A New Wind
Chapter Seven
By the light of the fire, Kagome could see that the mud in Kirara's fur was almost completely gone. It had taken them some time to choose their camp that night, walking into the forest as Inuyasha sniffed at the air and his ears swiveled for any sounds of approaching enemies. Miroku had been using his power as well, searching for demonic auras as they walked among the trees. Hours later they had chosen a tiny grove to settle in. The earth was slightly damp and they could hear the tiny trickling of a river close by, but there was little animal life to bother them. The river might have attracted animals, but it seemed the dampness of the place steered them clear of the grove. A demon might not be much different, and so they chose to abide the damp ground for the extra sense of safety they all seemed to be craving.
Kirara had started to clean her fur as soon as Miroku started lighting a fire, but Sango had already collected a jug of water and sat down, picking up the cat-demon and settling her into her lap with a damp cloth running over the yellow fur. Kirara mewed, but the motions seemed to keep Sango busy, keep her mind on something other than demons and villagers, and Kirara had kept still ever since.
No one had spoken much. Kagome glanced around at the tiny party, the ramen in her cup half-eaten and growing cold in her hand. Inuyasha had finished his ramen quickly, as usual, but as she had made it he had been more focused on the surrounding forest than on the warming noodles near the fire. That alone would have been hint enough that he was on edge.
He sat still now, Tessaiga resting across his lap in its sheath. His eyes were always moving, always scanning the forest, his ears twitching, and Kagome found her nerves in flux. She was comforted that he was keeping such a close eye on their surroundings, in case the demon appeared, but the fact that he had to do such a thing made her nervous and on edge.
"Tomorrow we can continue traveling east," Miroku was saying, shifting into a more comfortable position against the tree trunk he had chosen for his watch position. "If we move fast enough, we might be able to leave that village far behind us."
Sango nodded, but Kagome remained motionless. Shippou sniffed where he rested against her knees and she put a hand to his back, offering him comfort.
"Miroku?" she ventured hesitantly a moment later.
Miroku's eyes snapped up to her, his expression tired. "Yes?"
"Is it the wisest thing to leave so suddenly? Like this?"
Sango's hand faltered where it was working the last of the mud out of Kirara's fur, and Miroku's eyes grew wider as he stared at her. Shippou went stiff under her hand, and Kagome didn't need to look at Inuyasha to know that his eyes were no longer scanning the trees, that his ears were trained solely on her.
"What do you mean, Kagome?" Sango asked after a moment.
Kagome sighed. "I mean, if this demon is attacking others now, don't we… need to do something?" She paused in the silence that met her ears. Then, quietly, she added, "They knew his name. This can't be the first time he's struck there, at that village."
The silence continued, and Kagome shifted nervously. Her heart was beating hard in her chest. She didn't like saying what she had. She didn't want to have to face that demon again. Motekuro, they had called him. But whenever she thought back to that weeping woman, to the look on the man's face as he carried the limp form of the girl into the hut, her heart constricted painfully.
"Fighting demons is what we do," she continued, but Miroku opened his mouth before she could get much of anything else out.
"I see your point," he began, and his eyes closed, a contemplative expression coming upon his face. "Maybe we should explore this a little more…" but his voice trailed away, and Kagome didn't miss the tension in the monk's jaw.
"Are you crazy, wench?"
Kagome spun around to face Inuyasha. He was glaring at her, real anger in his eyes this time.
"Inuyasha?"
"You're not going back to that village," he explained shortly.
An eyebrow shot up in surprise. "What-"
"I think Inuyasha's right, Kagome," Sango broke in. Her hand had resumed its motion, brushing over Kirara's now clean fur. "As much as we would like to help, I don't think going back right now would be the best choice."
"Why not?"
"Are you blind?" Inuyasha growled. Kagome turned on him, anger making her fists clench. But when she faced him, she was taken aback. He was still glaring at her, but his hand was fisted around Tessaiga, and there was a hint of fear in his eyes. "You're not going near those villagers."
Kagome stiffened. "I know they were a little hostile," she put forward. "But we can't do nothing."
"We won't," Miroku opened his eyes again, glancing between the hanyou and miko. "We started a mission, we need to finish it. These centipede demons are still what we need to look at. The rumors of their destruction are too powerful for them to be merely regular centipede demons. And we cannot forget that this Motekuro has reasons to follow us himself." He hesitated, shot a look at Inuyasha before continuing, as if he was gauging the hanyou's reaction. "As much as I hate to say it, our presence in that village might have been what provoked that attack in the first place."
