Disclaimer: No I do not own Inuyasha. That awesome privilage belongs to Romiko Takahashi. Thank you!

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Chapter 3: Half

Two years later....

The city rotted.

Like dead flesh, it decomposed. Buildings were dark. Glass was shattered and the air held the stench of neglect and decay. Roads were destroyed and the buildings that were still standing had deep gouges from big or particularly sharp claws.

Silence, however, was not a part of this almost ghost like city. Howls, cries, shrieks, groans, all pierced the silence like needles.

The sun was never as bright as it been when it came out from behind what seemed like a constant cover clouds and fog. The scent of blood was a constant presence, so much so the occupants hardly noticed it anymore.

For there were occupants in this seemingly empty city.

They just perfered to stay hidden from each other.

It was more than just a city of demons, it was a world of them.

Large demons who made mountains tremble with their footsteps and small demons that ensnared the senses and destroyed the body. What had once been order was now chaos. Cars rusted, empty and abandoned, in the streets, most of them crushed or torn apart by the demons fighting.

So what had happened to the humans?

Gone.

All of them.

Gone.

Those that the evil hadn't infected were quickly killed by the ones who were.

It was a horror movie. A horror movie that had no ending.

That was how Kagome saw it.

She was alone and had been since that night.

When she had woken up again nothing was the same.

She had been alone in her living room with no sign of her mother, brother, or grandfather. Except for a large hole where her living room wall had been. She had walked up to it, scared and shaking, and saw into a world that had just entered chaos.

Demons had been roaring and tearing each other to shreds. Fighting and killing with no sence of friend or foe.

It had taken Kagome months realize that the humans who had once inhabited this world were now the very demons she cowered from.

As far as she knew, she was the last human left and she had no idea what saved her from the horrible fate that was delivered to the rest of humanity.

At least, not until a few months ago.

It hadn't struck her as odd that she always woke up. Most demons waiting until you were asleep before attacking, after all, that was when you were most volnerable. But Kagome always woke up safe and sound. It never seemed weird that when she found herself cornered, hiding, and praying from a demon that she was never found or killed. It never entered her mind that there was something special about her even though she was unaffected by the evil that had warped the rest of her species.

Until a few months ago.

She had been walking through Tokyo Tower, hoping to find food or a safe place to sleep. Both were very hard to come by nowadays. That was when she had met a snake demon who's nest she had unknowingly walked into.

He hadn't been happy about her invading his home and decided to show her by sinking his fangs into her while she was unaware.

So when Kagome was going through the cupboards, he slithered silently behind her and struck.

When he met a large blinding white barrier. His hiss of pain had Kagome turning around in time to see the barrier fade again.

She had watched as the snake thrashed in pain in fury before trying to strike again. She had backed up against the wall uselessly but again the same white shield protected her. This time the snake demon was killed.

After her heart had calmed down and the adrenalin had stopped flowing so quickly through her veins, she had realized that she was surrounded by a barrier.

Since then, she had made Tokyo Tower her home and any demon that had tried to take it from her had found themselves fried by her barrier.

She still had to leave every now and again to raid the surrounding area for supplies. Luckily for her, demons didn't seem to like human food other than meat. So she was able to take and enjoy all the canned foods she could find.

That's where she was now, wondering through a, hopefully, empty grocery store, raiding the canned food isles.

She had on a pair of ripped jeans she had found about a month ago in a mall she had barely dared to enter and a gray-ish shirt that she thought matched concrete rather well. Her scent was unmistakably human, she knew that, but some demons had bad eyesight and she tried to blend with her surroundings. She had on a worn pair of sneakers and socks that went to her knees, also concrete colored. On her head, covering her hair, was a gray beanie that she had had in her room before the disaster.

It was her sneakers that had driven her out of her home this time. The soles were nearly gone and they had been ripped and disfigered by the hard ware she put them through so she needed to get new ones.

While she was out she decided to stop and get some more food even though she had enough to last her another three days.

Quickly and quietly, she grabbed cans from the shelf and stacked them into the large over the shoulder backpack that rested on her hip. It was durable and big so she found it perfect for food runs.

When it was three fourths of the way full, she zipped it shut and moved on into the store.

Her own senses were hightened, looking for anything that might have changed since she had been here last.

She had raided all the gas stations around the tower and this place was her newest food supply. She had only been here a few tims times.

Once to check for demons. Twice to make sure there were absolutely no demons. Three times to add booby traps so she would know if any demons moved in. Then she had trusted it enough to begin shopping there.

They were simple things, things just meant to tell her they had been disturbed.

