Author's Note: As a reminder, while this story will take a lot of canon Inuyasha elements, this story is decidedly not canon (surprise!). Not all enemies will be a part of it. Not all demons will be taken care of the same way. Just so I don't crush any dreams here :)
Dedication: To Wenchster, for literally inspiring me to keep pushing even though the universe conspired against me on this chapter. You're a star.
That Flesh of Mine
Chapter Four
If you could only see the beast you've made of me. I held it in but now it seems you've set it running free. Screaming in the dark, I howl when we're apart. Drag my teeth across your chest to taste your beating heart.
(Howl, Florence and The Machine)
He was going to kill her. It wasn't the first thought that crossed his mind, but it was the first one that wasn't borne out of instinct. Instinct that came in flashes, of just–
Inky blackness smashing into the hood, the roof, the windshield; too late for him to see, to hear because he was focused on her–
Smashing, shattering glass, and he had no choice, just dove to the right, bursting the buckle of the seatbelt and covering as much as–
Screaming, so much screaming. The car veered, no driver to keep the wheel steady and then they were rolling, rolling, over and over as he clung to her, holding on and–
A heavy groan from the car. A thud.
Silence.
Inuyasha couldn't help the moan that escaped, feeling the pinpricks of glass all over his body. Shit, his leg. Fuck, this was bad.
And then he heard a cawing sound, like little jolts of laughter. It was only getting worse.
"Inuyasha," Kagome breathed, dark brown eyes wide and terrified. "Holy shit, are you okay?" Her hands were grabbing at his shirt, tugging insistently until they rested on the seatbelt crushing his chest. There was blood smeared on her face.
"Goddamn it," he snapped, recoiling just enough to slice through the belt with his claws. His leg he'd have to deal with later but first he needed to get out of the car, find the fucking demon and slaughter it.
"You're bleeding," Kagome added, unhelpfully. No shit, he was bleeding. He could literally feel the glass pushing its way out of his skin, his body trying to heal. "I can't–"
"Stay here." It was fruitless, he knew, especially when the caws and screeches grew louder, the car suddenly rocking. Goddamn crows, he'd show them a murder. Kagome yelled out at a particularly violent rock but that was fine because it drowned out the way he slammed open the door and threw his body outside. It hurt, his right leg protesting loudly but he didn't stop, claws digging into the dirt before he leapt. There were crows everywhere – every day crows, not demons – but it was too difficult to make out immediately. The car groaned under his weight, the black birds screeching as they took off to the sky.
A large, booming caw – the sound of an order – rang in the air. Inuyasha didn't even have to look, the sound was so strong, so close, that he flung himself upwards. His body arched towards the nearby tree where in the branches the three-eyed crow sat. It screamed as he drew near, taking off seconds before Inuyasha could close his hands around it. The tree branch was unforgiving on his muscles but he clung on, desperate to gain some sort of equilibrium.
"Get back here!" he yelled at the crow, ears trying to pinpoint the flapping of its wings. There were too many though, the other normal crows standing by, swirling around like vultures.
One of them was diving.
Not just one of them: the demon. Inuyasha watched from the tree as the three-eyed crow cawed victoriously on a downwards spiral. He was aiming for the car, he was going to destroy it and–
Kagome.
The half-demon jumped, words leaving his mouth that he didn't understand. He was too late though – far too late – because by mid-flight the crow had already landed, crushing the underside of the car with its might. The frame caved in on itself, doors snapping to the side and open.
There was no way she was alive.
"No!" Inuyasha roared. His body collapsed on top of the crow, just before it was able to take flight once more. His claws sank into its feathers, its flesh, and he didn't stop there. He rolled, taking the demon with him. He could feel the heat of the blood dripping down his hand, his arm, as the bird squirmed to get away. Inuyasha would not let it, not after what it had done.
With a growl that burst from his chest, Inuyasha smashed it into the ground, over and over until it was dizzy with it. The moment the three-eyed crow demon stopped fighting, he let go for the barest of seconds before shredding the damn thing in half, bloodied feathers and guts spilling onto the dirt.
Breathing hard, Inuyasha stared at the demon and the dull glassiness of its eyes. It was dead. It was over.
Shit.
Sitting back, the half-demon pulled himself a few scant inches away, the smell of blood pungent and overwhelming. It wasn't a bad overwhelming though, and that was the problem. Every fibre of his being was thrumming with life.
Life, after he had just taken one and after Kagome–
Fuck, Kagome.
It was a flash of panic, deep in his gut. Inuyasha staggered up and ignored the way his leg screamed, knowing it would knit itself back together over time. He had to get to the car. Leaping, he landed ungracefully by the side, body collapsing in part from his leg and also because he needed to crawl, to get low and see. And what he saw was blood – so much blood – and the bodies of crows.
"Why are you going back in there?"
Snapping his attention back to the forest, Inuyasha stared in disbelief at the girl before him. Her stupid dark eyes and long hair and that defiant expression on her face. But. But. "I told you to–" Stay in the car. He couldn't finish it. Because that would mean she was dead.
The passenger seat in the car was nothing more than a mangled mess of metal and feathers and a crimson smear.
"The crows started attacking," Kagome said, voice barely trembling. It was only then that he saw the way she clutched at a massive piece of glass. She was covered in blood. "I had to get out."
"Yeah." Inuyasha stood up and walked over, ignoring the way his body wanted to stop. He could never show such a weakness. Instead, he came close enough that all he needed to do was reach out slightly. Kagome eyed his palm, confused. "Give me the glass," he ordered. All he could smell was gore – pungent and thick and coppery – and he didn't want more of it. He didn't want hers, slicing against the shard in her hand.
For a moment, Kagome looked like she was going to refuse. Her grip tightened and it caused her to wince, the shock of it enough to get her going. She lifted her hand and dropped it into his waiting palm. It was then that Inuyasha saw them, all the tiny shards of glass still embedded in her hand and the larger slices. The arms of her shirts were torn and bloodied. There was a cut on her left cheek, a tiny crimson trail smeared. Unable to stop himself, Inuyasha grabbed her wrist and held on, eyeing the cuts on her skin. "We need to get these out."
Kagome stared at him for a moment, mouth unattractively open until what he said seemed to process. "Well, yeah," she murmured finally, frowning. "When the windshield shattered I threw my hands up. The crows tried to grab me too, and my shirt…" She shrugged but her gaze never left him. "You covered me though and you're not cut at all."
He scowled. Of course she noticed. Hoping to distract her, he started to pick out the glass with his claws.
"Ow, that hurts," Kagome snapped, trying and completely failing to pull her hands from his grip. "It's fine."
"It's not fine," he retorted, barely able to contain a growl. The girl was annoying. "Let me finish."
"Great, so then I'll just bleed to death."
Glaring, Inuyasha waited until she looked at him before taking out the next piece of glass. Petty? Inuyasha didn't know the meaning.
