Disclaimer - We do not own Inu Yasha or any of its affiliates. However, when we do
accrue a mass amout of money, it will be on our list of things to buy following our
own private island, an army of manslaves, several other anime, and Heero Yuy's Wing Gundam.
Wufei: ::gawks:: Why would you want his Gundam? Mine is soo much better!
Nataku-chan - Oh, we like yours, too. It's #4 on our list of Gundams to buy.
Wufei - ::scandalized:: #4?? After who?
Miss Chang Po - ::takes out a list:: Well, first there's Wing Gundam (EW version,
mind you), then there's Domon Kasshu's Burning Gundam. ::Wufei makes a squaw-king sound:: After that, there's George du Sand's Gundam Rose (it's cute!). And
then your Shenlong ties for fourth place.
Wufei - Unacceptable! Who could I have possibly tied with?!!
Nataku-chan - Sai Saishi's Dragon Gundam. ::Wufei looks petrified:: Uh.. Wufei?
::taps him:: You okay there? Wufei...?
Chapter 10
It seemed as though, after several no-shows, Lady Luck had finally decided to
make an appearance. After leaving that nasty incident in front of Kaede's hut,
Kagome had pedaled as fast as she could from the village, not once looking back.
She'd made a pit stop by the well to pick up a few things (AN: How many more
things could she possibly need?) from her time. Fortunately, her family had been out
of the house at the time, so she hadn't had to make any excuses for her puffy, red
eyes and tear-stained cheeks.
Once she had gathered everything she required she made a hasty retreat back
towards the well, instantly forgetting that there was no irate hanyou there to greet
her.
'That's right…' Kagome told herself. 'He told me not to come back…He obviously thinks so little of me…' Shutting the door to the well house, she stared down into the dark portal that would send her back into time. Gripping the ledge, an errant thought entered her mind - what if she didn't return?
"No!" A stab of pain seized her as the thought of a lifeless Inu Yasha entered her
mind. 'How could I even consider that?!' "I don't care what happens to me! I won't
let Inu Yasha down!" Without another thought, she secured her pack, hoisted herself over the ledge and dove in. Only one thought raced across her mind.
'Inu Yasha… I won't let you die!'
~~~
Kirara flew along at a casual pace. To those standing in the forest below, it
would have looked as if she were leaping from treetop to treetop. However, those
riding her knew better.
Shippo, who had been napping in between Sango and Kirara's shoulder blades,
opened his eyes groggily. He glanced around at their surroundings, a frown passing over his cherubic features.
"Something wrong, Shippo?" asked Miroku, having noticed the kitsune's sudden movements.
"Haven't we flown over this spot before?" he asked, a hint of suspicion in his tone.
Sango tensed slightly, though she did not look down to meet his gaze. "What
makes you ask that?"
"I remember that tree," the kitsune explained. "It was all old and wrinkly - it
reminded me of that youkai we faced that one time, the one called Urasue. (AN:
Man, was she uuuugly!) 'Cept I noticed it coming from the other direction."
The two humans in his company exchanged glances.
"We're going in circles, aren't we?" he exclaimed. There was only silence. "Well?"
Miroku sighed. "This is perhaps the third time we've passed this particular spot, Shippo." The kitsune made a gawking sound. "We're not lost… we're merely…"
"Trying to figure out which way Kagome went," the kitsune finished sagely. The
frown in his face however indicated that he did not approve.
"We're only concerned about Kagome-chan," Sango replied. "We just want to
make sure she's safe."
"I know that," Shippo replied crossly. "But am I the only who heard Kagome say
she wanted to do this on her own?"
There was a startled silence. "You don't want to look for her?"
"'Course I do, ya kidding?" Shippo craned his head to frown at the two adults. "But
I also understand that Kagome's trying to prove something to herself - it wouldn't be
right for us to betray her wishes, even if we are worried. We have to trust her.
Besides, we have our own mission to worry about!"
"You're right, Shippo." Sango admitted solemnly. "I suppose Kagome has been
feeling a bit under-appreciated."
Miroku nodded. "Shippo, I do believe that's the most mature thing I've ever heard
out of your mouth," he replied. "Are you certain that you aren't older than you're
letting on?"
