The steam rose in enticing tendrils, curling her hair and settling against her skin. Faith gingerly laid her head against the rough surface of the cliff's edge while her body took in the comfort of a stray spring.
They've been traveling for a little over four nights, now. Exchanging casual banter, jokes and attempts at escaping the inevitable conversation. Yet, throughout the journey, Faith couldn't help shaking the feeling that they were being watched. More importantly, she couldn't shake the feeling of who was watching her.
This was the first chance at solitude that she's had since fleeing Naraku's castle. Two sides of her brain were warring with one another; one telling her to go back … to explore what she couldn't disregard. The other, some would argue the more logical side of her twisted brain, told her to continue with Inuyasha to meet with the others.
Both sides were currently enjoying this mini-spa treatment she made for herself.
Inuyasha sat observantly at the highest point he could find, his eyes constantly scanning the coming darkness for the first sign of an incoming threat.
He let out a tension-releasing sigh, giving in to the scents around him. The moon was making an appearance, giving the dew-covered grass a serene appearance. A mixture of sounds surrounded him, giving him something new to concentrate on.
He let Faith find the spring he could smell nearby. He knew she needed some space. The longer they traveled, the more agitated and jumpy she seemed to get.
'That Naraku, I know he did something. What's that demon up to?! Why can't she just tell me?! I can take it, and that bastard ain't ever gonna lay a finger on her again if I have anything to say about it." His thoughts rumbled together until they started to piece together. Bits of concerns and annoyances mending to form one consistent accusation; "No …" His eyes widened in a potential epiphany, horror etching his expression as soon as the thought came to him.
One fist clenched at his side while the other gripped menacingly on his Father's sword.
"He didn't …"
"I guess I should get out," Faith drawled, further procrastinating getting out into the increasingly colder air. She sat up and reached for her clothes, her slick fingers nearly dropping everything she touched.
She stood at the base of the spring; shirt clutched tightly to the front her body. When she moved to turn towards the edge, her ankle made a sickening crack as it fell into the crevice. "Motherfuc…" She yelled, cut off when a strong hand grabbed her wrist and wretched her out of the water.
She looked up to see Inuyasha holding her wrist as she dropped her clothes and nearly fell when trying to put her weight on her broken ankle.
"Oh my god! Don't look, don't look, don't look, don't look" she repeated manically to herself. And to anybody with in 3 miles of her.
She looked up at him, "Do something, oh my god. It's gross, ow, ow, ow, ow … OW!" She yelled louder when he bent down and yanked her leg out. "What the fuck, mutt!?" Do I need to say it's hard looking menacing when looking UP at somebody? Especially when said person is wet, cold, shivering and nine kinds of panicking.
He looked down at her, his eyes giving everything away. He growled deep in his throat. "Quit bein' so stupid and you wouldn't have fell!" She moved to bat him away from touching her now searing leg again when he used his foot to hold her down. "Stop moving, would ya!?"
He would have been gentler but his blood was hot. He was so angry he couldn't see straight. So much to the point that he couldn't tell whom he was angrier with. He ripped off a piece of red fabric and tossed it towards her face, "Bite this," he said savagely. Her eyes widened to the point where it was almost comical. "Wha!? No, NO way. Don't you touch me! Mutt, if you do it, I'll hunt your ass down and kill you!" He bent down during her rant and shoved the crude fabric in between her teeth. She thrashed, grumbled, grumbly cursed and thrashed some more. He grabbed her foot with his right hand cradling the Achilles heel and TWISTED. Hard.
The cloth mostly muffled her scream but tears were streaming mercilessly down her face. He just stared at her, partly confused but mostly apathetic. His eyes roamed her body but there was nothing sensuous about it. His mind imagined what happened to it and it only increased his anger.
"It's fixed," he said quietly.
"Don't you EVER do that again, that fucking hurt! Bleeding I can deal with, but holy crap … ow!"
She continued ranting, her mind racing and her leg throbbing as her abused ankle creaked in protest.
She looked down at it and the bottom of her foot was once again pointing towards the ground … where it's supposed to.
She let out a little whine.
"That really hurt …" she bit out.
"Yeah …" he muttered in response.
For the first time, she looked up at the hanyou and noticed his conflicting appearance. His voice was quiet, subdued – but his eyes were burning.
"Dude … what's up? You ok in there?" She panted out.
He opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. Instead, he spun on his heel and in the next instant he was back on his spot at the top of the tree.
She blinked up at him, completely confused.
"Inuyasha?" she ventured tentatively.
He lifted his chin and grunted in response.
"Uh, hello!? Earth to Mutt: what's gotten into you? In case you haven't noticed, I'm the one with the throbbing injury over here."
"I know what happened …" he threw down quietly. If she weren't straining to pay attention, she wouldn't have even heard him.
A cold chill ran down her spine as she asked her next question.
"You know what happened?"
"Guess …"
"Just tell me, Inuyasha. What do you think happened?" She said, her nerves making her impatient.
"I know why you smell like that bastard …" he gritted, each word becoming harder to choke out.
She remained quiet. Her first thought was to repeat the previous argument but she knew by his tone that he wasn't buying her shit anymore.
He grunted, jumping down to land in front of her. By this point, she had already gotten dressed … her pink hair hung lifelessly around her neutral expression.
"Just go." He said simply.
"Inuyasha …"
"Feh, don't bother, human." He looked at her and a part of him just gave up. The look on his face sank into her gut. So many people in her life have given her that same look. Angry, hurt, betrayed … disappointed.
This time when he turned to leave, he just kept walking.