She tried to fight him with her other hand, batting at his arm while she complained the whole time. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and when he finished, he grabbed the hand she so willingly offered and started to get the glass there too. There was significantly less shards, but some stronger, larger cuts that were sluggishly bleeding. "We'll get these cleaned at the house."
"You never answered my question," Kagome stated suddenly, chin sticking out defiantly. "Why aren't you all cut up? You're hands are bloody but your face is fine. And you shielded me when we crashed so that's not possible."
Inuyasha growled and let go of her completely, eyes straying to the forest. He sought out an opening, something that would be large enough. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Ugh!" Kagome complained, following hot on his heels. "Yes, you do! I'm not an idiot, despite what you like to call me. So fess up, cat boy."
Jesus Christ. "First of all," Inuyasha snapped, whipping around so fast she nearly fell backwards in her haste to get some space. "I'm a dog demon. Dog. These aren't cat ears so stop calling them that!" He was yelling. He was yelling at some stupid high school girl and she was infuriating. "Second, it's because I'm a half-demon. Okay? I'm stronger, faster, have advanced senses and an advanced metabolism. I heal faster. And there's a lot of other things I'm better at than humans, so back off."
Kagome took another step back, hands up like she was trying to placate him. That was nothing but a lie. The girl wouldn't know how to placate a rock.
And this was stupid. He was fighting with some fifteen year-old over his abilities. Inuyasha didn't have to answer her on anything. His job was to protect his family, which meant hiding the goddamn car so the authorities didn't come knocking. With that last thought, he took a deep breath and forgave himself for one last growl. He had to focus.
Without a glance back, the half-demon looked over the treeline until he found what he was looking for. It was an opening – not a large one and covered in bushes – but it would have to do. It would be a pain in the ass to haul the car in that far but he didn't have other options. They were lucky the three-eyed crow demon attacked when it did, while they were still off and a good kilometre from the main road. Less people travelled down their way but their luck wouldn't hold out for long. Someone would find them and call the cops.
Returning to the destroyed car, Inuyasha bent down and ignored the stabbing pain in his leg. He grabbed whatever was a decent hold and lifted, huffing angrily with the effort. The car was fucking heavy.
"What are you doing?" Kagome asked, incredulous. "You can't lift a–"
When he picked it up enough that he could drag it, Kagome cut herself off, dark brown eyes wide. "Holy shit," she whispered.
"What part of me being stronger didn't you understand?" Inuyasha bit out, almost angry. It was irrational, at this point. Something about her set him off, especially now that she smelled of blood and death. Whatever. He had to focus. It took an agonizingly long time to drag the car into the trees. The bushes proved even more difficult, the base of them getting caught in the metal and making it hard to force the vehicle further back. By the time he was done, Inuyasha was sweating and exhausted, his leg killing him. He shoved at the car once more and then stopped, taking a few steps back and staring at the now dark sky.
He was so tired.
There was the sound of rustling and of twigs, but Inuyasha ignored it. There was no one around except for Kagome, her heartbeat steady and familiar. Instead of the sounds of wildlife around them, he listened to its pattern, the tha-thump like a metronome in his mind. It was almost calming. It would have been, had he been anywhere but outside in a ditch.
"I think I covered it a bit more," Kagome said quietly, breaking the silence.
Inuyasha noticed how the bits of shiny metal where now covered in leaves and branches, clearly taken from the ground. Kagome was standing by the spot awkwardly, looking at her hands. "We should get back," he said. "Get your wounds cleaned and bandaged before you go home. Mushin has a car we can take."
Kagome grimaced and even with her face down it was nearly impossible to ignore. "I don't know how I'm going to feel getting in another car right now."
Sighing, the half-demon already knew the other option. It was one they'd have to take anyways, just to get back to Sango's house. "We'll figure it out," he replied instead. Stepping closer, he waited until the girl looked at him before crouching down. "Get on."
Kagome stared at him like he was insane. "What?"
He hated this part. "Get on my back," Inuyasha clarified, waving his hands a little.
"I can walk."
She really had to make it hard. She had to make everything impossible. "Thanks for sharing that obvious fun fact but if you don't get on my back right now, I'll carry you another way and you're not going to like it."
Instead of what he expected – which was more yelling and complaining – Kagome simply rolled her eyes and came closer, stepping into his space and wrapping her arms around his neck. As carefully as he could, the half-demon stood up.
Shit, this was a mistake.
His leg was protesting unhappily, but that wasn't even the problem. In fact, the pain was almost welcome. Because the moment he lifted her and got his hands around her legs, Kagome was pressed tight against him, her face mere inches from his.
Her scent.
It was going to drive him wild.
"For fuck's sake," Inuyasha muttered under his breath.
Kagome shifted slightly and that was not helping. "What?"
The half-demon couldn't have answered nicely even if he wanted to. "Nothing," he snapped. "Just hold on tight."
He ran. The first few steps were slow but the more momentum he gained, the faster and faster he was able to travel. Kagome's grip around him tightened, her thighs nearly a vice around his hips. He could hear her heartrate skyrocket, could smell the fear and adrenaline coming off of her. Tonight was practically a showcase of all of his skills to the human, and what a time it was.
"Calm down," he said, turning his head slightly to face her. It was a bad idea – a very bad idea – but he tried his best to take in only shallow breaths, trying to communicate with his gaze alone that she wasn't in any danger. There were a lot of things to be fearful of and while Inuyasha was undoubtedly one of them, in this moment that wasn't the case.
"You're so fast." Kagome's chocolate-coloured gaze was looking everywhere, taking in the blur of scenery as best as she could.
"We went over this already."
There was a snort and Inuyasha rolled his eyes, focusing on the path before him. "It's one thing for you to tell me," Kagome conceded, "and a whole other thing to witness first hand. What else can you do?"
It wasn't like before. He wasn't mad at her in that moment and he was running, smelling the forest and the earth and another scent that was uniquely hers. It was enough to almost make his lips twitch. Almost. "A few other things," he commented eventually, not yet ready to give it all up. Kagome didn't press.
The Houko home came into view after only a few minutes. Inuyasha didn't bother with the garage and instead took them through the main front doors, the closest to a washroom with a first aid kit. It wasn't until he had burst in and carried the girl there, shifting her around in his arms before dropping her off on the countertop that he realized his entrance wasn't exactly calming.
"What the hell happened?" Miroku asked, blue eyes wide as he took them both in. They were covered in dirt and blood. Flakes of brown were starting to peel off of his arms, his nail beds nearly black. Kagome's clothes were almost tatters, the arms nearly gone.
"The crow demon," Inuyasha replied shortly, bending down to get the med kit. "It sent a flock to crash into the windshield and smash it. We drove off the road and rolled in the ditch. Car's done for." He took out the antiseptic and grabbed a cloth, shoving at her hands until she hovered them over the sink. "We ran back here."
"Shit, Sango!" Miroku yelled. "Get over here!" He turned back to them, trying to get closer to inspect the cuts. "These don't look too bad. You said the windshield shattered?"
