Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters.
Kagome leaned back against the hut's rough wooden walls. A feeling of relief and security rushed through her just as exhaustion seemed to drain any probability of further movement. Thin rays of the sun's early dawn light slipped through the cracks in the walls, illuminating Inuyasha's strangely still face.
The hanyou's breath came in slow shallow breaths as though he were in a very deep sleep. The young girl stared at him for a few moments, too tired to feel anything but numb about the events of the previous day. Then in a sudden rush, a thick gloom settled over her. Kaede will be able to wake him, she thought with fierce desperation. And if she can't, if he never wakes up? a quiet voice whispered in the back of her mind.
Yesterday morning everything had seemed so normal. Shippo and Inuyasha had gotten into an argument about the usefulness of Kagome's bicycle while Sango fended off Miroku's wandering hands. Kagome had kept her chuckles silent as she attempted to keep peace among her motley band of friends.
She drifted slightly between sleep and consciousness for a long time, still too anxious to truly let her guard down. Last night had been one of the most difficult things she had ever had to endure. After Inuyasha had been sealed for the second time, Kagome had ran, carrying his unconscious body awkwardly on her back as Sango, Miroku, and Kirara had fought to give them time to escape.
Kagome knew enough of tracking to know that she had probably left a trail despite all the care she had taken. Running through water where ever she could, she had hoped it would be too fragmented for any pursuers. Once again, Naraku had pulled off a stunt that none of them would ever have expected.
The throb of hatred that Kagome felt anytime she thought of the twisted former man beat dully in her ears as she felt a few tears run unhindered down her cheek. He had cause so much pain. Inuyasha had lost Kikyo, Miroku had lost his father and soon his own life, and Sango had lost everything just so that Naraku could manipulate her.
With the anger rising in her, Kagome suddenly felt energy return to her sore limbs. He would not take Inuyasha away from them, from her. She would not let it happen. She stood and with a small grunt, hefted the limp hanyou on to her back. Kagome adjusted his weight before slipping out the small door of the hut.
She breathed a small prayer of thanks before returning to the refuge of the forest to whoever owned the hut that had sheltered them for most of the day. Kagome had quickly become very thankful of the woodsman's skills she had acquired during her sojourns through feudal Japan. Not so long ago, she would have been dead lost trying to get back to Kaede's village with an emphasis on dead.
Kagome was able to move with relative ease with Inuyasha on her back for a short while, but after a mile or two, her back began ache and her movements became clumsy. The sword Sango had lent her banged uncomfortably against her leg. She couldn't help thinking with a small rueful smile, I shall have to thank Inuyasha for all the times he has carried me on his back when he wakes up.
After almost three miles, Kagome was panting form exertion and completely soaked through from staggering down a shallow creek. Some of Inuyasha's silver hair had slipped over her shoulder and was tickling her neck and she could not free her hand to take care of the aggravating strand.
A few minutes of walking like this, Kagome suddenly dropped the limp hanyou on the bank with an aggravated snort. "Damn it, Inuyasha, even when you're unconscious, you are the most annoying person on this planet!" she yelled. As her angry voice echoed around the otherwise quiet forest, Kagome stood panting and glaring at his still form before she dropped down on the bank next to him.
Her face disappeared into her hands as her ragged breaths became sobs and Kagome fought for breath. Suddenly everything seemed so oppressive and she had no one to turn to for help or assurance. Slowly, Kagome forced herself to breathe evenly and deeply. That was why she had to be in control; there was no one else to do it. Inuyasha needed her to be strong and self reliant now, and she would not let him down.
With a glance at him, Kagome felt her lips twitch in a sad smile. She reached over and straightened his haori and tucked his long hair out of his face. The peaceful look on his face reminded her sharply of the first time she had seen him, pinned to a tree by Kikyo's arrow.
She was suddenly torn out of her thoughts by sounds of movement along bank opposite them. Jumping to her feet, Kagome quickly drew Sango's sword and held it awkwardly in front of her. It was heavier than she expected and to even hope to swing it with any sort of accuracy, Kagome had to hold it with both hands.
There was another rustle and then, from the undergrowth, a small bluish green, reptilian youkai emerged, baring its teeth and hissing menacing. That's what I get for yelling, she thought with a frown. It was probably only a foot high and half as wide, but Kagome knew better than to judge it solely on its size. Small youkai could be extremely poisonous or unusually fast.
I doubt I'll even be able to hit the thing, she thought desperately. Without warning the reptile like youkai leapt towards her face. Moving on instinct and panic alone, Kagome swung the sword in a clumsy arc. While she did miss, the youkai was forced to veer away and it landed neatly on Inuyasha's chest.
It took the frazzled girl a moment to register where the youkai was now hissing. With a yelp of surprise, she rushed forward and kicked the youkai this time. Using the sword, she felt she was more likely to lope off one of the hanyou's ears. The youkai apparently had not expected that as its eyes had remained on the sword and Kagome felt her foot connect.
Without her previous hesitation, Kagome rushed forward stabbing and hacking wildly at where the tiny beast had fallen. She realized she had closed her eyes for this and quickly opened them, feeling more than a little sheepish. Oi, Kagome! You're aim is bad enough with your eyes open! she could practically hear Inuyasha scoff.
However, when she finally did look down, the tiny youkai was quivering slightly, lying on its side with dark blood seeping from two wounds. With a gulp, Kagome stabbed down quickly into the thick vein of the creature's neck. Her stomach lurched in disgust, but she knew it was kinder to have just killed the thing and put it out of its misery.
She stood still for a moment looking at the thing's pitiful corpse before turning away again. She disliked killing anything, but she would have to protect Inuyasha for once. She cleaned the blade of the sword on the mossy bank before sliding it back into its sheath.
We have lingered here too long, she thought as she again swung Inuyasha onto her back and gripped his legs with her hands. With a sigh and a lonely feeling in the pit of her stomach, Kagome continued her trek down stream toward Kaede's village.
A/N: Ok, I know the first chapter is pretty dull and you probably don't have a real clear idea of what's going on but never fear. All that shall be remedied in the second chapter. To avoid confusion and making myself look bad, I have decided not to put the different endings on people's names like –chan. I would probably get confused and if you've only seen the dubs, it might be confusing. Also I've only seen through the second season and a few random episodes on CN so it's quite possible and very probable that I'll get something wrong. If I do, please tell me. It makes my day to get a review with some sort of content. (It makes my day to get any kind of review at all though.)