Inu Yasha: A Feudal Adventure
Chapter 4: Fire Rats and Nightmares
By Angel Of Anime
*****
Disclaimer: Sorry I am tired of writing this, Inu Yasha and its characters are not mine. They are Rumiko Takahashi's. Siiigh, my sad lack of bishoen, she's so lucky…
*****
"Kyoko, get on."
"Ok." Inu Yasha crouched to let Kyoko climb on his back. She reached around his chest and interlocked her fingers. He shifted her a little bit until he was satisfied she wouldn't fall.
WHISTLE Inu Yasha flattened his ears against his scull.
"Miroku- san, could you please not do that, it hurts Inu Yasha."
"My deepest apologies Kyoko- sama, I was simply calling my ride." Soon a raccoon scurried up to Miroku, then suddenly turned into a giant, 30 foot long blow up worm shaped raccoon. Miroku hopped on its back.
"Ok so where are we going?" Inu Yasha and Kyoko could only sweatdrop.
"Nani?"
"Uh, Miroku- sama could we..."
*****
The giant blow up raccoon flew through the sky. Miroku sat up near the head, while Kyoko and Inu Yasha sat further down. Inu Yasha secretly keeping an eye on Kyoko, just incase she should slip. Eventually they began to see the trees below them grow fewer and fewer until the landscape was pratically barren except for some low bushes and mangled, leafless trees; the fire swamp. Many nasty creatures dwelled there, many dangerous things, but this was where the fire rat was found, whose fur is stronger then the strongest armor. The raccoon found a place to land and Miroku hoped off and scooted around to help Kyoko down, which made Inu Yasha growl ever so slightly. Miroku thanked the raccoon and it flew off.
"We'll need him to leave again,"
"Then I will simply call him." Inu Yasha flattened his ears against his head in remembrance. Kyoko simply laughed silently to her self.
The trio advance into the swamp, with Inu Yasha leading and Miroku strolling with Kyoko behind.
"Careful, we are near the place of the fire rats, it is most dangerous here stay close."
"Thank you for being so thoughtful of me Inu Yasha." Said the monk batting his eyelashes.
"I WAS TALKING TO KYOKO!"
"Sheesh, fine be that way."
"Inu Yasha! There's a presence!"
"I feel it too," Inu Yasha pulled Kyoko next to him and unsheathed his sword. Suddenly there appeared before them a beautiful woman, with demon eyes. She wore Arabic pants and a pair of snakes slithered around her shoulders. Her necklace was a giant snail shell that seemed to be made of the purist gold. Her wavy hair was tangled and messy and ended just below her shoulders. She laughed wickedly and watched the group prepare for battle.
"Ahhhhh, so nice to have some visitors. Ahhhhh, what is this, a lovely maiden!"
Inu Yasha steped directly between the demon woman and Kyoko.
"Speak fair maiden. Ahhhhhhh let me hear your lovely voice. Ahhhhhhhh"
"KYOKO- SAMA, Don't speak! That demon steals the voices of young girls!"
Kyoko noded to Miroku in thanks.
"Ahhhhhhh, cat got your tongue hey? Well I have other ways of making you talk..." The demon woman charged the group. Inu Yasha grabbed Kyoko and jumped to the side as Miroku tried to jump out of the way, but only managed to dive into the mud as the woman landed gracefully where the trio had just stood.
"Lets hear your scream, pretty one. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"
The woman charged again, this time at Inu Yasha and Kyoko, Inu Yasha pushed Kyoko to the side and unsheathed the fang, it transformed and he swiped at the woman, slicing her left arm clean off.
"Ahhhhhhhh, you will be the first to die!"
The woman attacked Inu Yasha with her good hand. Claws sprout from her fingers and she tries to slash Inu Yasha. He blocked with the tetsusaiga, and she lunged again, but Inu Yasha leapt out of the way and she went crashing into the mud.
"Hrmmmm, no good Ahhhhhhhh, you are too powerful, but you! Ahhhhhhh"
The demon woman turned to face Kyoko. She walked up to Kyoko, her claws ready. Kyoko sank into a fighting stance.
"I will make scratches across that pretty face of yours. Ahhhhhhhhhh"
The woman reached out to strike Kyoko's face, Kyoko blocked easily, but the claws made three deep scratches on her arm.
"Fool! You can't fight her barehanded!" Inu Yasha leapt at the demon's back and pulled back the steel fang, ready for the kill, but the woman was fast and whiped around behind Inu Yasha's back in order to strike.
