Rae sighed as she walked rather blindly through the forest. Darkness hid the tree roots from her sight, leaving her to hope that her foot wouldn't catch hold of one. Yet through all her inhibitions of not being able to see, Rae seemed to know where she was going. As if she had walked the path years and years ago. And many times before. Her bow remained lowered at her side like she had no fear of being attacked. Yet for safety and protection she kept it in her hands. Ready to be used if need should arise. The miko's brown eyes watched around her. By the feel of eyes upon her, she knew something was going on around her. She was being followed, but didn't know by who yet. And she wasn't the type of person to like not knowing who was walking "with her".
Inuyasha kept himself quiet. Rae after all, was just another human girl. It wasn't like she would actually know who was following her. Least of all hear him. She would never find out he was following her, ever. The hanyou narrowed his amber eyes as Rae slowly stopped walking. Standing there, her hair began blowing in the wind. IT was odd to him but, the way she stood with her eyes showing knowledge beyond her years; her lips seeming to lower at the corners as her worry showed. Her face seemed rather emotionless and yet searching for something or someone at the same time. Lightning flashed before his eyes as he could never stop staring at Rae.
It was the village about two years ago. Just before Rae had appeared the Sengoku Jidai era. It was as if Inuyasha was watching his past happen while being there. Like it was an outer body experience for him the whole time. Inuyasha now stood next to the Bone Eater's Well, and watched with rapt attention as he himself came in to view. His first instinct was to hide. For fear of being seen by his past self. Yet as the hanyou came closer towards him, he made no reaction to show that he even knew Inuyasha was really there to begin with. Inuyasha soon had no fear, and no doubt, of being crazy because his past self couldn't see him.
Or hear him he hoped. As the hanyou watched himself pace by the well, a breeze flowed through the area. Both hanyou's followed the scent of a woman the future Inuyasha never thought he'd be able to lay eyes upon again. Turning to catch one glimpse of her again, he felt a warm sting rise to his cheek. The pain slowly brought him out of his dreamlike state just as a red pant leg appeared from the shade of the trees.
"Itai!" Inuyasha cried as he awoke from his trance. Finding himself standing and staring off in to space. He jumped as he saw brown eyes stared at him in anger. "Why are you following me Inuyasha!" Rae asked sternly as she pinned Inuyasha against the nearest tree. "I'm not following you!" Inuyasha cried out in his defense as he gripped Rae's arms tightly and turned the tables; pinning her against the same tree, yet with more force than the girl had in her hold. "Bullshit!" Rae yelled as she struggled to get free. Yet would find it useless as Inuyasha forced his entire body against her just to pin her to the tree trunk. "Why would I follow you anyway. I have no reason to!" He slowly began releasing his pin. "You have no reason Inuyasha. But I do!"
Both Inuyasha and Rae snapped their attentions in the voice's direction. Evil laughter echoed around the pair as Inuyasha turned his back to Rae and pressed her closer to the huge tree trunk once again. The hanyou stood in a defiant and protective stance as his right hand slowly reached Tetsusaiga's hilt. "Naraku." Inuyasha whispered venomously as Rae looked to the trees to watch a man in a white baboon suit sit in a crouch on a large branch in front of both Inuyasha and Rae. "How kind of you to remember Inuyasha!" Naraku said in mock affection.
"Don't flatter yourself." The hanyou demanded as he gripped his sword's hilt tightly. His eyes held so much anger Rae noticed as she looked between the two men. Rae placed her hands against Inuyasha's back and stood very closely behind him. Her chest was up against his back as she hid herself behind the hanyou from Naraku's view. In a instinctual move, Inuyasha placed his left hand behind him, resting it against Rae's lower back. Puling her in to him even more so.
The feeling of him pressed against her seemed to ease his fear of her getting hurt. "You won't have her." Inuyasha's voice dropped to a dangerously low tone. Though his volume was lost, Naraku still heard it perfectly well. "I don't care if you said I could have her Inuyasha. I'm taking her no matter what." "Don't I have a say?" Rae asked angrily as she allowed Inuyasha to keep her behind, and against him.
"I wouldn't recommend it." Inuyasha said as Rae quieted down. Naraku laughed as the breeze began picking up. Slowly releasing Rae and pressing her against the tree once more, Inuyasha glared at Naraku. In those few quiet seconds as leaves flew past along the ground from Inuyasha's right to his left, Naraku laughed harder. Throwing his head back in unsuppressed glee. "Thank you for giving the girl to me hanyou." Said Naraku as brown, wooden tentacles lowered a struggling Rae from the top of the tree Naraku was so happily perched in. Her hands gripped the bindings till her knuckles were white.
Skeptical as to whether or not Rae was really taken or not, Inuyasha slowly turned to find a blank space between the tree, and him. "What the…?" He asked as he turned back to see Naraku trying to leave with Rae undetected. As if that would happen. With a growl of determination and anger, Inuyasha raced off after the pair. Leaping from tree to tree trying to catch Naraku.