"Inuyasha covered most of me," Kagome answered. "And I threw my hands up to protect me."
Sango burst into the bathroom then, nudging her way through. "What the hell is going on?"
"The crow demon," Inuyasha repeated. Her hands were fine and he pushed up the bits and pieces of her sleeves to get at her arms. There were less cuts but far more scratches, likely from the crows trying to get at her. To be safe, he poured more antiseptic on the cloth and rubbed at her arm, trying to get all of the blood and dirt gone.
"You wash first, then add antiseptic," Sango corrected, smacking his shoulder. "And what happened to the crow demon?"
"He's dead." Inuyasha grabbed another cloth and got back to work, cleaning everything out. Kagome was surprisingly silent, sitting on the counter and barely moving as he did everything.
Sango frowned. "Dead? What happened?"
"Crows attacked, broke the windshield, rolled the car. The car's a hunk of dead metal and I killed the demon." Sango made to touch Kagome's shoulder and he growled, glaring at his best friend. He was working and didn't need her moving her clothes to spread the dirt around. The scent of blood was just starting to disappear and though antiseptic wasn't the best smell at least it was clean. Wasn't that obvious?
"Uh, maybe you can get her some clothes to borrow?" Miroku suggested. It was clear the question was directed towards Sango and the magenta-eyed girl paused for only a moment before disappearing. "Inuyasha, are you okay?"
"Me?" He spared a second to give Miroku an incredulous look. "Yeah. What's that look for?"
Miroku blinked at him. "Nothing." He said the word slowly, confused. "Did you manage to ask the crow demon what he was doing in Sakura?"
For a second, Inuyasha felt nothing but petulant anger. It flushed through him, quick and vicious. He took a deep breath, smelling past the sanitizer. "Couldn't," he said finally, shaking his head. "The thing had just dive-bombed the car and I just–" He didn't know how to finish that sentence.
What had he been thinking? Killing demons wasn't what they simply did. They protected the town of Sakura, which meant that they needed to force demons to talk, to find out their motives. Not all of them would and some demons couldn't physically communicate. But with the crow demon, he hadn't even tried.
Frowning, Inuyasha put the cloth down by the antiseptic.
"Can I?"
The question made him blink and the half-demon looked up slightly to meet Kagome's eyes. The whole time, it had been like he'd been finishing some chore, not even recognizing that what he was doing was for her. Kagome reached out and grabbed the cloth, turning as best as she could on the counter to look at her face in the mirror.
"I'm never going to be able to look at a crow the same way again." Kagome shuddered but it was hard to tell if it was horror or the sting of putting antiseptic on the gash in her cheek.
"Demons will do that to you," Miroku replied, giving her a small smile. "Here, there are Band-Aids in the kit. Did you want some water?"
"Take these!" Sango came back into the room and tossed a pair of leggings and an oversized pink sweatshirt onto the countertop. "Get out of the mess you're wearing now."
"Thanks," Kagome responded, grinning at her. "And I don't need any water, but thank you. I honestly should just get home. Mom will be worried soon and I lost my phone in the car when we rolled."
Inuyasha tried very hard not to think about what was coming next. He distanced himself as best as he could, leaving the room and letting the other three talk. A glass of water would do him well. He needed a moment away, a second to breathe without the overwhelming scent of her filling his nostrils. It was almost too much. Why the hell did she smell so good to him?
One glass of water turned into three. He stood alone in the kitchen, picking up the sound of the others talking in low tones and letting the lull of it comfort him. Mushin was in the living room, snoring away while some commercial played on the television. Despite all of the changes in the last two weeks, this was still home.
"Hey," Miroku called, entering the kitchen. "Are you going to take Mushin's car?"
He was already shaking his head before the question finished. "No, I'll run her home. She's not really fond of cars right now."
Miroku shook his head, face grim. "This isn't good, Inuyasha. The fact that the crow demon attacked you when it wasn't even completely dark tells us that something's going on. Something big."
"We'll figure it out," Inuyasha replied, nodding his head. "Did you make the call yet?"
His friend sighed and leaned against the counter. "No. Honestly, I've just been trying to calm Sango down. She wants to drive over to Valley Hills and confront Takeda in person."
"It'd be a blood bath."
"For him, yeah." Miroku sighed again and Inuyasha hadn't seen the guy so tired in his whole life. "We'll call while you're gone."
Inuyasha nodded, gesturing with his head at the sound of the girls making their way towards the kitchen. Sango was the first to poke her head in, Kagome following close behind.
"You sure you're okay?" Sango asked, eyeing the girl skeptically.
"I'll probably have nightmares but it won't be that different than usual," Kagome answered, laughing a bit. The dark circles under her eyes proved it was hardly a joke but the half-demon knew better than to say anything.
He just wanted to get this over with. "Let's go."
Kagome trailed behind him and waved to Miroku and Sango as they headed towards the garage. He took off his shoes and the baseball cap, glaring at the blue monstrosity as it dropped to the counter. This time when he crouched down, Kagome didn't hesitate to hold onto him. The scent of her was just as overpowering – more so, with the blood and grim gone – but Sango's familiar smell was all over the clothes she wore. It put him slightly at ease and as he took off, he set them for the most direct path through the woods.
There was no agreement, but neither of them spoke as he ran. The slowly waning moon was providing the barest amount of light through the clouds and trees, the rustle of leaves and snapping of twigs the only sound. Even her breathing as even, as calm as if they were relaxing. Her grip was still tight with her arms and legs but she didn't scream or worry. There wasn't the smell of fear at all.
Inuyasha didn't get her. He didn't understand the girl he carried, how anxiety seemed to blanket around her but at the oddest times was simply gone. When they had been attacked earlier, she had panicked but hadn't overreacted. And they fought, sure. But Inuyasha fought with everyone.
Her scent though, that was different. It was potent. It was lulling, in a sort of false sense of security. Inuyasha could press his face into her neck and immerse himself in it, and he'd feel better. There was no reason for knowing that, but he did.
It would never happen though.
As the treeline broke ahead, the half-demon slowed. His footfalls were still as light as ever but they slowed to a walk. Inuyasha waited until they breached the forest before stopping, his arms loosening his hold so that she could slip down his body. For a moment, the black-haired girl stood beside him, staring at her house.
"My backpack," she whispered quietly, as if worried too much noise would upset some kind of balance. "It has all my school work in it."
"In the car?" he asked.
She nodded and Inuyasha held back a sigh. He knew where he'd be that night.
"Thank you," she said suddenly, turning to face him. Her eyes were almost black from the lack of light, features barely illuminated. "Thanks for saving me and for bringing me home. Again."
Crossing his arms, Inuyasha shrugged. "Don't mention it."
