Author's Note: Hey everyone. This chapter took a lot longer than I would have liked. It just wasn't flowing. Perhaps it still isn't. I spent three days just trying to fix it up. I hope that it's still good. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! We hit my goal of 13, and even surpassed it! So, keep up the great reviewing. Remember, you stop reviewing; I stop writing. Enjoy the chapter!
Disclaimer: Eye know own InuYasha. Is there something wrong with that sentence?
Way Worn
Chapter 2: Tag and then the Moonless Night
Nikomi struggled in vain against her attacker. She tried to scream, but the hand that covered her mouth quickly turned it into a muffled sound that was barely audible. The female hanyou tried to force her panicked mind to come up with something to save her. Slowly, an idea formed.
Wasting no time, Nikomi opened her mouth as wide as the hand would allow her to, and bit down upon the tender flesh with her canines. When she felt the creature's grip loosen, she jerked herself around, and punched with as much force as she could gather into her attacker's stomach.
During those moments, Nikomi's mind had panicked, and as a result, her eyes had become almost blurry. She took a few steps back, still facing her attacker, as her eyes focused. The female hanyou gasped when he finally came into vision.
"Ouch…" The creature groaned, hunched over, and holding his stomach, "Are you trying to kill me?"
Nikomi began to laugh then. Waves of giggles and chirps came forth from her mouth, sounding as beautiful as her naturally melodic voice. She laughed until tears formed at the bases of her eyes, and she clutched her stomach until she was literally doubled over with laughter.
"I don't find it very funny…" The creature groaned, managing to stand up almost straight, "You punch really hard. If I knew you were gonna do that, I would have never…"
She put a hand up to silence him, still quaking with silent laughter as she gasped, "No, it's okay! A dirty trick, but a good one!"
Dayu, adopted hanyou son of Kagome and InuYasha, grinned at the female. He loved playing tricks on her. It was always so easy, since she never seemed to be paying attention.
"You're awful," Nikomi sputtered, picking up a chunk of moss and throwing it at him. It hit the shoulder of his dark blue kimono, bouncing off harmlessly. He joined her in laughter now, knowing that she wasn't angry with him. The male hanyou's black hair was short, and tied in a little ponytail in the back. It reminded Nikomi a little of Miroku's hair, save for the black, pointed wolf ears that twitched at the top of his head. His sharp canines flashed as he laughed, and his amber eyes sparkled.
"I knew that I'd get you good this time! Think of it as payback for that time by the stream when you pushed me in." He chuckled, walking over and throwing an arm around her shoulder as she straightened up.
Nikomi managed to suppress her laughter long enough to remove his arm with a playful toss. Without a thought, she dashed forward with a giggle, "Catch me if you can!"
Dayu laughed along with the female hanyou as he lunged forward towards her, catching up quickly. Their voices rang clear in the quite, afternoon air, harmonizing almost perfectly. They ran through the forest, leaping with ease over fallen trees and bushes. Soon, Nikomi took a sharp turn, and they found themselves racing through the tall grass as the sun beat down upon them.
Just as Dayu caught up, and was about to tag the female hanyou, she leapt forward, landing on the ground and rolling away. Before the confused male could figure out what was going on, she whipped around and grabbed his leg, sending him head over heals onto the ground.
After much giggling, rolling, and dodging of tags through the tall grass, Nikomi soon found herself underneath Dayu as she gasped to catch her breath. Both were too exhausted to notice the strange position that they were in. Even if the two had known, they probably wouldn't have cared, being such wonderful childhood friends.
Just then, Shippo appeared. He stepped regally into the little clearing of bent grass that the two had made, and stared. "What are you doing?" He asked suspiciously, cocking his head to the side with his ears perked up.
Male and female hanyou met eyes for a moment, and both blushed a deep shade of crimson as Dayu rolled off of her. "Oops…" He mumbled, cracking an unsure grin. Nikomi giggled as she sat up, looking over at Shippo.
"It's okay, Shippo. We weren't doing anything," She spoke to him as Dayu chuckled in the background, "Just playing tag."