The kitsune smirked haughtily. "Hey, age isn't everything you know." he countered. "Just 'cuz you're old doesn't mean you're smart."
"That's true…"
"I mean… look at Inu Yasha fer cryin' out loud! He's older than both of you put together…" (AN: Just how old is Shippo anyways?)
"Shippo…"
"Well, it's true!"
All that was heard in return was a collective sigh.
~~~
It was nearing nightfall before Kagome had reached the farthest end of the Sacred Forest. The adrenaline that had been fueling her had run out, leaving her completely exhausted and without a place to camp for the night.
"Great, just great…" she murmured. "My first day of independence and I'm already screwing up."
The disembodied head of Inu Yasha appeared floating before her, taunting her shamelessly. ~ "Don't be ridiculous," ~ he replied with a short bark of laughter.
~ "Of course you're weak; you'll come crawling back before the week is done." ~
With a resigned sigh, she swatted the image away, pedaling along with no
destination in mind. Little did she know that she wasn't alone.
The wheel of her bicycle hit a rock, sending the young miko tumbling to the ground
with a soft thud. Pinned underneath by the weight of her pack she huffed indignantly, blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face. "Well… I guess I'm camping here tonight…"
Inu Yasha would have laughed if he could see her, she was sure of it! The very
thought brought tears to her eyes. He'd think her a joke and never let her do any-
thing on her own again! "This is ridiculous!" she exclaimed. "Can this day get any worse!"
"Good evening, miss." Kagome looked up into a pair of beady eyes scrutinizing
her with a look that was none too comforting.
She blinked, noticing he was not alone. Skinny and dirty, he was flanked by to ox-
ish looking fellows who looked just as, if not more shady than he did. "Uhm, hi…"
she managed, fearing her voice would reveal her nervousness if she said too much.
"We saw you traveling on this… weird contraption of yours and wondered what a beautiful young woman was doing by herself at an hour like this?" replied the first
man. Two more men appeared out of the darkness at the mentioning of a beautiful woman. Kagome felt herself slowly being surrounded.
'Oh, just great…' she muttered inwardly. Looking at their scruffy appearances, and muscular physique, Kagome could guess right away what they were. 'Youkai... but
why didn't I notice them earlier?'
Putting on her best innocent girl face, she thought up a quick lie. "I just returned
from visiting my grandmother. She's got a bad case of rheumatism and has to be looked after."
"Poor thing," said the first man. A few demons snickered in the background.
Kagome blinked; there were six now? Where were they coming from?
"You know, miss," replied another youkai, idly toying with a dagger at his waist. "It's
not good for little girls like you to be out by yourself at night."
"Yeah, real dangerous." said a stout looking man from behind her. Kagome 'eeped' despite her efforts not to. "I bet it'd break baa-chan's heart to hear you were harmed leaving her house." A few of the others grunted in agreement.
'Get it together, girl…' Kagome thought to herself, biting her lip in apprehension,
'These guys are just trying to scare you! Keep your head and play it cool; you can handle this!' With a quick nod, she rose to herself, brushing herself off. "You know what," she replied. "You're absolutely right. In fact, I should probably go back and check on her to make sure she's all right-"
A hand shot out and grabbed her arm before she could reach for her bicycle.
Quickly spun around, Kagome found herself yanked back up to face the first beady-eyed man.
"No need to rush, miss," he grinned. His breath smelled horrible, Kagome noted to herself; didn't he know anything about hygiene? "My friends and I would be glad to escort you home… with a little payment of course." His companions snickered in the background.
A girl could only take so much in one day. As tolerable as Kagome prided herself to be, she had had enough.
"HENTAI!" The young priestess rose her foot into the air, delivering a swift kick to the man's abdomen. The man hadn't seen it coming; with the wind knocked out of him,
he crumpled to the ground in a heap. Quick to free from his grasp, Kagome wrenched away, rolling to the ground as she had seen in manga she and her brother both owned. She dove for her bicycle, hopping on and taking off as fast as her tired legs would
carry her.
