I Forgot to Tell You: Somewhere in the Middle

By Seabreeze

A/N: Oh no! A Youkai! This is just like old times! * hugs first Inuyasha episodes * Oh, and the first part is general third person pov, but it goes back to Kagome after the little starry things.

Disclaimer: The usual, and "Somewhere in the Middle" belongs to Dishwalla.

*~*~*

Inuyasha felt the youkai coming at him- fast. Whatever it was, it had speed. He crouched and readied himself, unsheathing tetsusaiga. As the youkai approached, he saw that it was a giant snake-type thing. A poisoned, sickening, electric green in color, its eyes were burning red on its head and teeth the length of his arm gleamed shocking white. It lunged at Inuyasha, and he slashed tetsusaiga and jumped back, but it had stopped just in time.

"Inuyasha," it hissed, dragging out the last part of his name. He looked at it in disgusted surprise.

"Yeah? What's it to ya?" he snarled. The snake youkai stuck out its tongue, sniffing.

"You sent the girl into the woods. Smart, but not smart enough!" to his great surprise, the youkai hurled itself in the exact direction Kagome had run off.

"No you don't!!!!" Inuyasha yelled. He ran and jumped, landing on it's huge back and running until he was on top of it's head. "Who's in charge now?" he snickered, but the youkai shook it's massive head and he was thrown off.

"Damn," he muttered as it slithered in a rush past. He heard Kagome's terrified scream and flew in that direction. "KAGOME!!!!!!!!!!" he yelled.

*~*~*

I screamed bloody murder as a giant snake youkai came towards me.

"You are Kagome, you are the one she wants!" It hissed at me, and I tried my best to climb up the nearest tree.

"The one who wants?" I managed to yell down at my pursuer. It narrowed its eyes at me and lunged. Holy cow, that thing had big teeth! It only missed me because the attack freaked me out and I fell off my branch. I landed heavily and scrambled to get out of there, and fast, but there was a sharp pain in my left forearm. I bit my lip and suppressed a cry, but while I went through all this the snake youkai had found me. It reared up, and I curled up into a ball waiting for the strike to come. But it didn't. I looked up cautiously, and all I saw was red.

"Inuyasha," I whispered. He slashed the youkai across its right eye, momentarily blinding it. Turning, he scooped me up and onto the top most branch of the tallest tree in the area before jumping down again for another attack.

It really didn't take very long for him to finish it off. First he slashed the other eye, and then with numerous deep cuts, it was losing strength. As it died, Inuyasha stood before it with tetsusaiga ready.

"Who sent you?" he ordered. The monstrous snake opened it's mouth slightly.

"Kikyo. . ." it whispered, then shuddered and died. Inuyasha stood disbelieving for a moment, and then stuck the sword clear through it's head to make sure it was dead. He left it there (where it transformed back to it's regular state), and then leapt up to join me on the branch.

"Are you alright, Kagome?" he asked, concern filling his voice. I held my arm and nodded towards it.

"I think it's broken," I managed to squeak out. Inuyasha's concern rose.

"Does it hurt much?" he asked, moving closer to get a better look. I bit my lip and looked away, eyes filling with tears.

". . .no. . ." I lied weakly.

"Feh. Let me wrap it up." Inuyasha took off his outer kimono and then ripped off a sleeve of the inner one. Ripping it into long strips with his claws, he picked up a stick and looked at me. "This is going to hurt, Kagome. Whatever you do, don't sit me." I nodded and braced myself. Inuyasha set the stick against my arm, and then he quickly and tightly wrapped the strips around both the stick and my arm. With the first revolution of the cloth, I grabbed his shoulder with my good arm and gripped.

"Damn, woman! Your claws are almost worse than mine!" but he didn't falter in wrapping my arm. When he was done, I had to admit it felt good to have it so securely set.

"Thanks, Inuyasha," I said, releasing my grip from his shoulder. In his skin I could see five little grooves from my nails. I cringed. "Sorry about that." Inuyasha shrugged the outer kimono back on.

"It's nothing." He lifted my cautiously in his arms and jumped to the ground. He set me down and grabbed the sword from the youkai's head. I guess he just assumed we would be going back the way we had come, but my senses told me otherwise.

"Inuyasha. . .!" I began. He stopped and looked at me.

"Yes?"

"Something tells me that we should go the other way."

"You mean deeper into the woods?" he sounded shocked. I shrugged and nodded. Looking put out, he turned and walked ahead of me. "Come on, then," I followed.

"Kagome," he began after 3 hours of walking. I was startled, and he sounded like whatever he was going to say wasn't easy for him. "I'm. . . sorry. About the youkai. The one that. . . Kikyo sent." It was obviously an effort for him. I shrugged.

"You didn't send it, did you? You have no reason to be sorry." I explained logically. He still didn't seem persuaded, and I heard him mutter something under his breath.

"I have more than a few reasons to be sorry." He had said, and I wasn't meant to hear it. But I did. I debated whether or not to say anything about it, but after awhile it was too late.

*~*~*

"Inuyasha. . . I sense something." I said. He looked at me sharply.

"The shard?" he asked.

"I guess. . . it's far away, but since we started going this way it gets stronger and stronger."

"Hm."

*~*~*

tripping hard falling down onto the ground

cause I can't stand up

and I can't fall down

cause I'm somewhere in the middle of this

when you think it makes you angry

when I think I want you more and more and more

*~*~*