The mature kitsune glared at both of them for a moment, pondering their answer. With a nod of acceptance, he turned and trotted off, much to the delight of the village children. They squealed with glee whenever they saw the little fox coming towards them. He would proceed to change into a pink ball, and bounce around for them. A childish form, he knew, but it made the children happy.
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Dayu picked off pieces of bark as he sat on the tall branch of a tree. He leaned up against the trunk, sighing deeply as he cast his gaze to the star-filled sky. His black, pointed ears perked up as he listened to the sounds of creatures shuffling about in the night. It was important that the male hanyou stayed outside in the trees to watch over the territory with his father.
Well, not his actual father. Although he couldn't even remember his real family, since they had abandoned him when he was six in the famed InuYasha Forest. Now sixteen, he was almost a full-grown wolf/human hanyou, expected to help his "father" with the land.
Guarding the territory was a tedious, meaningless task. Ever since InuYasha had mated Kagome, no youkai had dared come within feet of his territory. But, his father insisted that they still guard it. Sesshomaru was still out there somewhere, and they must protect Nikomi from him.
Nikomi…
He shook his head roughly, driving the thoughts out, as the hair at the top of his head flowed about. She was his best friend, and he wasn't supposed to think about her that way. Besides, the way that she acted made it clear; she still saw him as she did when they were children.
'But I'm not a child anymore. I'm full grown. I'm old enough to take care of a female, and to protect her!' His mind yelled in vain. He sighed again, his ears pressing flat against his head as he closed his eyes drearily and his thoughts wondered over the female hanyou's past.
He knew well the story of Sesshomaru and the rape of Sango. It was a frightening one to think about, and Nikomi must never know the true story of her father, for her own good. She had almost been killed those many years ago, and a few other times in her life that she thankfully could not recall.
Unconsciously, Dayu began clenching his fists in unknown rage, only to realize it when his claws drew blood from his palms. He looked down, allowing the blood to run off the wound. It would clot, and he would wash it off tomorrow. This wasn't the first time he had found himself acting with this strange rage towards Nikomi's sad story.
He looked towards the hut, watching the steady glow of the fire that Kagome must be cooking on. What was she up to this late at night? It was not unheard of the miko staying up late hours in the night to cure a sick villager, but as far as the hanyou knew, no one was seriously sick or injured within miles.
He stood up, jumping down from his tree and landing soundlessly onto the ground. He listened for InuYasha in the distance, hoping that his father hadn't heard him. 'I'm sure to get a good wallop for leaving my spot,' he thought with a soundless chuckle. InuYasha would never strike a small child, but once they got old enough, he was bound to give them a good whack on the back of the head at some point. It was more funny than anything else.
He walked over to the window, his bare feet not making a sound. With his ears alert for trouble behind him, he focused his other senses on the inside of the hut. His amber eyes narrowed as he watched his mother by the fire.
Kagome kneeled in the middle of the hut, poking the fire with a wet stick. The glow dancing softly over her troubled face as she worked. The woman had a pot boiling over the flames, and watched it intently as she stirred it. She seemed to be concentrating on something, with her eyes not moving from the bubbling, green liquid inside.
Dayu's eyes scanned the room, noticing something important missing. Where was Nikomi? She was normally sleeping soundly in the corner at this time of night.
Suddenly, the male hanyou felt strong hands grab him and whip him around. The figure was hard to see, since there was no moon out tonight, but he could see the shadow of flowing hair and the glint of wide eyes. It was Nikomi; he could smell her scent. She glanced worriedly towards the window, allowing the dim light from inside to cast over her face. She turned to gaze into his eyes, and raised a finger to her lips, "Shhh…" The sound barely came out, but both their ears could hear it.
She grabbed his arm, and pulled him into the forest, back to her clearing. Both perked their ears, listening for any eavesdroppers. The night was almost pitch black, save for the tiny glints of the stars in the sky. The sounds of night creatures reached their ears, but nothing more. Dayu looked back to her in question, cocking his head slightly to the side.
He froze when her face began to get close to his. His insides did flip flops, and his mind whirled….
Extra Author's Note: Remember that Dayu is the ADOPTED son of Kagome and InuYasha. So don't go accusing me of writing about incest! I just thought that I'd mention that, cause I know someone would have. Well, thanks for reading. If you want more, go review!
