Sorry for the wait, guys. (: Here you go, chapter 11.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Chapter Eleven
With Danger Comes...Affection?

Inuyasha watched as Kagome disappeared through the trees, the metal monster going in after her. Myoga lived near a government base so he could keep his whereabouts a secret; if Kagome kept running, she would run into a fence and be trapped. He would have to hurry and kill this man or Kagome would be caught in the hands of the metal freak.

The man laughed as Inuyasha finally got to his feet, giving the lashings a break. "Who the hell are you?" Inuyasha asked, anger shaking his voice.

Laughing again, the man leaned against the weapon that caused the attack- a sword. Inuyasha snorted when he saw- no one used swords now, they were so…barbaric. Obviously this piece of shit had missed the memo.

"My name is Jakotsu," he declared, a smile twisting his lips. "It's been awhile since I have fought someone so…attractive." He swung his sword up and lashed out again, but Inuyasha was ready enough to jump to the side.

"Did Naraku send you?" He had to know before he tore out the man's throat- if Naraku was getting the aide of humans- and Jakotsu was human, Inuyasha could smell it- then Sesshomaru had to be warned.

"Naraku paid us," Jakotsu said, collecting the blades back together in his sword. "Me and my brother's are mercenaries. It's rather enjoyable, but people are hesitant to hire us because of our methods." Twisting on his heels, he slashed out again towards Inuyasha, who barely dodged the flying blades.

Running towards the trees, Inuyasha braced his feet against the trunk and launched himself into Jakotsu's stomach as he was getting his sword together. Not giving the man time to think, Inuyasha slammed his fist into Jakotsu's chin and his foot into his side, getting him down. "You tell Naraku he picked a fight with the wrong people," Inuyasha snarled into Jakotsu's face. "We will kill him."

He jumped off Jakotsu's face and let the man get up before flexing his claws, chuckling darkly before slashing at Jakotsu's chest. He easily sliced Jakotsu from his shoulder and across his abdomen, ripping the flesh. He smelt the blood and backed off, not wanting to kill him- someone needed to warn Naraku, and killing him would take more time- and Kagome was still out there, alone.

Jakotsu laughed darkly, spitting blood out onto the ground. Leaning against his sword, he looked up at Inuyasha- his hair was falling from his bun, and his breathing was uneven and sharp. "I look forward to our next fight, lovely Inuyasha. I will not underestimate you next time."

Backing off so Inuyasha could not surprise attack him, Jakotsu disappeared into the trees- and Inuyasha let him go, turning sharply to follow Kagome.

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Kagome stumbled through the forest, her hands flailing in front of her as she ripped branches and twigs away from her face. She had to keep moving and dodging as the trees were tightly packed together; she could not go in a straight path, and she didn't want to risk taking a few precious moments to try and squeeze through tight gaps.

She took a deep breath and paused for a moment- surely she had outrun the large, clanking machine-man to an extent; listening, she gasped when she heard a rumbling and crashes, much closer than she had expected. It sounded like he was merely going over the trees, not around them. Turning on her heel, Kagome ran again, tripping over roots she couldn't see and getting scratched by twigs and bushes.

She noticed the edge of the trees, and her heart sputtered- a clearing, maybe she could confuse him. Suddenly she ran into a chain-link fence, bouncing back onto her back and falling on her leg as she landed, her mouth opening to emit an involuntary groan of pain. She mentally cursed herself and heaved herself up, rubbing her aching back- her leg was sending up spasms of pain; she must have fallen on it in a weird way.

She looked up and whimpered as the metal thing came towards her, the shadow shaping amongst the trees. She gingerly put her foot down, testing it- she wouldn't be able to outrun him. Her head snapped up when she heard a boom, two lights blazing around where his head should be. Instinctively, she fell to the ground and covered her head, with two large bullets forming holes in the fence above her.

Her heart was beating like mad as she got up again, trying to hobble along the fence. She heard the cracks of more trees being knocked over, and she knew that he was out of the forest- but she knew that with his guns, it didn't matter how fast she was able to run.