Kagome opened her mouth and the half-demon could tell she was going to press, to make the situation more than it was. Inuyasha levelled her with a glare, hoping it wasn't as desperate-looking as it felt. Regardless, the girl froze for a second and then pressed her lips together, a tiny smile showing. "Yeah, okay."
She watched him for a moment longer, that tiny smile still in place, and then Kagome walked away. Inuyasha waited along the forest's edge, listening for the sounds of disturbance in the wind and in the trees. There was nothing there but he kept still all the same.
He didn't turn around until he heard her back door shut and lock. Inuyasha took off at a run, faster and faster and faster until his lungs burned. He was late getting back, Miroku and Sango having long fallen asleep, but it was worth it.
Inuyasha didn't smell the scent of her on him anymore.
Mushin levelled Inuyasha with a disapproving look the second the half-demon walked into the kitchen. It was that kind of morning.
"Crow demons, huh?"
Inuyasha didn't correct the old man that it was, in fact, just one demon with a bunch of normal crows. Instead, he fumbled through the fridge for the eggs and got started on breakfast. The disappointed look didn't taper off, even as Mushin sipped on his tea. "They took me by surprise."
The old man hummed, considering. "How strange that they attacked you unprovoked."
It was strange. While running last night, it was the only thing that circled over and over in his mind. Why the hell would the three-eyed crow demon attack them like that? What was the advantage? If it wanted to kill someone, there was a far better chance of picking them off while doing rounds in the forest. Generally at least one of them was alone, or at least without him. Sango and Miroku were great demon slayers but they weren't of demonic heritage.
So if it wasn't convenience, then what was its motivator?
"I assume you'll need my car," Mushin said into the silence. "It's old so be gentle with it."
"Be gentle with what?" Sango asked on a yawn, stepping into the kitchen. Her hair was still wet from the shower and in a sloppy bun, rivulets of water falling down her temples. Miroku was close behind, stepping into her space before blinkingly sleepily.
"His car," Inuyasha explained. It would be poor taste to roll his eyes, considering the old man was giving them the car without issue. "Do you think you could talk to one of the other families and see if they have a car we can buy off them?" They couldn't exactly go to a dealership, not with Inuyasha being the primary driver and Mushin being old enough that driving was almost a bad idea.
Miroku nodded and waved dismissively. He blinked as Sango sat down beside him at the table and only really focused when Inuyasha dropped their scrambled eggs in front of them. "What time did you get back?" he asked.
"Late. I did another run of the forest." No need to explain why. The attack on the car was reason enough. He nodded in the direction of the front door, remembering something. "I grabbed Kagome's backpack and managed to find her phone. It's a bit cracked. You'll need to get it to her." That was another thing he didn't need to dive into, didn't need to explain.
Luckily, Sango was clearly in her own headspace and it was evident soon enough. After a few bites, she banged her fork on the table. "We got a hold of Takeda last night."
"And?" Inuyasha pressed.
She shook her head. "He swears on his father's life that they watched the demon dissipate after we left."
Miroku snorted. "I highly doubt that the two of them stood there the whole time. That bear demon was huge."
"But they swear they don't have anything," Sango repeated, shaking her head. "If they don't have any part of the demon left or held by magic, then maybe I'm wrong." The second the words were out, it was like she deflated, magenta eyes glaring at her eggs. Inuyasha knew her, far too well. When her parents and brother died, she didn't sleep for a solid sixty hours. It hadn't been until Inuyasha and Miroku practically forced her into bed, both of them holding her down with steel-trap like hugs that the girl actually passed out. She had been too focused on finding the demon, on planning the funeral, on reaching out to every demon slayer in the area for insight. She hadn't slept or eaten or done anything remotely healthy.
Not that he blamed her.
The look she was giving was a strict reminder of how far she had come, and how easy it would be to see her collapse again. Inuyasha smacked his fork into hers, waiting until she looked at him before speaking. "I still think you're right."
Miroku nodded. "Takeda isn't exactly the best at doing what's right. I highly doubt he and his father stayed the whole time. Just because they don't have some piece of the bear demon lying around, doesn't mean someone else doesn't."
Groaning, Sango buried her head in her hands. "That's even worse!"
"Still an easy fix if we can force his demonic spirit into rest." Miroku sighed before shovelling another forkful of eggs into his mouth. "Mushin should know something strong enough."
Said old man didn't even look up from the newspaper he was reading. He simply hummed again and took another sip of his tea.
"I'm talk to Kagome then at school," Sango said. "See if she can come over tonight so we go over a plan."
Inuyasha wasn't an idiot and this complete change of heart from Sango surprised him. He frowned at her but she simply ignored him, eyes on her food. Miroku wasn't any help either, focused too much on eating what was left of his plate. Maybe he missed something? They were pretty friendly yesterday, riding together for the rounds. "Why are you Team Kagome all of a sudden?" he asked, wary.
Shrugging and still refusing to look up, Sango offered only, "She wants to protect her family."
Well then. Inuyasha watched in silence, finishing up his breakfast. Kagome must have said something to Sango that got to her, that struck a chord on the whole family thing. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Sango was on a massive, undeserved guilt trip over the death of her family. The one time she asked to stay home and finish up homework projects, and her family was murdered in the woods. It had been such a simple job, no one even thought twice about it.
But now, all Sango did was think twice about it. Three times. Four. Five. More.
"You seem to get along with her well enough," Miroku stated, completely out of the blue.
Inuyasha stared at him incredulously. Where the hell had that come from? "You mean I haven't killed her yet?"
A huge grin – far too big for the conversation – split across the young man's face. His blue eyes were delighted. It was an unfairly good look, which made it even more terrible. Inuyasha hated him. "Sure, buddy," he said, standing up and grabbing his plate to wash, "that's what I mean."
The old car smelled like tobacco and stale air freshener. It was basically embedded into every surface of the vehicle, age and reuse never letting the scent memory go. It was strong enough that Inuyasha wondered if he'd ever get the smell out of his nose.
And then Kagome got into the car.
He was almost angry at how little he was prepared for it. Every time he was near her, the scent that wafted off of her curled around him like a blanket. No one had ever smelled so strongly to him before, so good.
It was almost worse once they got home. The moment they stepped inside, Inuyasha went into the basement for the weapons again while everyone changed. He could hear the three of them already heading towards the garage as he climbed the stairs but the foyer still…carried it. Her scent. Inuyasha knew it would disappear within an hour or so, but the realization unnerved him.
The half-demon tried to ignore them completely when they arrived to the training area. He took off at a run, leaving them to decide for themselves what to do. His circuit of the forest earlier had been quiet, calm. After the events of last night, Inuyasha was surprised to find that he didn't welcome it. He needed action. He needed something to happen. Tonight they were going to come up with a game plan for the bear demon but it wasn't…enough.
Inuyasha remembered the feeling of ripping apart flesh, of hot crimson sliding down his hands and arms. There had been so much energy, so much of a drive to rely on instinct over reason.
