Disclaimer: I don't down Inuyasha and characters in this story.

Chapter 5 – A Taste at Protection

The look the hanyou had given her surfaced again and again in her mind as the scenes of the movie glided before her eyes unnoticed. His eyes were hard, lips forming a tight line, the cold, threatening glare he had given to Hojou.. like that of a wolf guarding his den.

"I will come back.. for you."

Kagome suppressed a shudder. Inuyasha was creepy, she decided, almost scary even.. the way he always seem to appear when she least expects it. What had stopped her dagger from finding its way into his throat, she wasn't sure, though it was improper, she knew, as a hunter, she had sworn to exterminate any youkai that crossed her path. But there was something that stopped her again and again from tracking the hanyou down.

But what?

She shivered, fully aware of the sudden rush of coldness that had sped down her spine. Inuyasha! It was her first thought, the creep had somehow followed her into the cinema without her noticing.

Eyes darted around the darkness about her, hoping to catch some sort of movement that gave the presence of the hanyou away. Yet there was nothing, no golden eyes watching her, no silver hair glowing in the faint light of the cinema. Still, the alarm was there and she knew something had not been right, an instinctive feeling that she was not about to ignore.

"Uh..Hojou?" the next minute, Kagome was prodding Hojou, who was rather absorbed into the movie. "I, um.. have to go."

"What's wrong?" came the concerned voice, Kagome could see his face falling a little in the darkness. "You don't like the movie?"

On the screen, the protagonists were kissing passionately. "No, no," she protested, feeling mildly reddened with embarrassment. "The movie's fine, but I just remembered that there was something important that I need to do."

"Oh, ok ", He replied softly. "I wait for you then."

Kagome smiled in appreciation, Hojou was nice, but there was really no need to wait for her, though she decided against telling him that.

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Kagome relied purely on the foreboding feeling that seemed to direct her through the twists and turns of the alleys, occasionally leading her into wider streets. The sinking feeling continued to grow in the pit of her stomach as the streets became familiar to her, a fragment of memory in her mind.

Area four

A sanctuary that she had found at a small age, a place that was relatively free of the subjects of her nightmares. Youkais.. she had been terrified of youkais back then, demons and flames that repeated itself as she drifted into the subconscious every night, that which rouse her in her bed, sweating and weeping. Childhood had been hard for her, she who feared the presence of creatures that she must live to hunt.

Back then, area four was the place which she had no need to fear whilst wandering through its streets, day or night. It was a place where she and Sango went constantly. Though she knew very well that to her friend, this place was no different to other areas in the city, Sango was different, Sango was a born Hunter.

Yet now, as she watched the dark alley rising before her, the sense of dread expanded, begging her to turn back to the brilliant lights of the open streets that warded off shadows. She knew exactly why she was here now and her blood froze at the very thought.

"Who is the target?"

"A rogue youkai in area four"

It can't be. An image of Sango, torn and bleeding came to her mind. Kagome shook her head, as though attempting to fling the thought away. Sango could take care of herself, Miroku and her had taken on plenty of strong youkais and came back without a scratch, what could a rogue youkai do to them?

She took a single step onto the damp ground of the entrance, her surrounding filled with a thick silence. It was too quiet, Kagome realised, the fight must have been over already. She stood still, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dimness and watched as two figures blurred from the shadows and solidified before her eyes.

Sango?

The two were in an upright position by the wall, the one pinned against the stone was very muscular, blades extruded from its shoulder and elbows, scraping against the wall as the hand on its throat tightened its grip.

The other..

Raven black hair crested down the slender shoulders of the second figure, covering the side of the face so that Kagome couldn't identify who it had been in an instant. But other evidence where there, the Hunter gears strapped around the waist, the black fabric of the hunting suit slightly ripped, exposing the hint of blood underneath.

"San..go.."

The figure turned to her in response, eyes widened with surprise as though she had just noticed Kagome's presence. Green eyes, Kagome noted with dread, instead of the deep black, Sango's eyes were a shade of eerie green where the pupils became slits, the that of a cats as she faced the brighter streets.

"Sango," she whispered, as though trying to convince her self that the youkai before her was really the friend that she grew up with.

"Kagome?" A surprised voice and Kagome noticed the pair of white, sharply pointed fangs revealed from Sango's slightly opened mouth. Nails that were longer, curved and sharpened until it almost seemed like claws loosened around the other youkai and Kagome watched it crumble onto the ground.

Sango..

Two conflicting instincts, one urging her to prepare to attack and the other, the part of her that had always trusted in the older Hunter resisted, refusing to see her friend as one of the hunted, one of the enemy. Black bangs fell across her eyes as she slowly lowered her head, hands clenched by her side.

It had hurt..

Green eyes gazed at her gently and Kagome heard the familiar whisper from the older girl. "I'm sorry.."

She raised her eyes to Sango, her vision blurred and she felt the warmth of her tears in her eyes, down her cheek. Then instantly, the older Hunter was there, hand against her shoulder in the comforting way as she had always done every time Kagome woke from her nightmares crying. It was then that the last of the doubt was shed, even if she had to break the promise of the Hunter, she would never be able to hurt Sango.

She would never be able to hunt a friend..

And Kagome knew that Sango would do the same..

It would be alright to just lie once.. right? Kagome forced a sad smile, she would make one little exception this time..

Suddenly, her trained eyes caught movement behind Sango's turned back and a huge form rose from the ground. The youkai! It's not dead! Her mind screamed as her eyes follow its movements that became a deadly blear. "Sango!" The warning rushed from her mouth, yet the youkai was now meters in front of her, curved claws raised to strike. Instinctively, Kagome reached out for the older girl, pushing her away from the path of the youkai.

A splash of red rose before her eyes, simultaneous with a sickening sound of claws connecting with flesh. A spurt of blood came from the wound, mixed with the black fluid of the youkai, splattering her.

For a moment, the world was still, through the red, Kagome could see iridescent silver hair billowing down the back of a familiar red haori. "I.. Inuyasha!" She cried.

Standing before her, shielding her with his body, was the hanyou. Slowly, he turned, meeting her with a pair of stunning golden eyes.

"It's.. the first time you have called me by name," he murmured. "I'm ..glad".

With that, he passed into a dead faint.

*~*~*~*

End of chapter 5 – A Taste at Protection

*~*~*~*

AN: had to fix most of this chapter and hopefully, it sound more right now.

Now for everyone why guessed Sango was a youkai, you were absolutely right!

LuckyInu17: Confusion is k, it'll clear up pretty soon

Demongirl6381: ^_^

Brie: I don't think she minds it 'too' much, so I'll let her keep the mark for a while just for fun.

Sashlea: … how old is Sango..? Pretty old, let's just say youkais have their ways to hide themselves so that people can't really tell her age.

Nishigirl: Yes, you were right able Inuyasha's past. ^_^