'Eat that, Inu Yasha…' Kagome couldn't help but smirk as she heard the painful howl and startled voices of the thugs behind her… 'I handled that all on my own!'
"Kisama!"
"Kuso… that onna kicks like a mule!"
"What're you standing around for, baka-tachi! Bring her back!"
"Shimatta!" Kagome didn't have to look back to know she was being followed. No sooner than the first youkai - she assumed he was the leader - hit the ground, the others had mounted horses and took off in pursuit of her. Unfortunately, she had
only managed to get a few meters before she felt a rope catch around her neck.
The rope snagged, causing Kagome to scream and gasp for air as she was yanked
to the ground.
Again she was surrounded, flat on her back with a rope bound round her neck with nowhere to run. 'Way to go, Higurashi…' She glared up at her captors angrily.
"Baka! Let go of me!"
Two youkai dismounted and walked over, proceeding to use the rope to bind her
arms and legs. Kagome was no idiot, however, she kicked and thrashed the entire time, making the process much difficult.
"Oi, hold still, wench!" one of them cried.
"Iya! Let go of me, ecchi!" Kagome screamed. Catching sight of the blade hanging at the belt of one of her 'handlers'. She reached for it, lashing out at one of the arms in
her face blindly. A scream in a curse proved she had made contact.
"She's a feisty one, ne?" asked a bald thug, who stood off to the side with the group's leader.
"Aa, but we'll break her, make no mistake." He gave her a leery grin, causing her to gulp in fear. "Being feisty just makes it all the more exciting."
~ You're in deep trouble, ~ a voice in Kagome's head cautioned.
Kagome gripped the blade tightly, cutting away at the binds holding her as she backed away slowly. 'No kidding…' She cast the group her fiercest Inu Yasha impression. "You better not come any closer to me! I - I'll slit your throats… I mean it!"
The thugs blinked, looked around at each other, then broke out into gales of laughter.
~ Wow… real impressive… I'm shakin' in my sandals now. ~
'Shut. Up.'
"Saa, looks like we got ourselves a fighter, boss." one of the youkai sneered. "She's gonna beat us up!"
"Hai, better watch out boss! She might hurt ya!" More laughter erupted from the
group.
The leader snorted. "Hn… I guess I better arm myself then." He drew a sword from
the saddlebag of his horse. "Wouldn't want this to be an unfair fight, ne?"
Kagome could feel her stomach clenching with fear. Here she was, on her own, surrounded by a bunch of thugs that planned to do only Kami knew what to her.
Even if by some freak twist of fate she managed to beat the leader, the others will
still overpower her. What was she going to do?
'I can't give up yet!' she told herself. 'I have to keep fighting!' She gave the youkai
leader a steely glare. "This is your last warning!" she cried out, brandishing the
dagger threateningly. "I don't want to have to hurt you!"
The youkai laughed. "Urasai, wench!" He then kicked the knife out her hand, knock-
ing her backwards. Unsure of what to do, she backed herself towards a nearby tree, bracing herself for whatever came next.
'This is it…' she told herself, her eyes watering. 'I'm gonna die… just like this. I
failed before I even got a chance to start…' The leader was closing in on her, sword
in hand. 'Inu Yasha… gomen… Gomen ne!"
The sword cut through the air with a swish, coming down upon her for the final strike. Kagome could only close her eyes and hold her head high with all the dignity she
could muster. At least she wouldn't die a coward… at least he could be proud of
that -
"KAGOME!"
The young priestess jumped in surprise. Was she imagining things, or had someone called her name? There was a whoosh of air against her face as splintering sound reached her ears. Was that her neck, or her spine? Odd that she hadn't felt any
pain; was it always like that when the end finally came…? Pretty soon she'd be
hearing the voice of God calling out to her, beckoning her home.
"Sankon Tessou!!"
That was definitely not the voice of Kami. Several s could be heard as
Kagome found herself being shoved from behind. Instinctively bracing her hands
out in front of her, she dropped to her knees, landing hard in the dirt.
Inu Y"Itai!" A sharp object raked against her finger. Pulling back in surprise, she opened
her eyes and stared down at the remains of a sword; a sword that had been prepared
to kill her.
"Oi, that onna's not worth this!"