She fell to the ground again when she heard the loud cracks, the bullets whizzing closer so she could feel the ruffle on her hair and clothing. "Inuyasha!" she yelled, hoping that he had gotten by the other one already. "Please, hurry…" She pushed herself up again, only to fall against the fence as the metal-thing fired again.

Like he had heard, Inuyasha jumped through the trees, holding a tree branch. "Leave her alone, you metal piece of shit," Inuyasha snarled, hurling a tree branch at the things head. Distracted, the monster turned to see the half-demon clearly; he was obviously not the smartest of things. The branch caused the thing to pause for a second, almost as if he was allowing the pain to sink into his thick skull.

Knowing that his own strength wouldn't be enough to finish off the monster, Inuyasha disappeared and reappeared with another branch, jumping down and slamming it into one of his cannons. Pushing off the large shoulders, Inuyasha pushed himself up and came down on the other, all his weight put behind his feet. The metal bent under the pressure, and both his guns became useless.

Jumping off of the metal things back, Inuyasha glared at him, his stance protective in front of Kagome. "Who- and what- the fuck are you?" he demanded, his eyes flashing.

A dark, scratchy chuckle came from the thing's distorted mouth. "Ginkotsu."

"Well, Ginkotsu, I hope Naraku was worth it. You won't be seeing him again." Inuyasha ran to the side and disappeared into the trees, and a snap could be heard as he got himself another tree branch. He came out and slammed it onto Ginkotsu's head- the monster may have been able to handle himself in the forest, rolling straight and just smashing things, but in a small clearing, he was almost trapped. He couldn't turn easily, and he wasn't fast enough to outrun the half-demon.

The thing made a noise that Inuyasha guessed was of pain, and before Inuyasha knew what happened, sharp spinning blades flew from hidden places on his metal body. The half demon sprang back and grabbed Kagome, shielding her from the blades- he ignored the cutting in his flesh as one stuck him, getting her hidden in the trees.

Without a word to her, he leaped back out into the clearing, slamming his fist into the place the blades came from. As a thing made from metal, he was made of parts- and parts could be separately destroyed until he entire product was ruined. As he was yanking his fist from a nest of mangled metal, Inuyasha was thrown backwards as a hook snagged his robe and dragged him backwards. Another came and tore at his skin, opening a bleeding gash.

"You…fucker…" Inuyasha gasped, wrenching the hook from his skin. Rolling to the side as the other hook came at him, he grabbed at the string that connected it to Ginkotsu, cursing and pulling his hand back as the metal thread cut through his hand, dripping blood. In his moment of inattentiveness, the other hook came and slashed him across the face.

"Hey! Metal monster!" Kagome appeared between the trees, brandishing a stick that she could barely manage to carry. The stupid thing turned, making a noise that Inuyasha assumed said he was confused- and started rolling towards the nurse. Kagome raised the branch threw it, and the branch barely nicked the thing's shoulder as the hooks lashed out- and it sounded like he was laughing.

Inuyasha felt his heart pang and leaped forward, tackling Kagome to the ground. Jumping up again, he felt rage pump through his veins and grabbed the same branch, slamming it down into his head. Raising his claws, Inuyasha slashed at the throat that was exposed as the thing's head turned, searching the trees for Kagome.

"Never turn away from your fight," Inuyasha growled, turning his back on the head that was decapitated from its body, the metal jaw hanging lax from the severed head.

Kagome was huddled at the base of the tree, staring at the sight- the blood, the mess. The fallen trees, the broken branches. She could feel herself shaking, blinking as Inuyasha obscured her vision and fell to his knees in front of her. She blinked again and focused, gingerly rising to her knees when she saw the cuts, her hands reaching out to gently touch his bleeding face.

"You're hurt," she said, her head clearing- she focused on her Hanyou's scratches and gashes, the blood drying onto his clothes.

He didn't say anything- he was breathing harder, his hands clenched at his sides. In sudden movement, Inuyasha firmly grabbed the sides of her neck and brought their lips together, his lips molding roughly to hers. The kiss was hungry, his lips moving urgently- when he pulled them apart, Kagome stared frozen in shock and his hands never left her neck.