Skidding to a stop, Inuyasha stared straight ahead at the cave deep in the forest. Surrounded as it was by streams and rocks and trees, the half-demon found himself going there more often than not. There was nothing calming about it but when his mind was racing, it was as good a place as any to go. And right then, in that moment, Inuyasha knew his demonic side was trying to wedge its way in. That feeling of life by causing death? That feeling of freedom and release? It was demonic. It was evil.
Ever since the night of Mistress Centipede, Inuyasha hadn't been able to ignore what was always lingering under the surface. The want. The need. The cravings for more.
For power.
"Inuyasha!"
It was Sango's voice, though faint from the distance. No human would have heard it, but his ears picked it up without issue. With one last long look at the cave, the half-demon spun around and ran in the direction of the training area. She didn't sound panicked so there wasn't an attack. The sun wasn't even close to setting yet. Were they stopping already?
He broke into the clearing just in time to see Miroku burst out into laughter, pointing at Sango as if she had done the funniest thing in the world. Kagome was grinning, bow comfortable in her hand. Several feet away, targets were littered with arrows, nearly all of them dead centre.
The girl could shoot. Inuyasha had to give her that.
"There you are," Sango announced, making the other two turn. "Nice of you to join us."
"Wasn't aware I was needed." Crossing his arms, Inuyasha took in the situation. Their faces gave nothing away, the light-heartedness of whatever they were talking about before still resonating. It lulled him into a false sense of security. "What's up?"
"Hand-to-hand combat training," Sango stated cheerfully. She raised a brow at him. "You up for it?"
Snorting, the half-demon barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. "I think the better question is if you are." Out of the two of them, Sango was the only person relatively close to knocking him down. Miroku got lucky on occasion but for the most part, his demonic heritage was too much of a favour to him.
"Oh, not me."
Inuyasha blinked, realizing only then that he had been so, so stupid.
Miroku nodded, agreeing to something that hadn't even been spoken out loud. "Sango and I know the drill but we're not the best fighters. Kagome needs training and if anyone is going to be able to teach her, it'll be you."
No.
No.
Kagome frowned. "Hey!" she yelled, clearly displeased. "It's not that bad."
His facial expression must have said it all. Behind Kagome, Sango was poorly containing her smile and Miroku simply looked disappointed. He always did when Inuyasha was failing at some social concept. By now, that look didn't even faze him.
"Don't be a dick," Kagome added, cocking her hip and glaring.
"I'm not being anything," he argued. He couldn't help himself. Something about her made him want to fight.
Kagome scoffed and turned around, showing him her back and looking at their friends. "Are you sure about this? You said it would be fine but he looks like he'd rather die."
"Inuyasha just hates hand-to-hand combat practice anyways," Sango assured her, which was a lie. A big, fat, blatant lie. "He always complains about it."
Asshole. He mouthed to words at her the second those magenta eyes glanced at him.
Sango just smiled.
"Whatever," Inuyasha bit out. He headed towards one of the fenced in areas, leaping over without a backwards glance. "Get over here."
"Get over here," Kagome mimicked, voice strangled. What a stupid, freaking girl with–
With– With–
Her big dark eyes glaring at him flashed in his mind. Inuyasha shut that thought down immediately, pushed it even further away the closer her warm scent got to him.
She was a stupid, freaking girl with nothing. Nothing at all.
He waited impatiently as Kagome struggled to get inside, the gate mainly stuck from disuse. All of them just lunged or jumped over it. She'd have to learn eventually. Her brown eyes narrowed at him when she seemed to figure it out, hands grasping at old wood to start to climb.
"Couldn't you have just told me?" she asked, hauling herself over and nearly falling on the other side.
Inuyasha sighed and ignored that comment. "Have you ever fought anyone before?" The look she levelled at him was filled with daggers. Frankly, the half-demon didn't think he deserved it. "Self-defence? Anything remotely useful?"
"No," Kagome answered, crossing her arms. Unlike earlier, there was nothing defiant or headstrong about her answer. If anything, she seemed to shrink. It was strange to witness and confusing as all hell. "I don't like confrontation."
"That's going to be hard when fighting a demon. They don't exactly reason with you."
"Demons are different," Kagome said, shaking her head.
Snorting, Inuyasha approached her slowly, watching the way she tracked him with her eyes. That, at least, was good. "You've met one demon."
"Two," she replied. "You're one."
"I'm half."
Some kind of bizarre look crossed her face, one he hadn't seen and couldn't figure out. "Fine, so what are you going to teach me first?"
The answer was pretty obvious. "How to survive. How well do you shoot with a gun?"
Wincing, Kagome seesawed her hand. "Not amazing? I'm still working on it with Sango."
"Did you at least hit the damn target?"
"Mostly."
Great. Mostly.
Kagome hugged her arms tighter to herself, as if giving some sort of physical pep talk. "I prefer to shoot with a bow. I'm good at that."
That would be much less ideal. Bows were so much slower and even though Sango's family had purchased good quality, strong bows they still wouldn't be great in a fight. Inuyasha stared at her, watching the way she was looking just over his shoulder. This was going to be awful. "Whatever," he muttered, jumping high into the air before she could say anything. He landed by one of the wooden half-walls in the clearing, where the bow and a quiver of arrows sat from earlier. Inuyasha grabbed them and returned, thrusting them into her hands. "This is going to be the hardest thing you've ever done," the half-demon said finally, knowing his voice sounded blunt and sharp.
Kagome set up the quiver and gripped the bow, her movements sure and smooth. Even that wasn't going to help her.
"With any luck," Inuyasha murmured, his golden gaze meeting her dark brown one, "you don't die instantly."
"I don't want to die at all," Kagome pointed out, reaching back for an arrow.
Inuyasha snorted and took a few steps away. "Want has nothing to do with it."
Kagome wasn't talking to him.
He should have expected it but it still pissed him off. Infuriated him for reasons that were beyond him. Because even Sango and Miroku at their very worst – combined – didn't put him off as much as she did. It was everything about her.
Training had consisted of her drawing and re-drawing over and over again until she could fire an arrow before he killed her. No such luck. It had also consisted of him teaching her how to fall properly, which meant he pushed her down all the time, threw her off-balance just to see how she could react. Poorly, was the correct answer.
All-in-all, it hadn't been what he was teaching her that made her mad. In fact, Kagome had been intensely quiet throughout. She didn't yell or fight him or argue at all. There was no defiance, just careful listening. It was almost enjoyable.
Until he tried to show her how to stab him with an arrow while starting to roll backwards.
"So," Sango said, breaking the silence in the kitchen. All of them were eating dinner quietly, having gone inside when the sun had started to set. "We need to come up with a plan for the bear demon."
Kagome frowned. "Don't you mean its ghost or whatever?"
"Not ghost," Miroku corrected. "The bear demon's spirit. We need to put it to rest so that it stops this madness."
"I still don't really get it," Kagome sighed. "Do some demons not die at all?"