"Let's get out of here!"
"Run for your lives!"
Seeing big, burly youkai-thugs who had just threatened your life running away from
you like little girls was always an uplifting sight, but unfortunately, Kagome had
missed it. After opening her eye, all she could see red. She tried standing up, but before she had time to react, the red slumped against her, sending her tottering backwards.
She fell back with a thud, finding herself eye to eye with a very smug, but relieved hanyou. His eyes gleamed with emotion even though he looked as though he were on the verge of passing out.
Kagome didn't know whether to be angry or grateful. "Inu Yasha!" she exclaimed.
He smirked, watching her intently. Thank Kami he'd gotten to her in time. Who
knows what would have happened if he had been a second later…? "You hurt?"
"Ah…" She couldn't find any words. "I… they… ah…" Inu Yasha's expression
flicked from confusion to worry. "I'm fine, I'm not hurt… it's just… What are you
doing here…?!"
The hanyou let out a low chuckle, wincing at the effort. "I knew… you'd get into
some shit…"
Kagome slid out from under him, rolling him over to check for any injuries. "Baka!"
Sure enough, he'd managed to reopen the wound at his side; was it just her or was
it bleeding worse than before? "I told you I wanted to do this on my own!" She
glared down at him. "How dare you follow me in this sort of condition! Don't you
know you've only made things worse?" He didn't answer. "Are you even listening to me?"
"Hai, hai… not so loud…" he frowned, massaging the ear closest to her face. "Show some gratitude, why don't you?"
"Gratitude?!" Kagome blinked, infuriated. "I didn't ask for your help! I had things
under control!"
He let out a soft moan, closing his eyes.
"Inu Yasha…?"
He frowned softly, his ears twitching in her direction. "Keep nagging all you want…
I'm still listening… Honest..." With that, he slipped into unconsciousness.
Kagome stared at him a few moments before letting out a resigned sigh. She then
got up and dragged her bike and her pack over to where they sat. Staring up at the
sky, she replied aloud, "Well, looks like we are camping here tonight."
~End of Chapter
Authors' Notes -
Miss Chang Po - ::still poking Wufei:: He's still not musing.
Nataku-chan - Damn... we broke our muse.
Miss Chang Po - Our muse? He's my muse! Now how'm I gonna finish my fics?
Nataku-chan - As Wufei might say, 'get off your lazy, womanish ass and start writing'?
::grins hopefully as Miss Chang Po only glares::
Miss Chang Po - Anyways... er, that's Chapter 10 for you... like we said in chapter 9,
we're a bit behind in keeping ahead of our updates, so Chapter 11 might be a while.
Nataku-chan - If you have any suggestions! Let us know! ::keeps grinning:: In the meantime, you can help our muse out of his catatonic state by helping us break
the tie!
Miss Chang Po - Heyy... that's not a bad idea. Why not give it a shot? Tell us whose
Gundam you think is better (attack-wise, appearance-wise, whatever) Shenlong or
Dragon Gundam.
Nataku-chan - If you don't care either way, send us a review anyway. Reviews make
us happy. ^_^
accrue a mass amout of money, it will be on our list of things to buy following our
own private island, an army of manslaves, several other anime, and Heero Yuy's Wing Gundam.
Wufei: ::gawks:: Why would you want his Gundam? Mine is soo much better!
Nataku-chan - Oh, we like yours, too. It's #4 on our list of Gundams to buy.
Wufei - ::scandalized:: #4?? After who?
Miss Chang Po - ::takes out a list:: Well, first there's Wing Gundam (EW version,
mind you), then there's Domon Kasshu's Burning Gundam. ::Wufei makes a squaw-king sound:: After that, there's George du Sand's Gundam Rose (it's cute!). And
then your Shenlong ties for fourth place.
Wufei - Unacceptable! Who could I have possibly tied with?!!
Nataku-chan - Sai Saishi's Dragon Gundam. ::Wufei looks petrified:: Uh.. Wufei?
::taps him:: You okay there? Wufei...?
Chapter 10
It seemed as though, after several no-shows, Lady Luck had finally decided to
make an appearance. After leaving that nasty incident in front of Kaede's hut,
Kagome had pedaled as fast as she could from the village, not once looking back.