"Don't you ever fucking put yourself in danger like that, do you fucking understand me?" he asked her gruffly, his voice low and husky. "You…" He trailed off, pulling her to him again for another kiss; this one was softer, his lips moving gently against hers. Her sense came back enough to kiss him back, moving so she could wrap her arms securely around his neck, pressing their forms together. His tongue brushed against her lips and they automatically parted, allowing him the entrance he wanted- their tongues did a sweet dance as he stood, wanting to get back to the cabin for cover.

As Inuyasha navigated, Kagome pulled herself free for air. She allowed herself to be carried bridal style, her head rested on his shoulder- she would look at his wounds later, when her head wasn't reeling and her lips weren't throbbing.

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Kagome was curled on the couch, listening as Inuyasha spoke on the phone in low tones. A first aid kit was sitting on Myoga's table, ready for any use she might need. She sat up as Inuyasha came over, getting onto her knees. "Take off your shirt."

"Holy shit, wench. One kiss and you already want action." But he stripped anyway, knowing she wouldn't let up until he allowed her further examination of his wounds. Kagome ignored his comment and kneeled beside him, using the rag to wash the large gashes on his chest that were now just mere cuts. "You're hurt, too, remember?"

"My leg is fine." She studied his wounds, gently tracing one- he grabbed her wrist before she could run her finger down the entirety of the cut, his bangs covering his eyes when she looked up. "I forget how fast you heal," she said, putting the only faintly pink rag back with the kit. "It's unnerving-"

She gasped when she was pinned down to the couch, his hands braced on either side of her. "Miroku is sending someone to pick us up. We're moving again," he whispered into her ear, kissing the hollow right underneath her earlobe. Trailing kisses down her neck, he ran his nose across her collar bone and his hands roamed up her sides.

Kagome trembled slightly, unused to having this attention- her one boyfriend, Hojo, had been extremely conservative. She had kissed him- actually kissed him with tongues- maybe twice, even though they dated for almost two years. She had never been kissed anywhere except the cheek and the lips, and her body was definitely not used to the touching.

Not to say she didn't enjoy it. A small shiver went up her spine as he gently sucked on her collarbone, leading another trail up to her neck. His sharp canine's nipped at her sensitive skin before he went up her jaw line, heading for her lips. Their bodies were molded together- Kagome's arms around his neck, at ease with her form snugly pressed against his. It was all the better when he kissed her again, his lips trailing over hers, their tongues mingling. The kiss got more urgent as it continued, and as she pulled away for air again, he gently bit her lower lip.

He shifted so he was lying on the couch, Kagome trapped between the couch wall of cushions and his body. Keeping one arm around her, he was in close enough proximity that he could kiss her when he wanted- and she didn't mind, her arm draped casually over his waist.

"Inuyasha, I…" She trailed off, unsure if she wanted to continue.

"What?" his voice was soft as he spoke, but the word was a demand none-the-less.

"I- Why did…" She paused as she chose the words, finally forming a statement. "You always act indifferent to me, and then like you care. Then uncaring, and caring again."

She was asking if this was a thing where he had just been scared for her life, if this was going to end in the morning- he knew that from her statement. "When you ran into the forest, then later when you came out, brandishing a stick like you thought you could actually do some damage-" she smiled sheepishly, aware of the stupidity- "I wasn't scared. I was petrified, terrified of losing you- I didn't know what that monster had up his sleeve to kill you. My heart stopped, and I knew that if I couldn't save you…" He paused, not good at the gushing emotions. His meter had almost run full for today. "I can't lose you, Kagome. I can't."

Kagome smiled, her fingers lightly drawing pictures in his bare skin- she curled closer, pressing cold toes against his leg. "Then I won't leave."

Inuyasha shrugged. "If you did, I'd follow. You get into trouble without me."

Kagome sucked in some air, protest ready at her lips. "I'm a big girl; I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you!"

Inuyasha failed at suppressing a chuckle. Using a finger to tilt her head towards him, he gently kissed her, easing her irritation with her lips. She succumbed easily, falling into his hands like putty. "Go to sleep, wench."

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