"You bastard! Let me go!" Rae yelled as she kicked towards Naraku's face. Hoping that one kick would make this evil drop her. As Naraku slowly, he stopped and pulled her close. A hand slowly slid to her lower back, holding her entire body against him. His tentacles wrapping around both of him, making sure Rae wasn't going to be leaving any time soon. "No! I'm no whore for your pleasure." Rae yelled as a hand, pressed against Naraku's chest, glowed a bright blue. A large energy blast now burst forth from her hand. Throwing Naraku back against another tree. Tentacles and all.
Unfortunately at the same time, Rae lost her balance on the tree, and began hurdling back down towards the ground. Seconds after falling, which seemed like it was going to be a slow and long fall, strong arms wrapped around her body, and held her close to a strongly built frame. "Can't even protect yourself without a bow!" The hanyou complained as a large brown tentacle shot out from Naraku's darkened corner. Catching Rae directly in her right side.
Inuyasha watched as Rae went tense in his arms, now screaming in terrible pain as her hands wrapped around the stake now in her side. With a growl, his claws slashed off the tip of the tentacle, and set Rae down on another tree branch. Sitting in front of her, he quickly removed her hands, and pulled Naraku's "arm" from her side. Pulling back and towards the side, a small jewel was expelled from the wound. Shining as it made a slow free-fall towards the ground, Rae watched it carefully. That came from inside of me? I must be dreaming yet, there it is! Rae asked herself as Inuyasha landed on the ground holding a now bleeding Rae against him. Staring up at the glowing orb, Inuyasha quickly set Rae down as he reached for the jewel.
Yet a hand came in to his view, embracing the jewel in its grip. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion until evil laughter brought everything back to speed. "Naraku!" Inuyasha cried as his claws reached to slash the demon's arm off. Yet Naraku's own "Claws" streaked towards Rae again. Hoping to kill her completely this time around. Naraku's tentacles wrapped around Inuyasha and held him tightly against the ground. Held back, Inuyasha watched in horror as he realized he might not reach Rae to save her. Cowering, knowing that no one could help her, Rae hid her face in total fear as she knew she was going to die. Blood still flowing from her side.
A flash of blue bright illuminated the ground in front of Rae just before Naraku came in arms reach of the girl. Figuring that it was a trick, Naraku pushed his hands forward. As the wood touched the light, they disintegrated from view. Nothing broke through that barrier Rae seemed to have placed in front of her without actually knowing it. "Dammit! Well, doesn't matter." Naraku said as he pulled back, leaving Rae shivering and alive. "I still have what I came for. She'll have to wait." He said releasing Inuyasha quickly and taking off.
"No." Rae whispered softly as she reached her hand up after Naraku's retreating form. She didn't know why she wanted to jewel so badly, but she did and nothing was going to stop her from getting it. Rising to his feet, Inuyasha looked to a failing Rae, then back to Naraku. Sighing, he knew Rae was more important, and picked her up. They'd get the jewel later. A life was more important. "Rae, we can get it later." He whispered as Rae slowly nodded her head.
Rushing off, Rae held tight to the hanyou that embraced her closely. "Wait. My bow!" Rae yelled as Inuyasha stopped, picking up her bow. Allowing her to hold it, Rae strung an arrow upon the bow, and aimed to the side. A dark aura was radiating from the area. And she wasn't going to let it get away. Releasing the arrow, the tip sparked, and soon ignighted the entire arrow in a bright blue aura.
As it flew towards it's mark, a bright purple flash engulfed the forest area in a five mile radius all the way around. What seemed like shooting stars began streaking across the sky in multiple directions. Whatever had happened, did not give Inuyasha or Rae a good feeling about it. Something big had happened, and it had been Rae's arrow that caused it to happen.
Setting Rae down around the area they had seen the bright flash grow and die from, Inuyasha began looking around. Looking over to Rae to ask her what the hell had just happened, he watched her, in a vain attempt, hold a hand over her still bleeding wound. Blood dripping from under and over the top of her hand in slow drips. With a slow and regretful sigh, he removed his shirts, and ripped off a large strip of his undershirt. Wrapping it would her waist, it would stop the bleeding for a little while. But how long, he didn't know.
"Do you know what happened?" He asked her gently as she rose to her feet and looked around the area for her jewel. Seeing a glint of purple, she smiled brightly and walked over to it. Kneeling in the bushes to grab it. "I found the jewel!" She cried happily and stared at what seemed to be a single shard. Inuyasha walked up behind her and narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Is that what I think it is?" He said growing angry at the fact that he was going to lose what he had so badly desired to use to become a full fleged demon since his lover's passing.
"I think it's a shard of the jewel. It must've shattered when I shot my arrow." Rae explained as she looked sheepishly up at Inuyasha hoping that this wasn't going to upset him too much. Yet that was a vain wish as his eyes grew wide in shock. His yell now caused the birds to flee to the skies from their nests. "WHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!!!!!!"