She'd made a pit stop by the well to pick up a few things (AN: How many more
things could she possibly need?) from her time. Fortunately, her family had been out
of the house at the time, so she hadn't had to make any excuses for her puffy, red
eyes and tear-stained cheeks.
Once she had gathered everything she required she made a hasty retreat back
towards the well, instantly forgetting that there was no irate hanyou there to greet
her.
'That's right…' Kagome told herself. 'He told me not to come back…He obviously thinks so little of me…' Shutting the door to the well house, she stared down into the dark portal that would send her back into time. Gripping the ledge, an errant thought entered her mind - what if she didn't return?
"No!" A stab of pain seized her as the thought of a lifeless Inu Yasha entered her
mind. 'How could I even consider that?!' "I don't care what happens to me! I won't
let Inu Yasha down!" Without another thought, she secured her pack, hoisted herself over the ledge and dove in. Only one thought raced across her mind.
'Inu Yasha… I won't let you die!'
~~~
Kirara flew along at a casual pace. To those standing in the forest below, it
would have looked as if she were leaping from treetop to treetop. However, those
riding her knew better.
Shippo, who had been napping in between Sango and Kirara's shoulder blades,
opened his eyes groggily. He glanced around at their surroundings, a frown passing over his cherubic features.
"Something wrong, Shippo?" asked Miroku, having noticed the kitsune's sudden movements.
"Haven't we flown over this spot before?" he asked, a hint of suspicion in his tone.
Sango tensed slightly, though she did not look down to meet his gaze. "What
makes you ask that?"
"I remember that tree," the kitsune explained. "It was all old and wrinkly - it
reminded me of that youkai we faced that one time, the one called Urasue. (AN:
Man, was she uuuugly!) 'Cept I noticed it coming from the other direction."
The two humans in his company exchanged glances.
"We're going in circles, aren't we?" he exclaimed. There was only silence. "Well?"
Miroku sighed. "This is perhaps the third time we've passed this particular spot, Shippo." The kitsune made a gawking sound. "We're not lost… we're merely…"
"Trying to figure out which way Kagome went," the kitsune finished sagely. The
frown in his face however indicated that he did not approve.
"We're only concerned about Kagome-chan," Sango replied. "We just want to
make sure she's safe."
"I know that," Shippo replied crossly. "But am I the only who heard Kagome say
she wanted to do this on her own?"
There was a startled silence. "You don't want to look for her?"
"'Course I do, ya kidding?" Shippo craned his head to frown at the two adults. "But
I also understand that Kagome's trying to prove something to herself - it wouldn't be
right for us to betray her wishes, even if we are worried. We have to trust her.
Besides, we have our own mission to worry about!"
"You're right, Shippo." Sango admitted solemnly. "I suppose Kagome has been
feeling a bit under-appreciated."
Miroku nodded. "Shippo, I do believe that's the most mature thing I've ever heard
out of your mouth," he replied. "Are you certain that you aren't older than you're
letting on?"
The kitsune smirked haughtily. "Hey, age isn't everything you know." he countered. "Just 'cuz you're old doesn't mean you're smart."
"That's true…"
"I mean… look at Inu Yasha fer cryin' out loud! He's older than both of you put together…" (AN: Just how old is Shippo anyways?)
"Shippo…"
"Well, it's true!"
All that was heard in return was a collective sigh.
~~~
It was nearing nightfall before Kagome had reached the farthest end of the Sacred Forest. The adrenaline that had been fueling her had run out, leaving her completely exhausted and without a place to camp for the night.
"Great, just great…" she murmured. "My first day of independence and I'm already screwing up."
The disembodied head of Inu Yasha appeared floating before her, taunting her shamelessly. ~ "Don't be ridiculous," ~ he replied with a short bark of laughter.
~ "Of course you're weak; you'll come crawling back before the week is done." ~
With a resigned sigh, she swatted the image away, pedaling along with no
destination in mind. Little did she know that she wasn't alone.
