CHAPTER FIFTEEN
*
Inuyasha could feel Kagome's fingers slipping through his silver hair, like tiny fish in a river. She was clinging to his bare chest and shoulders, like she did when she was frightened of something. But she wasn't frightened now. He could feel it, sense it, almost smell it, and Kagome's scent was almost making him feel drunk.
No one's ever touched me like this before, he thought. No one ever got this close to me. No girl... until I met Kagome...
Finally, he broke off the kiss with a gasp. "K-Kagome..." he said breathlessly.
Kagome's response was to rest her head on his shoulder. "Mm-hm?"
"You sure... you wanna do this?"
Kagome blinked. "Would I be here if I didn't?"
"I wanted to know... I mean, I wasn't sure...." Inuyasha said hesitantly. He could feel his knees starting to get shaky, and his clawed hands shivering on Kagome's shoulders. He wasn't sure why his heart was racing, as if he were afraid...
"Then you have plenty to learn," Kagome said, giving a lock of his white hair a tug. "Just stop being afraid...."
Inuyasha held her close as he slid to the floor with a rather unromantic thud. Hs back was to the wall, and his arms were still holding Kagome as gently as he could manage. He felt clumsy and awkward, like some naive whelp. But he didn't care any more. He wanted to stay in her arms for a long, long time -- as long as the violent, disrupted world outside would let him.
Some tiny, shrill, very annoying voice began to raise up all his old fears. Fears that he was somehow abandoning Kikyo -- no, he thought, better not think of her now. Fears that he would be alone again, that Kagome would cast him off for some human boy -- or some other demon. A demon like Koga, maybe. But he forced himself not to think of that.
She wouldn't be cruel, he thought, his claws digging into Kagome's school uniform. I won't believe it of her. She never would...
Inuyasha's golden eyes closed as they sank into another kiss, soft and sweet as a spring breeze. Kagome's hands began gently pushing him down the wall toward the floor, and Inuyasha made no move to stop her.
Then he stiffened as he smelled something else. Kagome's scent was gone, and in its place was something bitter, sharp, almost overpowering. His eyes flew open. I know that scent, he thought. I've smelled it before, when... dammit, NARAKU!
He flung Kagome away from him. "Ugh!" he groaned.
"What the -- what in the world is the matter with you?" Kagome cried, stumbling to her feet. "Have you lost it?"
Inuyasha crouched on the floor, breathing hard. His eyes were fixed on Kagome's flushed face. Her own scent was back now. He wondered, Did I just imagine smelling that? No, it can't be... I wasn't thinking about Naraku. I really did smell his scent.
He grimaced. "Kagome... tell me to sit."
"What?"
"I said tell me to sit!" Inuyasha grabbed his beaded rosary. "Do it now!"
A strange blank look had come over the girl's face. It was like her face -- Kagome's face -- was nothing more than a mask, with something lurking behind it. Dammit, Inuyasha thought, why didn't I see it sooner? He curled his clawed fingers. "You can't do it to me. You're not really Kagome, are you?" he said in a low voice. With a wordless snarl, he lunged toward her, his hand raised.
But the girl was faster. Her fist swung out and struck the wooden wall in a blaze of light, blinding Inuyasha for a moment. He stumbled to his knees, shielding his eyes from the light and the spray of broken splinters. When he opened his eyes, there was a gaping hole in the wall. And the girl was gone.
Inuyasha sagged down onto the floor for a moment, still breathing hard. I almost... we nearly... with that THING, he thought, repulsed. He wiped his mouth where she had kissed him.
A weariness crept into his heart as he thought over what had nearly happened. That was Kagome, he realized. That thing was using me in Kagome's form, trying to seduce me. Then she'd rip out my heart and leave me here. It's one of Naraku's little traps again. Like fifty years ago, with Kikyo...