"INU YASHA BEHIND YOU-"
Inu Yasha turns in the nick of time and deflected the woman's blow. He watched as she held her necklace out and a glow seemed to escape from Kyoko's mouth and slide into the shell, which the demon woman replaced around her neck.
"Hehehe, looks like I took your friend's voice, that's truly too bad for you."
Inu Yasha's eyes grow wide at the change in the woman's deep raspy voice into a much higher pitched one. *That's Kyoko's voice!*
"That chipper voice doesn't suit slime like you!"
"Oh? Really! Well let's see about that o-kay?" The demon woman attacked again and Inu Yasha blocked it with the fang.
"SUPERSONIC!!" The woman let out sound waves that send Inu Yasha flying backwards towards Kyoko. Just in time Miroku dives and pulls Kyoko out of the way and Inu Yasha lands in a few bushes, no worse for wear.
"Are you alright Kyoko- sama?" Kyoko could only smile and nod in thanks. Then Kyoko looked down to see that Miroku had taken advantage of the situation, and his hand had mysteriously found its way to her bosom.
CRASH, THUD
Kyoko stood up and sank into a fighting stance again. Inu Yasha had slashed the woman many times, but nothing seemed to hurt her. She was very fast, and Kyoko could see Inu Yasha was slightly out of breath from chasing her so much. Suddenly the woman dashed behind Inu Yasha again. Unable to warn him Kyoko ran and dove, throwing Inu Yasha out of harms way. Inu Yasha watched, horrified as Kyoko landed on top of him and blood seemed to explode from three gashes on her shoulder.
"WHY DID YOU DO THAT YOU STUPID HUMAN!" Kyoko could only look on with a worried face. Then she pointed to the necklace that the demon woman was wearing. Inu Yasha glanced at it and the realization began to sink in *It's glowing slightly,*
"I get it, you have your soul in that necklace! Heh heh heh" Inu Yasha jumped up from underneath Kyoko and slashed at the woman destroying the necklace she was wearing. The woman stood for a fraction of a second, then immediately turned to dust. Miroku walked slowly over to the remains. He picked up a glowing piece of the necklace from underneath the woman's pants. Kyoko stood with help from Inu Yasha and accepted the glowing object from him. The glow then escaped down Kyoko's mouth and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Wheu, that's better huh? That chick was craaaaz-" Inu Yasha came up from behind Kyoko and embraced her, pulling her to his chest.
"Don't EVER do that again!" Kyoko's eyes widened in shock. *What the hell is he doing???*
"I am the demon! I am the one who heals quickly! You're just the human, let me take the hit!!!!"
"I... I couldn't just stand there and do nothing while she slashed you, watch you get hurt while I knew there was something I could do, heh heh. Don't be such a worry wart!"
" ...Take your top off."
SMACK
"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT! Show me your shoulder!"
"Oh..."
Kyoko pulled open the yukata and gingerly slipped it off her wounded shoulder so Inu Yasha can have a better look. Miroku suddenly appeared and began to probe the wound. Kyoko just winced. Inu Yasha watches her cringe as the monk lightly touched the open wound.
"STOP IT ALREADY YOU STUPID MONK!"
"Hrmmm, it is deep, but nothing major, my diagnosis, you'll live!" Miroku gave a thumbs up and Kyoko turned to look at Inu Yasha.
"See Inu Yasha nothing to worry about! Better me in the shoulder than you on the back right?"
"DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!" Inu Yasha started to walk off. Miroku helped Kyoko gently replace the yukata so as not to exacerbate the wound and they followed after Inu Yasha.
*****
The trio walked deeper and deeper into the swamp. Kyoko clinged to Inu Yasha's sleeve and he could smell the stench of fear slowly creeping over her normal flowery sweet sent. Then she went rigid and stoped dead in her tracks.
"Inu Yasha!! I sense a horde of demons!"
"Heh heh, I guess we made it, the fire rats are close." The three walk slowly through the bush and come out into a small clearing.
"Hrm I guess they're not here,"
"Don't be a fool Miroku, they're watching us..."
