Third Time's A Charm- Chapter One
5 years later.......
Smoke rose from the already fallen homes coating the sky like thunder clouds turning the would-be, sunny afternoon day dark. The echoing crash of huts being destroyed rang over the village and through the trees like thunder, blending with the shrill harmony of screams and cries.
Inuyasha jumped backwards out of the way to avoid the downward slash of a claw, his dodge moving him back to perch atop a hut roof. He glanced behind him at the mass of villagers huddled back and bit back a snarl of annoyance.
"What are you waiting for!? Run!" These words echoed by another dodge as the huge scorpion whipped its tail out. His warning cost him however because the poisonous tip of the thing's tail raked across his chest.
He groaned as he landed, lifting a hand to lie on his chest then looked down at the blood that stained his fingers. "Damn." He straightened and unsheathed the Tetsusaiga and winced. His chest was hurting and his arms felt like they were begging to go numb. "Damn. It poisoned me." He took his stance as best he could as the huge scorpion demon circled around again. "I've had just about enough of you!" He braced himself then lunged forward bringing the Tetsusaiga down sharply "Tetsusaiga!" falling forward through a rain of crimson demon parts as the creature was sliced neatly in half, landing behind it.
His arms dropped, the sudden weight of the sword on numbing hands bringing him to his knees. His body shuddered involuntarily. His eyesight was blurring lightly, while he could still see the edges of everything seemed to be fuzzy and shadows where closing in on everything in the corner of his eye. He couldn't stand again and apparently the villagers had taken his advice and fled because for a long time there was nothing but the crackle and pop of fires on the straw roofs of the huts.
And then the soft, crunching sound of feet and the image of blue and white cloth filled his vision. There was the soothing tones of a soft voice but Inuyasha couldn't make out the words, as if the speaker were far off. The sound stopped and then there was the gently touch of a hand against his cheek and that was the last thing her remembered before darkness took him.
The snap of a fire near his ear. Close enough that he could feel the scorching heat, and sweat had sprung up on the tiny hairs of his neck. Was he still in the village? He let his senses drift. Trees, lots of trees, and dirt and the sharp musk of feral animals. He was in a forest. That gave him some comfort. There was the sound of muffled movement, the whisper of hair against flesh. The smell of the fire and then, beyond that, the soft scent of Sakura blossoms and cinnamon.
"You're awake." The voice was gentle, laced with amusement.
Inuyasha flinched in surprise, cursed himself, then opened his eyes slowly but didn't sit up. He still wasn't sure if he could. He was far away enough from the other person there that he could see her. Her satin black hair, like spun shadows fell over her back to her thighs, tied midway with a strip of white cloth. She wore a white hakama with blue at the bottom of both legs, and a speckled blue pattern across it, a white blouse tucked into the top of them with a blue obi tied around her waist. She was standing infront of the fire with his robe holding it near the flames.
His mouth worked before he could stop it. "Kikyou....Kagome." And he shut his eyes against the wash of pain. When he opened them again she was looking at him and he was started to find she had soft summer blue eyes. Her skin was pale and her face delicate but her stubborn chin and pointed nose kept her from being pretty.
"You can sit up." She said lightly. "The poison is subdued." She looked away again, shaking the robe once then holding it still again. "For now." Inuyasha moved his arms a bit then his legs before sitting up slowly. A smirk of amusement curled her lips. "Told you."
"Who are you?" He growled warily, she was a human, he could tell that but he knew well enough the humans could be dangerous as well.
"Your robe was a mess. It took a bit of scrubbing to get it clean." She backed away from the fire finally and held the robe out to him with a hand. He hesitated a moment then took it, sniffed the thing once. It had the same scent that she did, sakura and cinnamon, under her patient gaze he tugged it on slowly.
"Who are you?" He asked again after a moment of silence in which they examined each other again.
"I'm called Akari." She glanced back through the trees. "You saved that village."
"Yea..." his ears twitch with annoyance at her elusive manner.
She looked back at him again as if sensing his irritation and smiled a bit. "You were poisoned by the scorpion. But I suppose you knew that already."
He laid a hand on his chest and could feel the rustle of bandages beneath his shirt. "You healed me."
Her smiled deepened, almost wickedly. "Not exactly."
His eyes flashed her way. "What do you mean?"
"I mean...that what I gave you slowed the action of the poison but did not remove it or render it harmless. And there are two reasons for that." She said, holding up two slender fingers. "Reason one is because the medicines I have with me can only slow it, the antidote is at my village."
Inuyasha watched her, his instincts warning him. "And the second reason?"
"We'll get to that in a moment. What the first reason mean, however is that you'll have to journey with me, back to my home in order to get the antidote or else you will die."
Inuyasha watched her warily. "You're saying you're willing to save my life."
She nodded once. "Yes."
"Why?"
She smiled. "And here we have the second reason. In return for the antidote I want something from you as well."
Inuyasha growled. "I should have known. All right then. Just what do you want in return for saving me life."
She grinned. "One night Inuyasha."
He blinked. "Pardon."
She moved closer and her scent overpowered him, blocking out the spicy scent of the fire and the pine fragrance of the forest both. "As payment for the antidote I get one night with you. One night with you...in my bed."