Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me
Chapter Thirteen: Dog Demons, Kitsunes, and Wolves, Oh My
October 12th
Kagome applied the healing balm that Kaede had given her before they began their journey several days ago. It was a routine now. Wake up. Put on the balm. Walk for a zillion hours. Put on the balm. Go to bed. Repeat.
The balm cooled her skin. And the stuff didn't smell bad either, a little like peppermint. Kagome couldn't figure out what the ingredients were, but she would bet that any of those bath shops back home would pay out the nose for the recipe. Plus the stuff worked like magic! The blisters were mostly healed. She could have stopped using the cream the day before, but it just smelled so darn good and made her skin so soft that she kept using it.
She could feel Inuyasha's eyes on her as she pulled on her socks and slipped her feet gingerly into her shoes. It was more than obvious that he was checking on her feet to see if they were okay, while trying to be totally unobvious. Every day he would offer to carry her. He said it was so that they could move faster, but Kagome had a sneaking suspicion that he worried about her feet. Sometimes she let pride get the better of her and was determined to walk on her own. Other times she gave in to the temptation of riding on his back, loving how fast he could run. The adrenaline rush was exciting!
Putting the balm into the pack she and Kaede had put together for her, Kagome smiled. It almost looks like my old backpack now. Kaede had given her a strange look when she described how she wanted her pack, but when it was finished the elderly lady smiled her approval at its practicality.
The red sleeves on the borrowed shirt were much too long for her, they made her feel like she was playing dress like she did when she was a child. She frowned. Wake up. Put on the balm. Walk for a zillion hours. Get covered in demon blood. Take a bath and wash my clothes AGAIN. Put on the balm…
"I swear he does it on purpose," she muttered as she tied her pack.
"Who does what on purpose?"
Kagome looked up and saw Inuyasha on the branch above her. It no longer surprised her when he popped out of nowhere Even though his super hearing no longer shocked her, it was still very impressive.
"Oh… nothing…."
He landed beside her and glared down at her. She almost smirked. There was nothing he hated more than her hiding things from him.
"Spit it out, wench."
Kagome's eyes narrowed and she glared back at him. "My name is NOT wench."
"Stop changing the subject. Who does what on purpose?"
Sighing and rolling her eyes, Kagome answered. "I was just saying that I think that YOU seem to get some sort of perverse pleasure out of trying to DROWN me in demon blood."
"Wha…?"
"Do you like seeing me get sick? Or…", she grinned wickedly as she struck what she hoped was a sultry pose. She had never been good at flirting, never had a reason to test out her skills before. But now… well, using them on Inuyasha was waaaay too much fun. "Or do you just like seeing me in your shirt?"
She knew that anything that even bordered on him having emotions, much less ones that involved females, would send him sputtering and flying off in a panic. And she was not disappointed.
To be fair, she rarely ever intentionally tried to embarrass him. Much. After some sputtering and a few curse words and lame excuses, Inuyasha was bounding away through the trees. Kagome didn't know where he went when he dashes off, but it usually took him a good half hour to an hour to come back, depending on how badly she embarrassed him.
Unless she called for help. Then he was back in moments. She briefly wondered if he had some sort of teleportation abilities he hadn't told her about. A month ago she would have thought she had been reading too much manga and watching too many science fiction movies, but now she wasn't too so sure that teleportation weren't possible. Here at least.
"Well," she said to herself as she bent down to pick up the bow that Inuyasha had found for her before they left the village, "Time for a little practice."
Kagome always preferred to practice shooting her bow and arrows when Inuyasha wasn't around to tease her about how bad she was at it. She was getting better though. Her last arrow almost made it to the tree she was aiming at. Inuyasha seemed to get great joy out of telling her about how great Kikyo had been with a bow and arrow. She didn't know if it was competitiveness or jealousy, but something in her drove her to improve.
I'm not jealous, I'm not jealous, I'm not jealous. It was her target practice mantra.
Before heading to the tree she had chosen as target practice, she went over to see if her clothes were dry yet. Even though Inuyasha's top covered as much as her skirt did, Kagome was infinitely more comfortable in her own clothes. When she wasn't wearing her uniform she began doubting if she would make it home, it made it seem like she had given up hope. It depressed her. Then Inuyasha gets irritable. Then they argue. Then they fight. Then Kagome has to apologize… and she REALLY hated apologizing for something that she didn't feel was her fault. Though since she traveled to Inuyasha's world, she has gotten a lot of practice at it.
So, to make a long story short, she just felt better, more like herself, when she wore her own clothes.
As she strung her bow and put the first arrow in the notch, she felt a chill go up her spine. I'm being watched. She closed her eyes. It's not Inuyasha. She didn't know how she knew it wasn't her dog-eared friend… but she knew. Biting her lip she debated on whether or not to call for help.
"Help!"
Kagome blinked. It wasn't her voice! She turned her head in the direction that she heard a young boy's voice.
"NOOOO!" the voice called out in pain.
Kagome grabbed her quiver of arrows and her bow and ran. She jumped over a fallen tree and dodged trees that almost seemed to be coming at her as she raced towards the sound. It sounds like a child!