Inu Yasha moved closer to Kyoko in preparation for the attack. The three stand back-to-back, ready to fight. Suddenly enormous blood red rats rush out from under the brush. They hade six eyes and extra long fangs, they were about four feet long and two feet wide, and they waddled towards the three. They come from all sides and completely surround the trio. Inu Yasha began to swing the tetsusaiga, Miroku started to clobber the rats with his staff and Kyoko, well was kickin' the crap outta em. Inu Yasha watched Kyoko from the corner of his eye, making sure she was safe. As he watched her he begins to realize that she too, pulls her weight when fighting. *She's easily taking down the same number of rats as the houshi is over there.* Soon the rats all lay dead or twitching.
"Wheu, that felt good, not training makes me feel lethargic!"
"My goodness Kyoko- sama, you certainly are skilled in hand to hand combat, wouldn't you say so Inu Yasha?"
"feh..." *Dang woman, don't wanna get on her bad side... sweatdrop*
"Hehe Arigato!" Kyoko just put her hand behind her head and laughed.
"Well, now that we killed em... what's next?" Inu Yasha just smirked and pulled out a long, sharp knife.
"Ewwwwie I don't wanna watch!" Kyoko began to run around in circles screaming, then ran smack, right into a tree and fell down twitching with a baseball sized lump on her head. Miroku and Inu Yasha sweatdroped,
"She's an odd one isn't she?"
"un..."
*****
Kyoko held her now demon sensitive nose as she sat on Raccoon- san while Inu Yasha and Miroku pile the hides onto raccoon's back.
"You know..." Kyoko says in a stifled voice "These demon senses things, aren't all they're cracked up to be... the smell is making me faint..." Miroku tied down the hides and climbed up to his seat neat the head. Inu Yasha climbed on and sat directly behind Kyoko, hugging her to his chest so she wouldn't smell the hides so much.
Kyoko blushed slightly as she snuggled into Inu Yasha's big chest.
"It will take you a while to learn how to ignore your senses."
"Oh..." Raccoon- san took off and they began flying towards Kaede's village. The trip was long, and Kyoko slowly fell asleep nestled into Inu Yasha's warm chest.
*****
The trio land in the middle of the village, it was night by the time they arrived and sleepy villagers peeked out their windows and started to whisper.
Inu Yasha carefully lifts Kyoko off the raccoon and walked to Kaede's hut. There he gently laid her on her futon and covered her with the blanked then walked outside to help Miroku unload the hides.
" ...What is your relationship with Kyoko- sama?"
"What the hell do you mean by that?" *Bastard just came right out and said that!*
"You said she is not your woman, though to others it seems she is..."
"Kaede said I have to protect her that's all,"
"Really... You don't seem one to follow commands so diligently, Inu Yasha."
"feh," Inu Yasha grabbed a stack of hides and walked to the hut. Miroku watched him walk away, then slowly removed the remainder of the hides, thanked Raccoon- san for his help and walked off towards the hut.
*****
Inu Yasha stared at the roof of the little hut. On his left Miroku snored loudly and he could hear Kaede mumble in her sleep like she always did. *How the hell is someone supposed to get some sleep around here!*
He chanced a quick look to his right. Kyoko was sleeping soundly, her back was to him and he could see the rise and fall of her breath, regulated with sleep. She turned over in her sleep to face him, her long hair falling over her face.
*I guess she isn't so bad when she's sleeping...* He thought of earlier that day, of the look on her face when she took the hit for him. The look on her face was true concern. Concern for him... for a... friend? Did she think of him as her friend? Something more? No! Couldn't be, *Why the hell would I want her to like me more than just as a friend!!! Arggggggg*
"Se... Sesh. Sessho- Maru! No! Stop!" *eh?*
"Stop it!" *she's... having a nightmare... about him,* He watched her thrash around in her sleep, he was about to wake her when he saw something else... *Is she... crying???*
"No... please, no..." Well he had promised to protect her, *and I guess that means even from dreams...* He got out from under the covers and kneeled beside her. He shook her a little.
"Kyoko! Kyoko, wake up!"
Chapter 4: Fire Rats and Nightmares
By Angel Of Anime
*****
Disclaimer: Sorry I am tired of writing this, Inu Yasha and its characters are not mine. They are Rumiko Takahashi's. Siiigh, my sad lack of bishoen, she's so lucky…
*****
"Kyoko, get on."
"Ok." Inu Yasha crouched to let Kyoko climb on his back. She reached around his chest and interlocked her fingers. He shifted her a little bit until he was satisfied she wouldn't fall.
WHISTLE Inu Yasha flattened his ears against his scull.
"Miroku- san, could you please not do that, it hurts Inu Yasha."
