CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
*
Kagome rubbed the sore spot on her cheek. Her stomach felt twisted and sick, and his cold words were spinning in her head. Inuyasha's eyes were like a pair of polished pebbles, golden and hard. It was an expression that Kagome had never seen before... but then, he had never hit her before either. Not even a swat.
He's going to kill me, she thought frantically. She could see it in his expressionless face.
Suddenly Kagome turned and ran toward her bow and arrow. They were still on the ground -- if she could reach them, Inuyasha couldn't harm her. But as her hand closed on the bow, she froze. What if... someone is trying to make me do this? Does someone -- the person who made Inuyasha act like this -- want me to shoot him? she thought. I can't... I couldn't do that...
Suddenly Inuyasha's hand grasped her wrist. "Oh no, you don't," he whispered in her ear.
Kagome squealed and tried to push him away. But suddenly his arm was locked around her waist, and she was being lifted off her feet. Kagome kept shouting and kicking, punching Inuyasha in the gut with her free hand. It didn't seem to hurt him. He just looked down at her, as if he were disgusted. "Boy, you really don't have anything worthwhile except seeing shards," he said contemptuously.
Inuyasha slammed Kagome back against a tree trunk, his hands pressing her shoulders back. Kagome blinked away tears, and brought up the last weapon she had. "SIT!" she shouted.
Nothing happened.
Kagome was too shocked to say a word. Then, "SIT!"
Inuyasha smirked coldly. "Too bad it ain't workin', huh?" he said. "Be a good little girl and stop fighting me, okay? Maybe I won't hurt you... too much."
Desperately, Kagome did the first thing she could think of: She hit Inuyasha. Her fist smacked into his jaw, snapping his head to the side. Both of them were too shocked to speak for a moment. Then Inuyasha slowly turned back to look at her, his eyes blazing with rage. "You... are DEAD," he snarled through his fangs.
He raised his hand -- this time with claws. Kagome flinched, sure that he was about to rip off her head--
"KAGOME!"
A blur of red and white slammed into Inuyasha, throwing Kagome to the ground. She wiped dust and tears out of her eyes -- and froze when she saw Inuyasha facing off against... himself. There were two identical boys a little distance away -- dog ears, white hair red clothes, beaded necklaces, battered swords. They were growling and glaring at one another, each one ready to spring. Then one of them turned and vanished into the woods, running faster than Kagome had ever seen a demon go before.
Kagome was too shocked to say a word. Then... that wasn't really Inuyasha? she thought, putting a hand over her mouth.
The remaining boy -- Inuyasha, straightened up and looked over at her. "Kagome, are you all right? What happened?"
"Inu... yasha..." Kagome stumbled toward him and threw her arms around him. After a moment of hesitation, he hugged her back. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, but she still said, "I knew it wasn't you! I knew you couldn't say those things to me and mean it!"
"What things?" Inuyasha said angrily. "What did that bastard say to you?"
"Th-that you just wanted me for the jewel shards, that I was useless without them... that once we had the shards you were just going to take them. He... he said that... and I knew that... you wouldn't say that..."
Rage rose up in Inuyasha again. That slut had been bad enough, but that bastard with Inuyasha's own face had tried to poison Kagome's mind against him, make her believe that he was just using her. He held her a little tighter, gritting his teeth. He didn't smell any blood on her body. But she had been harmed anyway.
It was a little ironic. He had thought he was holding Kagome before, comforting her -- and that girl had turned out to be one of Naraku's rotten offspring. But this... this was the real Kagome! I'd stake my life on it, he thought. It wasn't just the smell -- it was the way she was hanging on to him, the look on her face when she had seen him squaring off against that lookalike who had been trying to harm her.
Naraku, he thought, his face shifting into a snarl. He tried to trick Kagome the same way he did with me and Kikyo fifty years ago. If I hadn't smelled that girl's real scent, Kagome might be dead now.... and she'd think I had done it. Kagome... I'll do better for you than I was able to do for Kikyo.
"Inuyasha?" Kagome whispered.
"Yes?" he said quietly.
"Your clothes are inside out."
Inuyasha almost dropped her on her backside. Quickly he tore off the top half of his clothes, turned them right side out, and slipped back into them. He could feel himself blushing. Never mind, there'll be plenty of time to tell her what almost happened... later, he thought. Once those doubles are turned into carrion!
"Come on!" Inuyasha snatched up Kagome's bow and quiver in one hand. "On my back. Naraku's going to get his!"