There was a clothing rack in the mens department, a place spider demons liked being, that was surrounded by a ring of salt. She checked it to make sure it wasn't out of place. In isle three where the oils were, she had created an artificial oil spill that was nearly clear on the ground but was obvious when something had walked, or slipped, through it. She had placed tiny rocks and pebbles around in certain areas, always on the cross created by four corners of linoleum, that she could check to see if they had been knocked out of palce. And more.

Only after all her traps were checked did she begin her shopping trip.

Right now she was heading toward the chemical isle. Something she had noticed in her fight for survival was that demon noses were especially sensative. Harsh chemicals and the like were very effective at turning all but the most determined away.

So along side her food went bleach, amonia, and varies other cleaning sprays and liquids.

After that was done she started to leave the store and froze in the chip isle

Something was wrong. Off. She couldn't place her finger on it but something on this isle was different.

While running for your life, you find your insticts for survival are much stronger than you realize. Simple things that had always just been a part of you were suddenly obvious in your body's need for them.

This instict for example.

When you went into a place enough you unconciously noted the place of everything and if you did it enough you memorized it subconciously. So when something about the area changed, even something as simple as a picture being removed from the wall, your brain knew it and alerted you of a possible predator.

It was this technique that made her freeze and look around.

Mostly she ate canned food, it was safer. Chips went bad and the bags were too easily penetrated by demon poison, so the chip isle was relatively untouched. By her.

Something had been there and she knew it.

Her eyes scanned the area carefully, looking for the descrepency in the place that her brain remembered.

There was no electricity in this world so all she could look through was her own eyes or a flashlight that she hated using because it was too easily spotted.

So her eyes scanned the darkness that was only slightly lifted by the light coming in from skylights placed at regular intervals in the ceiling. She never went out at night.

There.

The last row had been desturbed.

The chips had all been packed close together and pushed against the front of the three foot deep shelf.

A demon was hiding there. Waiting for some one to walk past before it struck no doubt.

It wasn't impossible that it missed her traps and detections, especially if it was a smaller demon.

Under different circumstances, she would have backed up slowly and abonded the place. But this was her store and she needed her food supply. So there was no option. She had to get rid of the demon.

Slowly, she reached into her still open bag and felt around for a very familiar bottle. Different chemicals worked well on different demons but one chemical Kagome had found to repel nearly all demons was bleach.

She took it from her bag and turned the nozzle to ON. Then she sprayed it a few times to bring the liquid to the top. All without her eyes leaving the chips.

As soon as the first spray entered the air she saw the bags move slightly.

Kagome lifted the spray bottle and pointed it at the chips. "Come out of there. Now."

They moved again but who ever was there stayed hidden.

"I mean it." She said firmly. "One shot of this stuff in your eyes and you're blind. In your mouth and you're dead." Which wasn't neccissarily true. Sometimes it took an entire jug of bleach to kill a demon but hopefully this demon wouldn't know that.

The chips moved again, this time two of them parted and a pair of glowing gold eyes looked out at her.

"You smell like a human."

Kagome took a step back in surprise.

It wasn't because the demon spoke. Demons seemed to delight in telling her that they were about to rip the flesh from her bones or drink her fluids or some other equally gross and, after a while, boring threat. But those demons voices were all something dug out from her deepest nightmares and made real. This voice was obviously human.

"You sound like a human." Kagome countered trying to pull her wits back. A demon she hadn't encountered before perhaps?

The golden eyes narrowed at her. "So do you."

The voice was male, deep and strong, if a bit suspicious.

"Get out of there." Kagome said again not lowering her bottle of bleach but her voice was considerably calmer. There had never been a demon who hadn't immediatly tried to eat her before.

There was a moment of stillness as the demon considered her demand. Then the chips were pushed out onto the floor and the guy crawled out and stood up and looked her over much like she was doing to him.

A dog demon. She had encountered these before though the ones she had seen were extremely different than the one who looked at her now. The biggest difference was this one was shaped like a human. He had dog ears on his head and the long mane of hair that flowed gracefully down his back was like moonlight on snow. That and his burning golden eyes were what told her he was a dog demon. However he looked no older than her and was clearly human. With a hat he wouldn't have stood out in a crowd.

He was wearing a worn and faded pair of black, baggy jeans with a chain from his left side to his back. He had no shoes and no shirt but he did have a necklace around his neck but Kagome couldn't see what the tiny gold chain and pendant was from this distance.

"What kind of demon are you?" she asked. He was too human to be a demon yet too demon to be human. It made her confused just looking at him.

"Dog. Half anyway. What about you?" His voice was distrustful and his eyes wary.

"Half?" Kagome repeated eyeing him cautiously. "What do you mean half? Your either demon or your not."