"My deepest apologies Kyoko- sama, I was simply calling my ride." Soon a raccoon scurried up to Miroku, then suddenly turned into a giant, 30 foot long blow up worm shaped raccoon. Miroku hopped on its back.
"Ok so where are we going?" Inu Yasha and Kyoko could only sweatdrop.
"Nani?"
"Uh, Miroku- sama could we..."
*****
The giant blow up raccoon flew through the sky. Miroku sat up near the head, while Kyoko and Inu Yasha sat further down. Inu Yasha secretly keeping an eye on Kyoko, just incase she should slip. Eventually they began to see the trees below them grow fewer and fewer until the landscape was pratically barren except for some low bushes and mangled, leafless trees; the fire swamp. Many nasty creatures dwelled there, many dangerous things, but this was where the fire rat was found, whose fur is stronger then the strongest armor. The raccoon found a place to land and Miroku hoped off and scooted around to help Kyoko down, which made Inu Yasha growl ever so slightly. Miroku thanked the raccoon and it flew off.
"We'll need him to leave again,"
"Then I will simply call him." Inu Yasha flattened his ears against his head in remembrance. Kyoko simply laughed silently to her self.
The trio advance into the swamp, with Inu Yasha leading and Miroku strolling with Kyoko behind.
"Careful, we are near the place of the fire rats, it is most dangerous here stay close."
"Thank you for being so thoughtful of me Inu Yasha." Said the monk batting his eyelashes.
"I WAS TALKING TO KYOKO!"
"Sheesh, fine be that way."
"Inu Yasha! There's a presence!"
"I feel it too," Inu Yasha pulled Kyoko next to him and unsheathed his sword. Suddenly there appeared before them a beautiful woman, with demon eyes. She wore Arabic pants and a pair of snakes slithered around her shoulders. Her necklace was a giant snail shell that seemed to be made of the purist gold. Her wavy hair was tangled and messy and ended just below her shoulders. She laughed wickedly and watched the group prepare for battle.
"Ahhhhh, so nice to have some visitors. Ahhhhh, what is this, a lovely maiden!"
Inu Yasha steped directly between the demon woman and Kyoko.
"Speak fair maiden. Ahhhhhhh let me hear your lovely voice. Ahhhhhhhh"
"KYOKO- SAMA, Don't speak! That demon steals the voices of young girls!"
Kyoko noded to Miroku in thanks.
"Ahhhhhhh, cat got your tongue hey? Well I have other ways of making you talk..." The demon woman charged the group. Inu Yasha grabbed Kyoko and jumped to the side as Miroku tried to jump out of the way, but only managed to dive into the mud as the woman landed gracefully where the trio had just stood.
"Lets hear your scream, pretty one. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"
The woman charged again, this time at Inu Yasha and Kyoko, Inu Yasha pushed Kyoko to the side and unsheathed the fang, it transformed and he swiped at the woman, slicing her left arm clean off.
"Ahhhhhhhh, you will be the first to die!"
The woman attacked Inu Yasha with her good hand. Claws sprout from her fingers and she tries to slash Inu Yasha. He blocked with the tetsusaiga, and she lunged again, but Inu Yasha leapt out of the way and she went crashing into the mud.
"Hrmmmm, no good Ahhhhhhhh, you are too powerful, but you! Ahhhhhhh"
The demon woman turned to face Kyoko. She walked up to Kyoko, her claws ready. Kyoko sank into a fighting stance.
"I will make scratches across that pretty face of yours. Ahhhhhhhhhh"
The woman reached out to strike Kyoko's face, Kyoko blocked easily, but the claws made three deep scratches on her arm.
"Fool! You can't fight her barehanded!" Inu Yasha leapt at the demon's back and pulled back the steel fang, ready for the kill, but the woman was fast and whiped around behind Inu Yasha's back in order to strike.
"INU YASHA BEHIND YOU-"
Inu Yasha turns in the nick of time and deflected the woman's blow. He watched as she held her necklace out and a glow seemed to escape from Kyoko's mouth and slide into the shell, which the demon woman replaced around her neck.
"Hehehe, looks like I took your friend's voice, that's truly too bad for you."
Inu Yasha's eyes grow wide at the change in the woman's deep raspy voice into a much higher pitched one. *That's Kyoko's voice!*
"That chipper voice doesn't suit slime like you!"
"Oh? Really! Well let's see about that o-kay?" The demon woman attacked again and Inu Yasha blocked it with the fang.