Inuyasha rolled his eyes and Sango shot him an amused glance before answering. "Three years ago, my family and I travelled a few towns over to help a friend with a demon problem. That demon was a bear demon, who had been killing locals who were running along the trails in its forest. The demon was massive so all of us worked together to take it down."
"Doesn't that mean you were twelve?"
"Thirteen." Sango shrugged. "Demon slaying was something my family always did. We learned at a young age. At the time, my brother had been too young to come but he was still really good with a weapon. Supervised, obviously."
Miroku chuckled and Kagome looked between the two of them like they were crazy. Inuyasha figured that from an outsider's perspective, it was. Both Sango and Kohaku had been doing little missions here and there since they were eleven.
"We killed the bear demon," Sango continued, "but with him being so large, it took a long time for his body to decompose. My family wanted to head home and the friend we fought alongside, with his son, promised to watch over and ensure the bear demon was completely gone."
"But they didn't," Kagome finished. She narrowed her eyes at Inuyasha, making the half-demon raise his eyebrows. He hadn't even said anything and he was getting looks. What was her deal? "You told me that someone could use a kind of spell to keep part of the demon whole, right? Like a trophy?"
It was almost impossible to miss the incredulous look Miroku shot him. He and Kagome had talked about that while alone in his old bedroom. The fact he said anything at all probably surprised his friend. If the half-demon was being honest with himself, he too was surprised by his own decisions. The girl just drove him crazy. The silence dragged on long enough to become awkward.
Sango hummed thoughtfully, drawing the attention back to her. "Basically. If someone had taken part of the bear demon's pelt, or a claw, or anything from him and kept it from decomposing with a spell, then the demon isn't completely dead. A part of it still lives."
"Hence the spirit not at rest," Miroku added, nodding. "Sango's family had been responsible for its death three years ago. It seems like it came back to exact revenge."
Inuyasha pushed the food on his plate around with his fork, trying not to stare at Kagome too obviously. The way she reacted to everything – all the knowledge, all the horrors – was never like he expected her to handle it. This situation wasn't any different. At first, her face was nothing but curious, attentive. Not unlike when they had been training earlier. Now, her expression was confused.
"But why now?"
The question was a bit shocking and Inuyasha frowned for even thinking it. How had that not been a question on his mind before?
But he knew why. Inuyasha wasn't an idiot and even if he didn't share his thoughts honestly with others, he tried at the very least to be honest with himself. The reason he hadn't asked that question was because he'd been too distracted by Kagome. By explaining things to her, by telling her that he couldn't protect her, by her scent, by her arguments with him in the car and her arguments with him at the side of the road. The way her blood made the smell of her wrong, especially when layered with grime and pieces of dead crow. The way her arms circled around his neck and her thighs held on tightly as he ran her back home through the forest.
Kagome shrugged, the movement jerky enough to snap him out of his thoughts. "If the demon was mad, don't you think he would have gotten revenge a little sooner than three years later?"
"It's a good point," Miroku said, eyeing Sango. "But we're not going to know the answer to that. Not until we find it."
"We need to lure it to us," Sango stated. "We haven't been able to track it because it's a spirit and not an actual demon. There's no way for us to find it unless it wants to be found. So we'll draw it out."
"How?"
Sango gave a small smile. "I use myself as bait. I am the one, after all, that killed it the first time around."
Inuyasha didn't like it, but they had created a plan that would hopefully work to lure out the spirit of the bear demon. It was a plan built on Sango risking her life time and time again, with only the hope that Inuyasha would be fast enough to protect her and Miroku would put an end to everything quickly. The plan got even worse when Kagome insisted that she be a part of it on the nights that she could be. She had promised to not get in the middle and to stay on the outskirts, providing at most some support from afar with her bow.
Inuyasha despised this plan.
"Kagome aside," he pointed out, trying not to growl her name, "you shouldn't be traipsing into the woods alone. It's obviously still incredibly powerful and I'm not letting you risk your life!"
"Tough," Sango replied, glaring at him. "This is my call to make and my decision. I can handle myself."
"I know you can," Inuyasha growled, "but so could–" He stopped himself immediately, practically biting his tongue to hold the words back. Because if her parents and Kohaku hadn't been able to stop the spirit of the bear demon, then Sango alone wouldn't stand a chance. "Miroku! Why aren't you fighting this?"
Miroku sighed and looked down at the table. "We already fought about it last night. You're not going to sway her."
"For fuck's sake," Inuyasha cursed, standing up and crossing his arms. He couldn't sit still and do nothing. He couldn't listen while Sango planned her own death just because she thought it was poetic. Avenging her family was one thing but killing herself in the process wasn't going to make anything better.
And Inuyasha couldn't keep a distance from her, knowing that if he didn't hear her warning and come fast enough, she'd be dead.
"And least take Miroku with you," he spat finally. "One human isn't going to stop the demon from taking its revenge on you. It's me that's the problem so take Miroku."
"I'm not putting–"
"Done," Miroku interjected, nodding like it was final.
"No!" Sango yelled, nearly going shrill at the suggestion. "No, that's not the plan. I won't let you!"
"What are you going to do, knock me out?" Miroku gave Sango a look that Inuyasha couldn't read, but knew that the magenta-eyed girl surely could. "Try and think clearly about this. Having me beside you won't lessen the chance of the bear attacking and it may increase the chance of keeping you in one piece. It's a good idea, Sango."
"And what?" Sango asked, voice nearly trembling. She threw her arms to the side, as if the question alone spoke volumes. "What if you die protecting me? What will Inuyasha and I do? Huh?" Jerkily she stood up, her seat skidding backwards with the speed of it. She shook her head and left the kitchen, her bedroom door slamming only a moment later.
Miroku took a deep breath, looking at Inuyasha on the exhale. He looked as tired as the half-demon felt. "That went well."
Snorting, Inuyasha shook his head. "Trying to kill herself to avenge her family isn't going to cut it with me."
"You need to tell her that."
"Not a good idea." Shaking his head, Inuyasha grabbed the forgotten dinner plates on the table and started to move them towards the sink.
Miroku sighed and nodded. He knew as well what an argument between Inuyasha and Sango could entail. The last time one happened, Inuyasha had to sleep on a nest of pillows in a very drafty room, considering his entire bed had flown through the wall of the house into the backyard. "I'll talk to her."
"Don't let her big eyes get you," Inuyasha muttered. "I can't believe you listened to this plan last night and didn't veto it immediately."
"What do you want me to do?" Miroku asked, desperation clear in his voice. "I either go along with her plans to keep her close, enough to hopefully change her mind later or I fight her on it and she doesn't talk to me for a whole goddamn week!"
There was a loud, shuddering inhale. Inuyasha's gaze snapped away from his best friend, only to land on Kagome still sitting at the table, her body curling in on itself. He could hear her heartrate skyrocketing, could smell the anxiety and fear settling into the room like a suffocating blanket. In a second he was by her chair, pushing it away from the table to give her more space. She was so pale, her dark brown eyes glassy and distant.