Kagome's heart lurched. She hadn't thought of that. She hadn't wanted to think of that.
"Going back might cause more problems than it would solve," Miroku finished quietly. "We had best move on in the morning. We can see what happens then."
Silence, so familiar now, seemed to settle around the clearing. But it was full of tension, and Kagome couldn't help but shift restlessly.
She understood the need to move on, but she still didn't like leaving the village on its own. But if their staying in the village had caused that attack, then they would be right to just move on.
But that meant that Motekuro would be following them, if it meant their leaving would make the village safe. Kagome froze, her eyes glued on the ground, her hand tight around the cup of Ramen in her hand. Either way, whatever decision they all came to tonight, they lost.
If they chose to go back to the village and try to help them, despite the village's hostility towards the group, then it would put them right in the midst of Motekuro's hold. They would meet him again, undoubtedly, because that was what they would go there to do: meet him and destroy him. If they chose to move forward, leave the village on their own to recover, it would be because they expected Motekuro would follow them, leave the villagers to get on with their lives, start to heal their grief. It would mean that they expected Motekuro to follow them, chase them. Encounter them. And they would face him, try to destroy him either way.
No matter what, they were preparing to face the demon now. Kagome shivered, placing her ramen cup on the ground before wrapping her arms tight around her stomach. The memory of the demon still chased her into her dreams, and despite the few days of rest she still didn't feel entirely recuperated yet. Seeing what he had done to the village girl had renewed her memory of him, and both enraged and terrified Kagome, just as it made her want to fight the demon and yet stay as far from him as she could.
Kagome looked up from the ground, her eyes flickering over her companions. Shippou was silent by her knees still, his eyes trained on the fire in silent contemplation. Sango was still brushing Kirara's fur, her eyes following her hand's movement but not really seeing anything. Miroku's eyes were closed again, but Kagome knew he was on full alert and gathering his strength around him. Kagome's eyes fell last on Inuyasha and lingered there. He was back to scanning the forest, keeping a vigilant watch, but his hand was still fisted around Tessaiga, his knuckles white. He was tense, too tense.
"Inuyasha?" her voice was a whisper, only loud enough for Inuyasha's ears, and Shippou's since he was so close. She felt Shippou shift against her knee to look up at her, but she kept her gaze on Inuyasha as he turned to look at her, his gaze guarded.
"What?" he snapped.
Kagome stared at him. Something was wrong. He was as taught as a bow string, and he looked like he might break at any moment. She pointedly glanced down at his hand around Tessaiga, and he flinched, his hand loosening just a bit.
"How's your shoulder?" she asked instead of the more obvious question. He seemed taken aback by her chosen question. Unconsciously he seemed to shift his shoulders, then his eyes tore away from hers and he went back to scanning the forest.
"It's fine," he grumbled, and Kagome shook her head. She stood and went to her backpack, pulling out the medical kit just incase. Inuyasha glanced nervously up at her when she knelt by his side, and she couldn't help but notice his grip on Tessaiga tighten again. He protested when she started to tug at his haori, but once she threatened to sit him, he remained still and silent. She settled more comfortably beside him, tugging the bandages away from the wound. Her brow knitted in concern when she saw the still raw skin, but for the most part the wound was healed.
"It still isn't completely gone," she muttered, and Inuyasha's ears twitched at her whispered words. "Does it hurt at all?"
"Keh. Like it would."
Kagome sighed, shaking her head, but then focused on what she really wanted to ask him. She glanced at Shippou, who had stood up when she had and gone to rummage in her pack for more ninja food.
"What's wrong, Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha's ears twitched again, and she felt him stiffen once more.
"What are you talking about, wench?"
Kagome sighed, sat back on her heals as she continued to unwind the bandages from around his chest. She tried to ignore that her hands were shaking, that Inuyasha seemed to grip Tessaiga even tighter, and that for some reason she felt as if the mark on her neck was tingling.
"Something's bothering you," she continued. "What is it?" She paused. "Is it-"
She broke off. Inuyasha shifted and looked at her. "Kagome?"
She shook her head, dipping her head down so he couldn't see her eyes as she removed the last of the bandages.
"Why are you so tense?" she finally asked him, her voice still too quiet for anyone but Inuyasha to hear.
It took Inuyasha many moments to respond. And even then it was to shift away from her hand that had come to unconsciously rest on his just barely healed shoulder, and to say, "I'm not. I just want to be moving on is all."