"SUPERSONIC!!" The woman let out sound waves that send Inu Yasha flying backwards towards Kyoko. Just in time Miroku dives and pulls Kyoko out of the way and Inu Yasha lands in a few bushes, no worse for wear.
"Are you alright Kyoko- sama?" Kyoko could only smile and nod in thanks. Then Kyoko looked down to see that Miroku had taken advantage of the situation, and his hand had mysteriously found its way to her bosom.
CRASH, THUD
Kyoko stood up and sank into a fighting stance again. Inu Yasha had slashed the woman many times, but nothing seemed to hurt her. She was very fast, and Kyoko could see Inu Yasha was slightly out of breath from chasing her so much. Suddenly the woman dashed behind Inu Yasha again. Unable to warn him Kyoko ran and dove, throwing Inu Yasha out of harms way. Inu Yasha watched, horrified as Kyoko landed on top of him and blood seemed to explode from three gashes on her shoulder.
"WHY DID YOU DO THAT YOU STUPID HUMAN!" Kyoko could only look on with a worried face. Then she pointed to the necklace that the demon woman was wearing. Inu Yasha glanced at it and the realization began to sink in *It's glowing slightly,*
"I get it, you have your soul in that necklace! Heh heh heh" Inu Yasha jumped up from underneath Kyoko and slashed at the woman destroying the necklace she was wearing. The woman stood for a fraction of a second, then immediately turned to dust. Miroku walked slowly over to the remains. He picked up a glowing piece of the necklace from underneath the woman's pants. Kyoko stood with help from Inu Yasha and accepted the glowing object from him. The glow then escaped down Kyoko's mouth and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Wheu, that's better huh? That chick was craaaaz-" Inu Yasha came up from behind Kyoko and embraced her, pulling her to his chest.
"Don't EVER do that again!" Kyoko's eyes widened in shock. *What the hell is he doing???*
"I am the demon! I am the one who heals quickly! You're just the human, let me take the hit!!!!"
"I... I couldn't just stand there and do nothing while she slashed you, watch you get hurt while I knew there was something I could do, heh heh. Don't be such a worry wart!"
" ...Take your top off."
SMACK
"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT! Show me your shoulder!"
"Oh..."
Kyoko pulled open the yukata and gingerly slipped it off her wounded shoulder so Inu Yasha can have a better look. Miroku suddenly appeared and began to probe the wound. Kyoko just winced. Inu Yasha watches her cringe as the monk lightly touched the open wound.
"STOP IT ALREADY YOU STUPID MONK!"
"Hrmmm, it is deep, but nothing major, my diagnosis, you'll live!" Miroku gave a thumbs up and Kyoko turned to look at Inu Yasha.
"See Inu Yasha nothing to worry about! Better me in the shoulder than you on the back right?"
"DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!" Inu Yasha started to walk off. Miroku helped Kyoko gently replace the yukata so as not to exacerbate the wound and they followed after Inu Yasha.
*****
The trio walked deeper and deeper into the swamp. Kyoko clinged to Inu Yasha's sleeve and he could smell the stench of fear slowly creeping over her normal flowery sweet sent. Then she went rigid and stoped dead in her tracks.
"Inu Yasha!! I sense a horde of demons!"
"Heh heh, I guess we made it, the fire rats are close." The three walk slowly through the bush and come out into a small clearing.
"Hrm I guess they're not here,"
"Don't be a fool Miroku, they're watching us..."
Inu Yasha moved closer to Kyoko in preparation for the attack. The three stand back-to-back, ready to fight. Suddenly enormous blood red rats rush out from under the brush. They hade six eyes and extra long fangs, they were about four feet long and two feet wide, and they waddled towards the three. They come from all sides and completely surround the trio. Inu Yasha began to swing the tetsusaiga, Miroku started to clobber the rats with his staff and Kyoko, well was kickin' the crap outta em. Inu Yasha watched Kyoko from the corner of his eye, making sure she was safe. As he watched her he begins to realize that she too, pulls her weight when fighting. *She's easily taking down the same number of rats as the houshi is over there.* Soon the rats all lay dead or twitching.
"Wheu, that felt good, not training makes me feel lethargic!"
"My goodness Kyoko- sama, you certainly are skilled in hand to hand combat, wouldn't you say so Inu Yasha?"
"feh..." *Dang woman, don't wanna get on her bad side... sweatdrop*
"Hehe Arigato!" Kyoko just put her hand behind her head and laughed.
