saving me. I owe you one."
Inuyasha let out a quiet huff. "You owe me more than that." A moment of silence passed before he asked, "So, you gonna tell me what Sesshomaru wants you for?"
His head turned so he was staring at her now. His golden eyes became exaggerated by the glow of the fire. Kagome gazed at him, mesmerized. He wasn't human, he was unlike anything she had ever seen before. He was enchanting.
Kagome nearly forgot that he had asked her a question. She snapped out of her trance, replying, "He says I have something inside of me that he wants. A jewel of some kind."
"The sacred jewel?" The demon jumped to his feet. "You have it? How?"
Kagome flinched at his sudden persistence. "I - I don't know."
Inuyasha sat back down, leaning in close to her and causing her body to stiffen. "Kagome, you need to give me the jewel."
Kagome scoffed. "No way." She said, folding her arms, causing the demon to growl. "Maybe if you take me home, I'll think about it."
"You can't go home. Sesshomaru will find you and kill you if you go back. We have to stay here."
Kagome's heart sunk then. She thought of her family. Her mother, brother and Grandpa must have been so worried for her. She was never the type to stay out late or not come home. She was desperate to return to them. "Please, Inuyasha. My family -"
"You're no good to your family dead, are ya?" He snapped, causing her to whimper. His tone may have been harsh but he was right. She couldn't go back if she were to be killed straight away. The only protection she had against this evil demon was a demon of her own to fight him.
Inuyasha noticed Kagome's upset and his expression softened. "Look," He said, "Sesshomaru will do anything to get his hands on that jewel. You need to let me protect you so he doesn't get it, okay?"
Kagome's chest began to pound. She gazed at him, searching his eyes for any indication of integrity. She wanted to trust him, she was almost there, but not quite. "You promise you'll protect me?"
Inuyasha reached forward and clasped her hand with his own. Lifting their entwined hands into the air, making a pact, he said, "I promise."
That was all she needed to hear.