Kagome risked a glance up at him. "Do you sense danger?"
He shook his head, keeping his eyes away from her. "Not exactly." Then, "Go to bed, Kagome." Kagome felt her heart clench painfully in her chest. His words were still a whisper, but they had dropped even lower, and for a moment she thought she saw his eyes lose the edge, go softer. But then he was glancing at her again and the reserved look was back. "We're moving out early tomorrow."
Kagome stared at him a moment, not sure why she still felt as if something was wrong, that he was hiding something from her. She glanced down at his hand that still held Tessaiga, and saw him visibly try to relax his grip again.
"Fine," was all she said as she stood, grabbed up the medical box and the used bandages. She tossed the bandages into the fire, watched the flames slowly consume the cloth that was flecked with Inuyasha's blood. She heard Shippou shift from beside her backpack, the crinkling of a potato chip bag as he stuffed it back into the pack. She sighed, turned from the fire and stuffed her medical box back in before she pulled out a small blanket and went to rest beside Sango. Shippou crawled into her lap a moment later, and Kagome leaned back against a tree, closing her eyes and hoping that demons wouldn't follow her into her dreams, her mind still seeing Inuyasha's hand gripping Tessaiga as if it was a last lifeline to hold onto.
It was near midnight when Inuyasha finally looked away from the trees and looked carefully at the sleeping girl with the kitsune in her lap. His blood had calmed down, and Tessaiga was beating a steady rhythm into his palm, setting a steady rhythm for his hanyou heart.
Foolish girl, he thought restlessly. He shifted where he sat, pulled Tessaiga upright to rest against his shoulder as he uncurled his hand from around its sheathed blade. He flexed his fingers, moving them out of their stiffness.
"Are you calmer now?"
Miroku's subdued voice had Inuyasha's guard snapping back up, his eyes darting to the monk's still form.
"I thought you were sleeping," Inuyasha snapped, keeping his voice low as well. He glanced at Sango and Kagome, both of who were sound asleep. Shippou and Kirara were dead to the world as well.
"You think I can sleep anymore than you can?"
Inuyasha grunted.
"What are we going to do?" Miroku asked into the night. He kept his tone level, unconcerned, but Inuyasha could pick up on slight waver in his heartbeat.
"What do you mean?" Inuyasha tested.
Miroku's eyes finally opened and settled on the hanyou. And Inuyasha knew things had gone way past complicated.
"Either way now, we are facing that demon again." He glanced away, his eyes passing over the girls as they slept peacefully. "And they know it."
Inuyasha shrugged, feeling the newly healed skin flex over the joint, remembering how Kagome's fingers had been warm and comforting on his shoulder earlier that night.
"We're strong," Inuyasha said, his voice showing his confidence even though he felt himself go just a little colder inside. "We'll defeat him."
Miroku sighed, and when he spoke next, a hint of anger showed itself in his tone. "That is very well for you to say, Inuyasha, but what happens next time we face Motekuro? Your mark upon Kagome will have faded by tomorrow by the looks of it, and when Motekuro comes she will be just as open to his attack as she was that first day."
"I said," Inuyasha growled, "we'll defeat him." He stared hard at the fire, trying to fight his growing anger. His hand was once again latched onto Tessaiga.
"It scares you, doesn't it?" Miroku's voice was calmer now, and Inuyasha knew the monk was looking at him with a question in his eyes.
"What do you think, monk?" He stole a glance at the other man. Miroku nodded.
"What were you and Kagome talking about earlier?" was the monk's next question, and Inuyasha shook his head, refusing to answer. "And why are you still gripping Tessaiga so tightly?"
Despite the question, Inuyasha knew the monk was just trying to make a point.
"You tell me, Miroku," he grumbled.
But Miroku just shook his head. "I didn't understand it until tonight," he continued, and shifted positions against the tree. "In the village, your reaction was a bit exaggerated, don't you think, when that man spit at Kagome?"
Inuyasha's growl echoed around the campsite.
"And there's really no reason for you to be so standoffish around Kagome." The monk's eyes flickered to Tessaiga. "Or for you to be gripping your sword so tightly." He paused for a long moment, his eyes locked on the hanyou.
"You want to mark her again, don't you." His quiet voice rang around the campfire like a tiny pistol had gone off. But when a log broke in the fire, the sound it made was louder than his voice had been.
Inuyasha had gone completely still, his eyes glued to the fire as if his stare was the only thing giving life to the flames.