"Well, now that we killed em... what's next?" Inu Yasha just smirked and pulled out a long, sharp knife.
"Ewwwwie I don't wanna watch!" Kyoko began to run around in circles screaming, then ran smack, right into a tree and fell down twitching with a baseball sized lump on her head. Miroku and Inu Yasha sweatdroped,
"She's an odd one isn't she?"
"un..."
*****
Kyoko held her now demon sensitive nose as she sat on Raccoon- san while Inu Yasha and Miroku pile the hides onto raccoon's back.
"You know..." Kyoko says in a stifled voice "These demon senses things, aren't all they're cracked up to be... the smell is making me faint..." Miroku tied down the hides and climbed up to his seat neat the head. Inu Yasha climbed on and sat directly behind Kyoko, hugging her to his chest so she wouldn't smell the hides so much.
Kyoko blushed slightly as she snuggled into Inu Yasha's big chest.
"It will take you a while to learn how to ignore your senses."
"Oh..." Raccoon- san took off and they began flying towards Kaede's village. The trip was long, and Kyoko slowly fell asleep nestled into Inu Yasha's warm chest.
*****
The trio land in the middle of the village, it was night by the time they arrived and sleepy villagers peeked out their windows and started to whisper.
Inu Yasha carefully lifts Kyoko off the raccoon and walked to Kaede's hut. There he gently laid her on her futon and covered her with the blanked then walked outside to help Miroku unload the hides.
" ...What is your relationship with Kyoko- sama?"
"What the hell do you mean by that?" *Bastard just came right out and said that!*
"You said she is not your woman, though to others it seems she is..."
"Kaede said I have to protect her that's all,"
"Really... You don't seem one to follow commands so diligently, Inu Yasha."
"feh," Inu Yasha grabbed a stack of hides and walked to the hut. Miroku watched him walk away, then slowly removed the remainder of the hides, thanked Raccoon- san for his help and walked off towards the hut.
*****
Inu Yasha stared at the roof of the little hut. On his left Miroku snored loudly and he could hear Kaede mumble in her sleep like she always did. *How the hell is someone supposed to get some sleep around here!*
He chanced a quick look to his right. Kyoko was sleeping soundly, her back was to him and he could see the rise and fall of her breath, regulated with sleep. She turned over in her sleep to face him, her long hair falling over her face.
*I guess she isn't so bad when she's sleeping...* He thought of earlier that day, of the look on her face when she took the hit for him. The look on her face was true concern. Concern for him... for a... friend? Did she think of him as her friend? Something more? No! Couldn't be, *Why the hell would I want her to like me more than just as a friend!!! Arggggggg*
"Se... Sesh. Sessho- Maru! No! Stop!" *eh?*
"Stop it!" *she's... having a nightmare... about him,* He watched her thrash around in her sleep, he was about to wake her when he saw something else... *Is she... crying???*
"No... please, no..." Well he had promised to protect her, *and I guess that means even from dreams...* He got out from under the covers and kneeled beside her. He shook her a little.
"Kyoko! Kyoko, wake up!"
Flashback...
"Shhh, Inu- chan, wake up…"
"M- momma? I had a bad dream!"
"Shhh, don't cry little one, it was only a dream,"
"But it was so real!"
"Shhh it's ok, you're here with me now..." A kind woman gently stroked the small
hanyou's forehead. The little boy hugged her and cried on her shoulder.
"It's ok my little one, you're safe now..."
End Flashback...
Inu Yasha gently stroked Kyoko's forehead. Slowly she calmed down and her
thrashing stopped. He gently caressed the streaks on her cheeks. *What exactly
are you...* Kyoko stopped thrashing about and slowly opened her eyes. Inu Yasha
panicked and held his breath.
"I- Inu Yasha?"
"uh..."
"Can you... can you hold me a while?" Inu Yasha's eyes grew wide, but he
complied. He wrapped his strong arms around Kyoko and she gently rested her
head on his shoulder. They sat there for a little while, just holding each
other. "Arigato, Inu Yasha.."
"..." Inu Yasha reached up to stroke her hair... *It's so soft!!* It was the first
time he had ever touched foreign hair... *It's not as coarse as Japanese...* He
could feel her slowly relax in his arms, he waited until her breath became
regulated and he slowly rested her head back on its pillow and covered her up
again. He reached up and brushed the strands of hair away from her face. He
laid his head down on his pillow and fell asleep watching her...
*****