Suddenly Inuyasha stiffened. "Kagome," he whispered. "If that thing took her place without anybody noticing, then that means... Kagome's in danger!" He snatched up his discarded robes and ran out of the hut.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
Inuyasha could feel Kagome's fingers slipping through his silver hair, like tiny fish in a river. She was clinging to his bare chest and shoulders, like she did when she was frightened of something. But she wasn't frightened now. He could feel it, sense it, almost smell it, and Kagome's scent was almost making him feel drunk.
No one's ever touched me like this before, he thought. No one ever got this close to me. No girl... until I met Kagome...
Finally, he broke off the kiss with a gasp. "K-Kagome..." he said breathlessly.
Kagome's response was to rest her head on his shoulder. "Mm-hm?"
"You sure... you wanna do this?"
Kagome blinked. "Would I be here if I didn't?"
"I wanted to know... I mean, I wasn't sure...." Inuyasha said hesitantly. He could feel his knees starting to get shaky, and his clawed hands shivering on Kagome's shoulders. He wasn't sure why his heart was racing, as if he were afraid...
"Then you have plenty to learn," Kagome said, giving a lock of his white hair a tug. "Just stop being afraid...."
Inuyasha held her close as he slid to the floor with a rather unromantic thud. Hs back was to the wall, and his arms were still holding Kagome as gently as he could manage. He felt clumsy and awkward, like some naive whelp. But he didn't care any more. He wanted to stay in her arms for a long, long time -- as long as the violent, disrupted world outside would let him.
Some tiny, shrill, very annoying voice began to raise up all his old fears. Fears that he was somehow abandoning Kikyo -- no, he thought, better not think of her now. Fears that he would be alone again, that Kagome would cast him off for some human boy -- or some other demon. A demon like Koga, maybe. But he forced himself not to think of that.
She wouldn't be cruel, he thought, his claws digging into Kagome's school uniform. I won't believe it of her. She never would...
Inuyasha's golden eyes closed as they sank into another kiss, soft and sweet as a spring breeze. Kagome's hands began gently pushing him down the wall toward the floor, and Inuyasha made no move to stop her.
Then he stiffened as he smelled something else. Kagome's scent was gone, and in its place was something bitter, sharp, almost overpowering. His eyes flew open. I know that scent, he thought. I've smelled it before, when... dammit, NARAKU!
He flung Kagome away from him. "Ugh!" he groaned.
"What the -- what in the world is the matter with you?" Kagome cried, stumbling to her feet. "Have you lost it?"
Inuyasha crouched on the floor, breathing hard. His eyes were fixed on Kagome's flushed face. Her own scent was back now. He wondered, Did I just imagine smelling that? No, it can't be... I wasn't thinking about Naraku. I really did smell his scent.
He grimaced. "Kagome... tell me to sit."
"What?"
"I said tell me to sit!" Inuyasha grabbed his beaded rosary. "Do it now!"
A strange blank look had come over the girl's face. It was like her face -- Kagome's face -- was nothing more than a mask, with something lurking behind it. Dammit, Inuyasha thought, why didn't I see it sooner? He curled his clawed fingers. "You can't do it to me. You're not really Kagome, are you?" he said in a low voice. With a wordless snarl, he lunged toward her, his hand raised.
But the girl was faster. Her fist swung out and struck the wooden wall in a blaze of light, blinding Inuyasha for a moment. He stumbled to his knees, shielding his eyes from the light and the spray of broken splinters. When he opened his eyes, there was a gaping hole in the wall. And the girl was gone.
Inuyasha sagged down onto the floor for a moment, still breathing hard. I almost... we nearly... with that THING, he thought, repulsed. He wiped his mouth where she had kissed him.
A weariness crept into his heart as he thought over what had nearly happened. That was Kagome, he realized. That thing was using me in Kagome's form, trying to seduce me. Then she'd rip out my heart and leave me here. It's one of Naraku's little traps again. Like fifty years ago, with Kikyo...
Suddenly Inuyasha stiffened. "Kagome," he whispered. "If that thing took her place without anybody noticing, then that means... Kagome's in danger!" He snatched up his discarded robes and ran out of the hut.
TO BE CONTINUED