It didn't take her long to come upon the clearing with two demons… three if you counted the little fox demon child who was cowering and crying behind the still body of an adult sized fox.
"Monsters!" the child screamed.
Kagome's heart bled for the child. The other fox must be a relative, most likely one of his parents.
"Foxfire!" Flames shot from the child and engulfed one of the two demons. But they only laughed.
"Another fox for my pelt, brother," the bald one said as the air crackled around him.
"No!" Kagome screamed as her arrow flew. She cried out in frustration when it fell short… by several yards. It did, however, take their attention off the fox child, so it wasn't a complete loss.
"A woman!"
"Let me have her, brother." Again the bald demon demanded from his more handsome, and more human looking sibling.
"The woman is mine. The fox kit is yours."
Kagome ran to the child and scooped him up in her arms. One glance over her shoulder let her know that there was no way that she was going to make it. The two demons were upon them. The fox child clung to her tightly, his tiny claws digging into her skin. With a quiet sob she crouched to the ground, shielding the child's body with her own, hoping to offer him some protection. She closed her eyes and waited for her death.
But it didn't come.
Instead there was a deafening roar behind her, then the now familiar spray of thick liquid against her skin. She smiled brightly. Inuyasha! She turned and froze.
"Who are you?" she asked the man standing over the bald demon. He was tall with long, dark hair pulled into a high pony tail. He had the bluest eyes she had ever seen. He was wearing fur and some type of armor around his chest and legs. And… …is that a tail?
He smirked. "I am Kouga, Prince of the Wolf demons."
"Thank you, Kouga, for saving our lives."
Kagome was about to step forward, but the bloodied demon began to move. And boy, was he mad. The air around him charged with electricity. He swiped at Kouga, but the wolf demon easily dodged the blow. He turned to give Kagome a grin before he kicked the demon in the jaw.
Since the demons obviously had their attention elsewhere, Kagome took the opportunity to run. She clutched the little fox close to her chest and bolted towards the trees. We can hide there!
A hand grasped her by the hair and yanked her off balance. The pain was intense, her scalp burned. It was the more human looking brother.
"Look what I caught, Manten," he said as he pulled Kagome towards him. "It is the prize you fought so hard for."
"Give her to me, Hiten!" The battle with Kouga was forgotten as the bald demon rushed towards the schoolgirl. "I claimed her first!"
Are they kidding me? What, are they five? Kagome kept the young demon she was protecting as hidden as possible. By the grip he had on her, he wasn't planning on letting her go any time soon. She hugged him close reassuringly. Inuyasha will come.
The blur of red and silver told her that she was right. Inuyasha was here. And he was livid. Just as Manten grabbed onto Kagome, he lost his head. Literally.
"Ewwwwww…." Kagome wrinkled her nose. Great, another bath today.
Of course, the brother left alive swore vengeance. His one mistake, however, was throwing Kagome violently against a tree. Before Kagome lost consciousness she heard the most vile curse words she had ever heard, and she could have sworn that Inuyasha's golden eyes turned blood red.
Then there was darkness. Again.
"Is she awake yet, kid?" Kagome heard Inuyasha ask.
"For the hundredth time, Inuyasha, NOT YET." She could feel something warm on her cheek. A hand? "Is she ok? She's been asleep for a long time." The tiny voice was sounding very worried.
"She's fine." The big voice sounded very worried too.
Kagome groaned. Her head felt like it was going to split open. She remembered hitting the tree, then wondered if maybe she did split her head open after all. That would explain why everyone sounded so worried.
"She's waking up!"
Kagome's eyes fluttered opened. She saw two pairs of worried eyes peering down at her. As soon as she could focus, Inuyasha sat up, made a gruff sound, and stared in the opposite direction.
"Told you she was fine," he said. He turned back to Kagome, with an expression that she could only compare with sad puppy eyes. "Are you okay?"
Kagome started to nod, but her head hurt too badly so she just grunted an affirmative. In fact, her whole body hurt. Is it possible to sprain your entire body? Luckily, however, nothing seemed to be broken. To add to her list of awful feelings, she also felt sick to her stomach, and hoped she didn't look as green as she felt.
For the first time she looked around, half expecting to see blood and gore. By now she should have known that Inuyasha would have moved her far away. She was lying under a beautiful shady tree… conveniently next to a hot spring. He really is thoughtful. She wouldn't tell him that though, he would just deny it and then be grumpy for the rest of the day. Still… it warmed her heart all the same.
Briefly she wondered what happened to the wolf demon, Kouga. He was forgotten the moment she felt the body of the fox demon child nestling into her arms.
"And who are you?" she asked gently as she gently combed the child's reddish hair with her fingers.
"I'm Shippo! You saved my life!" He went from smiles to tears in a heartbeat. She held him and let him cry. He might have been crying for her. He might have been crying for his lost parent. Or he might have been crying for himself. Kagome rocked him gently, tears streaming down her face as she tried to absorb his pain.
"I'll take care of you," she whispered.