"Inuyasha-"
"Keep your trap shut about things you don't know." Inuyasha's words were barely anything but a growl, and as Miroku looked more closely at the hanyou he noticed his body was visibly shaking.
Miroku sighed, feeling his own body tense up. "Inuyasha-"
"Shut up, Miroku."
Miroku kept quiet for a moment, but his heart was hammering in his chest, his jaw clenching until he saw Inuyasha calm down a bit and he could speak again. "Your mark protects her, Inuyasha, and you've been closely guarding her all day, since the villagers showed their hostility towards her. If we can find no other way to protect the girls," Miroku raised his voice when the hanyou opened his mouth to stop his words, "will you mark her again?"
"I won't keep on marking her, Miroku. In case you haven't noticed, I have other ways to protect her."
"They didn't work last time."
Miroku's words stopped both men from saying anything for a while, both occupied with their own thoughts. The crackling of the fire was all that sounded in the night, but for the occasional night bird and cricket. Shippou shifted in Kagome's lap, his foot kicking out in a dream as he shifted his body closer to her stomach before he settled down again.
"I've been thinking, Inuyasha," Miroku began again once the kitsune had been still for a while, "and those villagers back there, that mark on that girl… this Motekuro is different than anything we've ever encountered. We've known that, but even Sango thought his kind to be myth, and she's probably come across every demon there is. Or close to it. And we couldn't even sense this demon's presence in the village, or the girl's death until she was practically under our noses. Sango and Kagome are powerful, but they can't fight effectively against him. Protecting them is something we've never had to do, not like this." He raised his eyes to Inuyasha, who was staring intently at the monk. "Maybe we have to approach this differently."
"What are you implying, monk?" Inuyasha seemed half curious, half suspicious.
"I mean," Miroku sighed, "that whatever you are holding back, maybe you shouldn't."
Inuyasha's growl started again.
"What do you know of anything, Miroku? Do you seriously think I should mark Kagome again?"
"No," Miroku said, and Inuyasha nodded his agreement, his body relaxing. "I think you should mark her for good."
Inuyasha reared back, his teeth bared for a moment. "What?!"
Shippou twitched at Inuyasha's outburst, and both men glanced over at the restless kitsune.
"What the fuck are you talking about, Miroku? Have you finally contracted some disease from some-"
"It's simple, Inuyasha," Miroku sighed, cutting off the hanyou's accusation. "Whether or not you see it, even though it's right before your eyes, Kagome is-"
"I know she's in danger," Inuyasha cut him off, shifting restlessly. "I'm not an idiot."
Miroku glared at the hanyou. "She's in love with you, you idiot," Miroku ground out. Inuyasha froze again. His eyes had gone wide, but he refused to look at the monk. "You promised to protect her, Inuyasha. With your life." He paused, watched for some reaction from the hanyou. He got nothing. "If it came to it, marking her would not be the worst thing you could do."
It was many moments before Inuyasha spoke again. When he did, his eyes rose from the ground, his gaze calm and resigned as it met Miroku's curious stare. "Kagome has a gentle heart, Miroku. Why would she want to be mated to a monster?"
Miroku felt his heart stutter. "Monster? Inuyasha-"
"If I mated her, if I marked her like you are suggesting, I would be no better than… than that seeker demon. I won't." He looked away from Miroku, his thoughts turning in on himself. "I can't… Last time he came around," he explained slowly, "I lost control. I can't do that again. Not where Kagome is concerned, not where you and Sango and Shippou are concerned."
Miroku sighed, his anger flowing out of him. "Inuyasha, in case you haven't noticed, last time you didn't hurt Kagome. It was different than all the other times your demon side has come out."
Inuyasha glanced up, holding Miroku's stare. "Who's to say it will be the same next time?"
"Inuyasha-"
But Inuyasha was suddenly standing, his hand tucking Tessaiga back at his hip. The next moment he was leaping into the trees, settling down on a branch with his back to the trunk. He was too high up to talk to. Miroku was sure Inuyasha would be able to hear it if he spoke up into the canopy to him, but there was no way Miroku would catch the hanyou's voice if he spoke soft enough from the treetops so as not to wake the girls. Their conversation was effectively ended with the hanyou's simple shift in location.