"Miroku!" he shouted, unsure of what to do.
His best friend was behind him immediately, eyes wide. He gently put his hands on her shoulders, gripping her hard enough that she should have noticed. "Kagome, you need to take deep breaths. Nice and big, listen to my breathing. You're having a panic attack, okay? Just breathe with me."
Kagome looked up at him then, looking shakier than he'd ever seen. Miroku started to take deep breaths, slow and steady, and Inuyasha found himself matching the pace. It took only a few minutes but it felt so much longer. Eventually, Kagome was breathing with them, body relaxing bit by bit into the chair.
"Do you want to sit in the living room?" Miroku suggested, taking his hands off of her.
Kagome nodded, coughing a little while standing up. Inuyasha got out of his crouch and backed away enough to let her pass by. Her could hear the steady beat of her heart, still faster than normal but much better than before. She was calming down, coming back from wherever she had went.
Shit, how had he missed it?
Inuyasha grabbed a glass and filled it with water before going into the living room. Kagome was on the big couch with Miroku in the loveseat to the side, giving her lots of space. She was smiling at him though, just a tiny one and Inuyasha could feel himself relaxing as her scent edged away from the panic that was lingering before. "Here," he said, putting the water down in front of her.
Kagome looked up at him in surprise. "Oh, thank you."
When she took her first sip, Inuyasha let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He glanced over at Miroku, who was watching him already.
"I should probably head home," Kagome said softly. "Sorry about that."
Miroku turned his expression onto her, face incredulous. "I'm pretty sure we should be sorry. We don't normally fight but things have been hard around here lately."
Kagome shook her head. "No, I totally understand. I don't– I don't think the fighting caused it. Sometimes it's hard to say. Usually I'm more aware of them coming and can calm myself down a bit, enough to not full-on panic. This one was pretty sudden."
"Still," Miroku pressed, "we shouldn't have fought like that."
With a small smile on her lips, Kagome shrugged. "It's fine. I should be going home anyways though. My mom will get worried if I'm much later."
Inuyasha listened to her heartbeat, unable to stop himself. Now that he'd noticed it, it was going to be difficult to let it go until she was out of earshot. "Did you want me to drive or run you home?"
"What's faster?" Kagome asked.
"Running."
Kagome nodded and put down the water, only half-finished. "I'll grab my stuff. Say bye to Sango for me, okay?" she asked, looking at Miroku.
They headed towards the garage when she was ready, both silent. That wasn't unusual for Inuyasha but for Kagome, he was almost worried. Maybe the attack took a lot out of her and the quiet was a common reaction. Maybe the whole world of demons and slaying was too much.
He wanted to ask her which it was. Inuyasha could feel himself wanting to utter the question, wanted to watch her expression and listen to her heartbeat as she answered.
Inuyasha didn't say a word.
Her scent was just as powerful as it was the last time he had carried her home, running through the trees and dirt. He hadn't forgotten it, not for a moment, not as he held her tight and let the wind push everything else away.
When they approached the tree line, he skidded to a stop. Kagome hesitated for only a moment before climbing down, her hands trailing a path down his back as she steadied herself. He spared her a glance, taking note of her slumped shoulders and soft expression. She looked tired, resigned. The fire and irritation she had thrown at him at the end of their training was long gone, replaced with something far worse.
Inuyasha expected her to say something. She usually did. Instead, Kagome wrapped her hands around the straps of her backpack and took a step away.
"Thanks for bringing me home," she murmured quietly. "Have a good night."
He wanted to ask, ask about what had made her so mad at him, about why she'd started to panic, if she even knew why. Did it happen often? Was it new? Was it too much?
But he kept quiet, like he always did. When Kagome was gone from sight and the soft click of her door lock could be heard, the half-demon backed away.
One step. Another.
He frowned and spun on his heel, running as fast as his feet would take him.
There were good days and there were bad days. Today was a bad one.
Sango had been freaking out earlier, stressed over a test coming up and all of her other homework. It hadn't helped that their jaunt in the woods – Sango pressing herself against everything to bear her scent – brought forth nothing. It had been three days of circling the same area of the forest, just around the border between Sakura and Wells. The bear demon hadn't made an appearance.
It was stressing her out and by extension, him as well.
Sango was holed up in her bedroom, ignoring everything. Miroku was sitting in the living room, doing a piss-poor job of watching television because every few minutes he'd get up and pass Sango's room, pretending to go to his own or to the bathroom. He was about as subtle as a freight train.
The kitchen was the only escape. Inuyasha heard Mushin in there, shuffling around while the aroma of onion and meat filled the room. The old man was cooking dinner, chopping up some vegetables on the counter. He briefly looked up when the half-demon walked in, dark eyes following his steps before returning to the task at hand.
"Smells good," Inuyasha commented.
"Don't say that yet," Mushin said ruefully. "It's been a long time since I've had to cook for anyone other than myself. Here – chop these, will you?"
Inuyasha did as he was told, slowly and methodically cutting up the vegetables one by one. He hadn't ever really done much in the kitchen, besides recently taking over the role of making breakfast. The kitchen was silent save for the sizzling on the stove, and then Miroku's footsteps padded by. He was going back towards the bedrooms again.
"That boy is going to wear a trench into the hardwood," Mushin muttered, shaking his head.
Shrugging, the half-demon tried to play it off. "He's worried. Sango's been through a lot and Miroku's always been there for her." Especially recently, even though they'd been fighting more than ever before. It wasn't Sango's fault, and it wasn't Miroku's. It was circumstance, pure and simple.
"Love does that."
Inuyasha raised a brow, pausing in his work to study the old man. "Really?"
"What? Are you as blind as a bat?" Mushin snorted, amused with himself. "He's loved her since he was a kid. Even I know that."
And Inuyasha was well aware, of course he was. He'd been living with the two of them for ten years. But neither of them had acknowledged anything and Inuyasha wasn't fond of heart-to-heart conversations.
"I wasn't around much," Mushin said, out of the blue and eyes still focused on his hands as they prepared the food. "After Miroku's father died, I promised to take care of him. But I wasn't a good for it, or at it. Not good enough for a four year-old, anyways. At that point in my life, every time I closed my eyes there were demons circling." The old man turned away to head towards the stove, mixing the new ingredients in.
"But you knew Asato," Inuyasha said, nodding along. "You wanted him to take Miroku in so he could be with someone else his age."
Mushin chuckled, his whole body shaking with it. "That's how Asato sold everyone, but it's hardly the truth. He practically took Miroku from me," he corrected. "I wasn't fit for fatherhood or guardianship, not then. Asato was many things but a father above all. I visited when I wasn't travelling. Even though I couldn't take care of him, I still worried. His father meant a lot to me."