TO BE CONTINUED
*
Kagome rubbed the sore spot on her cheek. Her stomach felt twisted and sick, and his cold words were spinning in her head. Inuyasha's eyes were like a pair of polished pebbles, golden and hard. It was an expression that Kagome had never seen before... but then, he had never hit her before either. Not even a swat.
He's going to kill me, she thought frantically. She could see it in his expressionless face.
Suddenly Kagome turned and ran toward her bow and arrow. They were still on the ground -- if she could reach them, Inuyasha couldn't harm her. But as her hand closed on the bow, she froze. What if... someone is trying to make me do this? Does someone -- the person who made Inuyasha act like this -- want me to shoot him? she thought. I can't... I couldn't do that...
Suddenly Inuyasha's hand grasped her wrist. "Oh no, you don't," he whispered in her ear.
Kagome squealed and tried to push him away. But suddenly his arm was locked around her waist, and she was being lifted off her feet. Kagome kept shouting and kicking, punching Inuyasha in the gut with her free hand. It didn't seem to hurt him. He just looked down at her, as if he were disgusted. "Boy, you really don't have anything worthwhile except seeing shards," he said contemptuously.
Inuyasha slammed Kagome back against a tree trunk, his hands pressing her shoulders back. Kagome blinked away tears, and brought up the last weapon she had. "SIT!" she shouted.
Nothing happened.
Kagome was too shocked to say a word. Then, "SIT!"
Inuyasha smirked coldly. "Too bad it ain't workin', huh?" he said. "Be a good little girl and stop fighting me, okay? Maybe I won't hurt you... too much."
Desperately, Kagome did the first thing she could think of: She hit Inuyasha. Her fist smacked into his jaw, snapping his head to the side. Both of them were too shocked to speak for a moment. Then Inuyasha slowly turned back to look at her, his eyes blazing with rage. "You... are DEAD," he snarled through his fangs.
He raised his hand -- this time with claws. Kagome flinched, sure that he was about to rip off her head--
"KAGOME!"
A blur of red and white slammed into Inuyasha, throwing Kagome to the ground. She wiped dust and tears out of her eyes -- and froze when she saw Inuyasha facing off against... himself. There were two identical boys a little distance away -- dog ears, white hair red clothes, beaded necklaces, battered swords. They were growling and glaring at one another, each one ready to spring. Then one of them turned and vanished into the woods, running faster than Kagome had ever seen a demon go before.
Kagome was too shocked to say a word. Then... that wasn't really Inuyasha? she thought, putting a hand over her mouth.
The remaining boy -- Inuyasha, straightened up and looked over at her. "Kagome, are you all right? What happened?"
"Inu... yasha..." Kagome stumbled toward him and threw her arms around him. After a moment of hesitation, he hugged her back. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, but she still said, "I knew it wasn't you! I knew you couldn't say those things to me and mean it!"
"What things?" Inuyasha said angrily. "What did that bastard say to you?"
"Th-that you just wanted me for the jewel shards, that I was useless without them... that once we had the shards you were just going to take them. He... he said that... and I knew that... you wouldn't say that..."
Rage rose up in Inuyasha again. That slut had been bad enough, but that bastard with Inuyasha's own face had tried to poison Kagome's mind against him, make her believe that he was just using her. He held her a little tighter, gritting his teeth. He didn't smell any blood on her body. But she had been harmed anyway.
It was a little ironic. He had thought he was holding Kagome before, comforting her -- and that girl had turned out to be one of Naraku's rotten offspring. But this... this was the real Kagome! I'd stake my life on it, he thought. It wasn't just the smell -- it was the way she was hanging on to him, the look on her face when she had seen him squaring off against that lookalike who had been trying to harm her.
Naraku, he thought, his face shifting into a snarl. He tried to trick Kagome the same way he did with me and Kikyo fifty years ago. If I hadn't smelled that girl's real scent, Kagome might be dead now.... and she'd think I had done it. Kagome... I'll do better for you than I was able to do for Kikyo.
"Inuyasha?" Kagome whispered.
"Yes?" he said quietly.
"Your clothes are inside out."
Inuyasha almost dropped her on her backside. Quickly he tore off the top half of his clothes, turned them right side out, and slipped back into them. He could feel himself blushing. Never mind, there'll be plenty of time to tell her what almost happened... later, he thought. Once those doubles are turned into carrion!
"Come on!" Inuyasha snatched up Kagome's bow and quiver in one hand. "On my back. Naraku's going to get his!"
TO BE CONTINUED