Nonetheless, he whispered his last remaining thoughts into the night, knowing Inuyasha would hear, and needing to say them out loud. "If you think you're the only one fighting yourself, Inuyasha, you better think again. Sango's in danger too and I-" he paused. His eyes flickered to the demonslayer, his right hand fisting in his lap. "All of us are fighting our own battles where this Motekuro is concerned. When we face him next time, we have to be prepared for anything. And there will be a next time." He tilted his face up, watched Inuyasha's silhouette for a few moments as if seeking a response. But he knew he would get none. But Inuyasha had heard, and Miroku just hoped it was enough to put things in perspective for him.
Miroku hated mentioning his own fears to Inuyasha, especially when they concerned Sango. When it concerned Sango, it always struck deeper, it seemed. But Inuyasha had kept his secrets before, had pulled him back from death multiple times, and when it came down to it, Miroku knew that he could rely on Inuyasha for anything.
If only Inuyasha could rely on himself as well.
They would face Motekuro. It was inevitable, and as Miroku's eyes glanced over at Sango again, he found himself uttering a prayer of protection, of strength, of anything that would help them in the battle to come.
From his perch in the tree, Inuyasha breathed in deeply, letting the cold night air and the steady pulse of Tessaiga against his hip steady him again. Miroku was too wise for his own good. But where did he get off saying what he had? He didn't know the first thing about a demon's nature, about the marking. And he was telling him that he should just mark Kagome?
She's in love with you, you idiot. Inuyasha scoffed. Kagome? With him? That monk was too amorous for his own good. Inuyasha's gaze shifted, found Kagome's sleeping form. There was no way she could love him, not enough to be his mate. Sure, she might now, but once she saw his demon nature, would she be willing to put herself through that? Through seeing him like that when he-?
Inuyasha cut off his thoughts, his hand going to Tessaiga's hilt. No. She wouldn't. Because he wouldn't give her the chance. He would protect her, he always would. But he would never let her see him like that, in his demon form when he couldn't control it. She had never left his side, and he knew she never would. She had seen him in his demon form before. Attacking an enemy, even turning his claws on her. But marking her as his mate would be so completely different. He wouldn't put her through that, let her see him like that. No, because then he'd be no better than Motekuro or any other demon. And he was stronger than that. He had to be, even if his chest ached just a bit more when he tore his gaze away from the sleeping girl, shut his eyes tight against the need to mark her and make sure she was always, permanently protected from the Motekuro's of the world. But not marking her himself, he told himself as he arranged himself on the branch more comfortably, was doing just that.
The morning seemed to come later than usual. There were few birds near the clearing, and so with the near silent morning and the clouds hiding the sun's rising, it was later than they had wanted to head out when the group found themselves starting off into the east again.
Shippou was perched on Miroku's shoulder, asking him why he looked so tired. Miroku sighed, saying something about the morning light making it look like he was more tired than he really was. Sango shot the monk a glance, and Miroku ignored it, pretending to pay attention as Shippou shrugged and started to chatter quietly about villages they might come to on their way to the centipedes in the east.
"I don't think we should stop at any more villages," Sango said after Shippou mentioned something about hot dumplings. "If we don't want to get any more innocent humans involved with Motekuro, then we should stay clear of any more villages."
"You are correct, Sango," Miroku said, but there was a frown on his face and his eyes seemed troubled. "We had best keep to the woods."
Sango watched the monk closely at his words. He seemed put out about something, and she wasn't sure she should ask what it was.
Kagome surveyed all of them from her position behind them. She took up the rear of the party again. Inuyasha was even more tense this morning than last night, and every time she managed to walk closer to him his eyes seemed to flicker to her more than was natural. More than what's healthy, she thought, her bad mood putting her on edge. Too much had changed in such a short amount of time. Miroku and Sango were dancing around each other again, Shippou seemed to be chattering out of a need for sound alone, and Inuyasha kept on distancing himself. And Kagome felt as if everyone had absorbed some of the villagers' paranoia.
Her eyes flickered to Inuyasha at the head of the group. She had slowly stepped back from him, given him his room, and had found herself at the back of the group again. She didn't mind, really, but his words and his actions where wearing her down. His mark had faded in the night, and so she was sure he would stop acting so fidgety around her. But in fact, he seemed more fidgety. I wouldn't have marked you if I didn't need to. Kagome sighed, shook her head, and trudged along. No matter, she thought. At least she was here, and she trusted Inuyasha to protect her. That would have to be enough.
"Hey, Kagome!"
Kagome looked up at Shippou's voice. He was watching her, his gaze flickering from her to Inuyasha. "Could you bring me more crayons next time you go to through the well?"
