CHAPTER TWO

*

Deep in the forests, dark branches hung over a still, crouched form. The human boy lay with his head pillowed on his arms, and his long legs dangling off the broad bough. At a distance, the only thing that could be seen of him was his bright red clothing.

Inuyasha rolled onto his side, annoyed.

Everything about him seemed to change except his clothes. His skin darkened, and his hair and eyes turned completely black. Except for the fire-rat clothes, he could have passed for an ordinary human when this happened to him. But he could feel changes inside him as well. He didn't hear as well, could barely smell at all. And he hated how weak it made him feel. It was like almost all his physical strength was sapped away.

He had kept it a secret from everyone for years, even from Myoga. And that nosy little flea thought he knew everything about me, Inuyasha thought darkly. Now he felt a little uneasy about all these people knowing just what happened when the moon was dark.

Granted, four wasn't such a high number. But the thought of Naraku, Sesshoumaru or some other opponent of his finding out made him cold all over. It would just take one slip of the tongue, and they would all be in jeopardy.

He let his hand drop to the Tetsusaiga. And I can't use this either, he thought darkly.

He lay back on the branch and watched the stars. He'd spent many nights like this, dozing uneasily in the treetops on whatever secure branches he could find. If he got hurt as a human, it wouldn't heal as quickly. He could go back to Kaede, but he didn't want the old woman looking at him after he had transformed. It would be like walking into the village naked.

He hear a rustling in the distance, and automatically sniffed the air. Then he grimaced. "Probably just a fox or somethin'," he murmured, closing his eyes. But he didn't sleep.

Then he stiffened, sitting up in the dark night. His breath caught in his throat.

*

"I wish I had night vision goggles," Kagome muttered, pushing a tangle of reeds out of the way.

Without the moon's light, the path ahead of her was a streak of darkness in the middle of dark blotches. Kagome clutched at tree branches, finding her way through touch rather than sight.

It was times like this that made Kagome wish she had Inuyasha's ears, nose and eyes. A willow branch scraped along her cheek, making her wince. He could sleepwalk through the woods if he had to.

I wonder if I'll bump into Inuyasha out here, she thought.

She dismissed the idea. Even if he saw me, which he probably couldn't, he'd never see me if he could help it, she thought. The thought irritated her. It wasn't like anything embarrassing or ugly happened to him. He was still cute, in a different way, when he was human.

"He can be so weird sometimes," Kagome said to no one. "It's not like he has anything to be scared of."

The only answer was a faint hoot from somewhere in the trees.

"Same to you," Kagome said.

She switched on her flashlight and kept going. The thin beam bobbed unsteadily as she shone it over the path to the river. As the sound of rushing water reached her ears, she sighed. Finally. Now all she had to do was pick the flowers and get back to Kaede's hut before they sent out search parties.

Then she stopped short. She could hear something.

Kagome swung the beam around at the bushes. "Inuyasha?" she called. "Is that you?"

The response made her freeze in her steps. It was a low, whistling breath that twisted into a wheezy chuckle. And what was worse, Kagome could hear something moving through the bushes. The basket fell from her hands as she turned and began to run. Something dark and fast-moving was racing up behind her. Suddenly a sharp blow threw her to the ground, knocking the flashlight away.

A pair of crushingly-strong hands grasped hers. Kagome caught a glimpse of red, glowing eyes against the dark sky. And she could tell that it had fangs... really, really long ones.

As it dove toward her throat, she broke the near-silence with a shriek: "Inuyasha!"

TO BE CONTINUED