Miroku's father hadn't been a slayer but he had lived in a tiny town where strange circumstances couldn't be ignored. That's what Miroku said, anyways, when he told the tale. Miroku had never known his mother; she died when he was too young to even remember her. His father had never wanted to love again, but had found other women for comfort. Comfort, Miroku would snort, both an innuendo and a sort of deprecating irony. Because in the end, it had been what destroyed everything.
One night, the women he had been partying with weren't truly human and his father had been cursed. A wind tunnel, so to speak, was placed in his hand that slowly grew bigger and bigger with time. It eventually engulfed him, leaving Miroku an orphan at the tender age of four. The curse had died with his father but no one had ever been able to catch the demon who had created it.
"Are you cooking, Inuyasha?" Sango appeared in the doorway, taking in the scene before her. There were vegetables everywhere.
He gestured towards Mushin, who was still at the stove. "You know I'm shit at this."
"Honestly, anything is better than takeout for the billionth time this week." Sango smiled and sidled closer. "Can I help?"
"You can set the table," Mushin suggested, "and tell Miroku to get in here. His wandering is annoying me."
Quirking a brow, Sango barely held back a laugh and exited the room again. Inuyasha paused in his chopping only long enough to meet the old man's gaze. "Really? Making Sango go and get him? He'd come here eventually."
"It'll make him feel better that Sango's looking for him." Mushin came back to the counter and grinned boyishly. "Besides, pining is a bad look on him."
The world outside, in the deep dark forest in the middle of the night, was the only place Inuyasha truly felt at home.
Everyone was in bed, trying to get some rest. Saturday they were planning to do a full day of training and patrol, hoping to catch the spirit of the bear demon. Kagome was supposed to come along apparently, but Inuyasha didn't think on that too closely. Anything to do with that girl never led to anywhere good.
It was past midnight, at least. Maybe even later – or earlier, depending on how you looked at it. Inuyasha was running along the edges of the treeline, weaving between the trees and occasionally leaping into the air. The night was warm for once, a wind front bringing hotter weather to Sakura. He had already run along most of the north-west side and was rounding a loop at the southern-most part of the forest's edge.
Thinking about Kagome never led to anywhere good, but it was pretty hard to avoid when he slowed at a familiar trail, her house just seconds away. He came to a stop before he told himself not to. The house was completely dark, its backyard nothing more than black wisps from the breeze. Inuyasha considered all of the windows and wondered which one led to Kagome.
Which wasn't good, he realized, moments later. And he knew that because he repeated the same damn internal message over and over. But somehow, just like her scent, something about Kagome stuck. It was maddening. It was the only true word to describe it.
Inuyasha huffed and jumped, grabbing onto a nearby tree branch and swinging himself high into the air. He continued to run along the treeline and refused to look back, ears twitching forwards and eyes scouring the forest floor. It was probably because he was so focused that he noticed it, otherwise the half-demon was sure it never would have registered on his radar. There was a smell. It was– Weird. Musky almost, but not in a bad way. It reminded him of quick showers taken at one in the morning, coming back from a demon hunt and wanting nothing more than to be clean, even if it meant exhausting himself further.
But he was in the middle of the forest, not the hallway of their house or the steamed bathroom.
Frowning, Inuyasha followed the scent, footsteps slowing in the dirt as it got stronger. His golden eyes searched outside the treeline, gaze landing on a house that had a single light on in the lower level. He couldn't see much of it over the fence, but someone was definitely up. For a long moment, the half-demon debated what to do. The scent was weird but didn't necessarily mean he should check it out.
But anything strange in Sakura was likely trouble.
Inuyasha wandered towards the fence, jumping slightly to catch the very top of it. Pulling himself up, he peered over and listened as intently as he could. There was some sort of yelling going on though he couldn't hear the exact words. It sounded heated though, a man yelling and smashing things. From his position, he couldn't see anything through the back door's window.
And then there was a scream. A male scream, not female. Not in anger either.
Fear.
Inuyasha leapt over the fence, keeping as close to the shadows as he could. He needed to see what was going on inside, what the hell could be making the weird smell so strong.
Another scream. A cry. Inuyasha was close enough now that he could hear the words. Please, no, Saeko no! No! NO! Inuyasha couldn't see anything from the backdoor's window so he slid around the house, finding a wide open window. The smell was even stronger than before.
Instinctively, Inuyasha felt the growl build in his chest. There, in the middle of the living room, a woman floated, arms extended from her sides like she hung from a cross. In her one hand, a large carving knife dripped with blood. He couldn't see the man, not from the angle with the couch in the way, but he could hear mumbles. A litany of slurs, none of the words possible to make out.
The woman's eyes were half-lidded, like she was barely awake. She stared down dully at the ground, likely where her boyfriend or husband lay.
The sound of sirens could be heard in the distance and Inuyasha knew they were headed towards the house he was at. Someone must have called the cops from all the yelling. He couldn't stay; he couldn't be seen. Even now, if a neighbour was looking out the window the half-demon could be in a lot of trouble.
The litany of mumbling hadn't stopped though and Inuyasha couldn't turn away. He couldn't take his eyes off of the woman, suspended in mid-air. How was she floating? How was that even possible?
And then, with a jarring movement that shocked even the half-demon, the woman's body bent in half and she stabbed the knife down, down, down past where he couldn't see.
The musky scent grew even stronger, almost like a breeze blew by and wafted it towards him. The woman tumbled to the ground like strings had been cut.
The man on the ground wasn't mumbling any more.
Responses to Anon Reviewers (There are SO MANY!)
Wakai: Thanks darling! I'm so glad you've been enjoying this crazy ride.
Chicagown: Oh wow, thank you so much! That's makes me so happy :D Updating schedule? I laugh at schedules. But in all seriousness, this should be updated much faster than it has been. I've joined Camp Nanowrimo for April so I'm hoping to write 30,000 words of this in the next month. That's around 3 chapter's worth. Also, the next chapter is basically written.
Guest: Thank you :D :D
Hello: AW thank you darling! You're way too kind.
Mal: Oh my god, that would have terrified me. What timing! Sango is an interesting character. I'm afraid of doing her wrong, you know? Because she just lost her family so she's going to be off. I wanted to show in the last chapter how she could be, given the chance. I'm hoping to have her shine a bit more but things are only going to get worse for her before it gets better :( I AM TERRIBLE AND A MONSTER I KNOW. Inuyasha's story is coming too, so, you know. Prepare for that.
Wolfsmaid: I had to! It wouldn't be a story by me if there wasn't a cliffy. This was kind of a cliffy? Not as bad though. I really hope you liked the Inuyasha and Kagome interaction here :D
Guest: I KNOW I AM SORRY BUT I REGRET NOTHING.
Yokaixx: Thank you so much love! I hope this chapter was worth the wait (and I promise to update much faster!)
ThatGirl: OH NO. Darling, I'm so, so sorry. I wish I could message you separately. You are brave and wonderful and I absolutely adore you. My condolences, beautiful. She was lucky to have someone like you.
xoxo, Witchy