Kagome chuckled, felt her spirits lift just a little bit. Leave it to Shippou to think of something as simple as crayons when they had a demon like Motekuro after them. "Sure, Shippou. I'll bring you back two boxes, how does that sound?"
The kitsune perked up at that, and Miroku had to raise a hand and steady the kitsune as he nearly bounced on the monk's shoulder. Kagome glanced at Inuyasha. He was glaring at the fox-demon. I don't know when I'll go back through the well, Kagome thought, and a tiny feeling of surprise passed through her when she realized she hadn't thought about going back through the well for protection against Motekuro since they had realized they would have to face him again. But I'll get them next time for you Shippou.
Kagome continued to follow the group, her thoughts vague as they continued to walk. Shippou had stopped talking.
It was many moments before Kagome heard her name whispered on the wind. She looked up, looked around at the group.
"What?" she asked.
The group looked back at her, surprise written in all their faces.
"What, Kagome?" Sango asked.
"Someone said my name," she said. "What did you guys want?"
A feeling of unease crept into her stomach when Sango exchanged a look with Miroku, and Inuyasha's growl reached her ears. "I didn't hear anything," he said, and Kagome felt her heart skip a beat.
Miroku's body went rigid. "Shippou?" his voice rang with urgency.
Kagome's eyes snapped to the kitsune and she felt her stomach drop when she saw the tiny demon visibly shaking.
"Kagome," he whispered, and she could hear the panic in his voice.
"Shippou, get out of here," Inuyasha snapped, and Tessaiga was drawn.
Everything moved too fast in the next few heartbeats. Shippou flew into the woods, nothing more than a russet streak against the green foliage, and then the wind kicked up, and with it Kagome heard her name brush past her ear, a shiver going down her spine. A branch fell from one of the trees, and Miroku called out a warning as he pulled Sango away from the falling limb.
"Kagome." The voice was closer now, much closer, and she knew everyone else could hear it now because Inuyasha cursed and she heard Sango gasp. The wind started to die down, but the leaves were still swirling. Past them, she saw the hint of a gray cloak and black hair. The wind left her a moment later, but a solid presence seemed to pass over her shoulder, brush over a cheek, and she felt her body go stiff.
Her arms went for her bow out of instinct, but her arms rose no more than a few inches before they wouldn't budge. Panic filled her, and she found her mouth opening, silently thanking any and all gods when she heard her voice piercing the wind.
"Inuyasha!"
But she didn't seem to need to call him, because he was there, his body between her and Motekuro where he was visible through the settling leaves.
"So we meet again," he drawled, and Kagome found a shiver going down her spine. He sounded so calm, and his calmness rolled off Kagome, making her own muscles relax.
"Good," Inuyasha shot back at him, a smirk visible in his voice. "This time I can finish you off."
The demon chuckled. "It wasn't so easy the first time, pup. What makes you think it'll be any different this time?"
Inuyasha's growl increased. Kagome tried to focus on the sound, on the memory of what it felt like to have the vibrating of that sound against her back. But her head was going fuzzy. She shook her head, and found that she could still in fact move it. Her arms were still stiff, and her legs wouldn't move, but some parts of her body she still had control over.
"Kagome," the demon said, and Kagome found her eyes turn towards Motekuro where he stood passed Inuyasha. The demon chuckled. "I told you this wasn't over."
And Kagome felt like she was falling. Her legs wouldn't support her, and no matter how hard she tried to keep her eyes open, her gaze on the red of Inuyasha's haori, she found darkness closing in on her. She tried to call out for Inuyasha, but there seemed to be no more breath left in her.
"Inuyasha!" She wasn't the only one calling to the half-demon. Miroku's voice broke through the sudden darkness, and Kagome felt a band of iron around her shoulders stop her fall. "Inuyasha!" the monk cried out again, and Kagome could hear the rings of his staff clatter together as he started his own fighting. "Do it!"
Inuyasha's curse was close to her ear. Then, "Kagome," and her name seemed like it was just another curse that was shot from his mouth, only this time his voice shook, and there seemed more panic than anger in her name.
"Give up, half-breed," Motekuro was saying. "You've lost," and the wind had picked up again. Inuyasha's arm clamped tighter around her for a moment and Kagome tried to fight the whiteness threatening her blank vision. She felt another presence by her side right before she heard metal strike metal.
"You're dead," Inuyasha barked, and he released her, trying to push Motekuro back.
Kagome heard Miroku's curse, heard him shout spells as he joined in the battle. Sango was silent and Kagome felt fear grip her as her world turned white.