"I'm not demon." He said firmly. "I'm not human either. I'm half. What about you? Did you steal that flesh from a human? It doesn't smell dead."

Kagome's eyes narrowed. "This is my flesh, thank you. And I am human. Full human."

"Lucky you." he said almost sadly. "Do you have a name?"

Kagome blinked in surprise.

"What?" he asked when she just stared.

"No demon has ever talked to me rationally before." she said in awe.

"Keh. I'm not demon, remember? I'm half." he rolled his eyes. He stared at her again for a minute then sighed. "Would you feel better if I gave you my name first?"

When she didn't speak he continued. "My name's Inuyasha. Nice to meet you." He walked forward with his hand outstretched.

"Wait!" she called making him freeze.

"What?" he asked looking around and sniffin for whatever caused the outburst.

"Don't get near me." she warned.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes again. "Keh. If I wanted to kill you I would have done it already."

"No, that's not..."

"Shh!" he said suddenly turning around.

"What?" she whispered looking for the source of his alarm.

"Demon." he said simply making Kagome's own senses try to smell or hear the appraoching danger.

"What kind?" she asked quietly.

He sniffed the air. "Just an ogre. He must have caught your scent here."

"Where is he?" Kagome asked replacing the bleach and pulling out a bottle of Windex. Ogres hated Windex.

"I can't tell. He's a stinky one."

Kagome snorted. "They're all stinky."

He suddenly turned and called out, "Behind you!"

Kagome turned as well and instictively brought up her Windex.

But when she tried to pull the trigger, nothing happened. She hadn't turned the nozzle on and there was a great, ugly, maroon colored ogre with gleaming yellow eyes running right at her.

"Watch out!"

Inuyasha grabbed her waist and spun her around behind him and lifted his claws up. "Bring it, ugly!"

Kagome watched as Inuyasha charged the demon and ran his claws down his arm making the ogre cry out in pain.

"You will pay for that, half-ling." he growled and lifted the other arm. Both of his arms looked too long for his body and his knuckles dragged on the floor. Inuyasha jumped out of the way but he wasn't fast enough to avoid the large claws that grazed his side and drew blood in three paralell lines.

Working quickly, Kagome turned the nozzle to on and sprayed it until the glass cleaner sprayed out.

She turned the nozzle again until it wasn't mist but a jet.

"Hey!" she called to the ogre. "Ugly!"

The ogre turned to her. Kagome was ready and squeezed the Windex sending a stream into the air.

The ogre yelled and jumped back, avoiding the solution.

"Wench. You'll die as well."

"Not today!" Inuyasha cried leaping up at him. His claws were like sharpened steal cutting through butter as he made a large, four lined, slash across the ogres chest.

The ogre cried out and fell back against the floor, his dark orange blood spilling onto the ground.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Kagome said running forward and grabbing Inuyasha's arm.

"Huh. Why?" He asked as she pulled against his with all her strength. She might as well have been trying to pull a two story building.

"Ogres travel in packs." She said. "We need to get out before his family comes sniffing around."

"Keh." Was all Inuyasha said but he followed her out of the store and onto the street.

Kagome peered around, like a child about to cross a street, before turning ot the left and walking quickly away.

"Where are we going?" he asked letting her lead him with a hand on his arm. She was the first person he had been able to talk to without exchanging threats in two years. He was lonely.

"Tokyo Tower." she said turning this way and that with the Windex still tight in her hand.

"Go there often?" he asked curiosly not bothering to keep watch like she was. He would smell a demon long before it aproached.

"I live there." she said heading for the great red and white spire that struck into the sky.

Inuyasha chuckled. "Take strange demons home often?"

Kagome smirked. "Half."

He laughed at having his own come back thrown at him.

"Well, do you take strange people home often?"

"Only when they can get close to me." she said crossing what used to be a busy intersection.

"Aww...You like me already?"

Kagome laughed. "I meant physically."

"I'm not one to turn down that kind of fun but, honey I just met you." he said making her laugh again.

"There's a barrier around me." she explained as they passed dark stores that Kagome felt no need to enter. "Demons can't get close. Or no demon that has tried to harm me can. I figure if the barrier let you near me you wouldn't harm me."

"'if the barrier let me'?" Inuyasha asked. "You say that like it's out of your control."

"It is." she said simply as the entrance to the Tower loomed ahead of them.

"Does this mean I can have your name now? Or should I just call you human? Not like anyone else would answer." It was grim but true humor.

Kagome smiled back at him. "My name's Kagome. It's nice to meet you."

"You have no idea how nice it is to meet you." Inuyasha said back feeling more than grateful at meeting another person.

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