The wheel of her bicycle hit a rock, sending the young miko tumbling to the ground
with a soft thud. Pinned underneath by the weight of her pack she huffed indignantly, blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face. "Well… I guess I'm camping here tonight…"
Inu Yasha would have laughed if he could see her, she was sure of it! The very
thought brought tears to her eyes. He'd think her a joke and never let her do any-
thing on her own again! "This is ridiculous!" she exclaimed. "Can this day get any worse!"
"Good evening, miss." Kagome looked up into a pair of beady eyes scrutinizing
her with a look that was none too comforting.
She blinked, noticing he was not alone. Skinny and dirty, he was flanked by to ox-
ish looking fellows who looked just as, if not more shady than he did. "Uhm, hi…"
she managed, fearing her voice would reveal her nervousness if she said too much.
"We saw you traveling on this… weird contraption of yours and wondered what a beautiful young woman was doing by herself at an hour like this?" replied the first
man. Two more men appeared out of the darkness at the mentioning of a beautiful woman. Kagome felt herself slowly being surrounded.
'Oh, just great…' she muttered inwardly. Looking at their scruffy appearances, and muscular physique, Kagome could guess right away what they were. 'Youkai... but
why didn't I notice them earlier?'
Putting on her best innocent girl face, she thought up a quick lie. "I just returned
from visiting my grandmother. She's got a bad case of rheumatism and has to be looked after."
"Poor thing," said the first man. A few demons snickered in the background.
Kagome blinked; there were six now? Where were they coming from?
"You know, miss," replied another youkai, idly toying with a dagger at his waist. "It's
not good for little girls like you to be out by yourself at night."
"Yeah, real dangerous." said a stout looking man from behind her. Kagome 'eeped' despite her efforts not to. "I bet it'd break baa-chan's heart to hear you were harmed leaving her house." A few of the others grunted in agreement.
'Get it together, girl…' Kagome thought to herself, biting her lip in apprehension,
'These guys are just trying to scare you! Keep your head and play it cool; you can handle this!' With a quick nod, she rose to herself, brushing herself off. "You know what," she replied. "You're absolutely right. In fact, I should probably go back and check on her to make sure she's all right-"
A hand shot out and grabbed her arm before she could reach for her bicycle.
Quickly spun around, Kagome found herself yanked back up to face the first beady-eyed man.
"No need to rush, miss," he grinned. His breath smelled horrible, Kagome noted to herself; didn't he know anything about hygiene? "My friends and I would be glad to escort you home… with a little payment of course." His companions snickered in the background.
A girl could only take so much in one day. As tolerable as Kagome prided herself to be, she had had enough.
"HENTAI!" The young priestess rose her foot into the air, delivering a swift kick to the man's abdomen. The man hadn't seen it coming; with the wind knocked out of him,
he crumpled to the ground in a heap. Quick to free from his grasp, Kagome wrenched away, rolling to the ground as she had seen in manga she and her brother both owned. She dove for her bicycle, hopping on and taking off as fast as her tired legs would
carry her.
'Eat that, Inu Yasha…' Kagome couldn't help but smirk as she heard the painful howl and startled voices of the thugs behind her… 'I handled that all on my own!'
"Kisama!"
"Kuso… that onna kicks like a mule!"
"What're you standing around for, baka-tachi! Bring her back!"
"Shimatta!" Kagome didn't have to look back to know she was being followed. No sooner than the first youkai - she assumed he was the leader - hit the ground, the others had mounted horses and took off in pursuit of her. Unfortunately, she had
only managed to get a few meters before she felt a rope catch around her neck.
The rope snagged, causing Kagome to scream and gasp for air as she was yanked
to the ground.
Again she was surrounded, flat on her back with a rope bound round her neck with nowhere to run. 'Way to go, Higurashi…' She glared up at her captors angrily.
"Baka! Let go of me!"
Two youkai dismounted and walked over, proceeding to use the rope to bind her
arms and legs. Kagome was no idiot, however, she kicked and thrashed the entire time, making the process much difficult.
"Oi, hold still, wench!" one of them cried.
"Iya! Let go of me, ecchi!" Kagome screamed. Catching sight of the blade hanging at the belt of one of her 'handlers'. She reached for it, lashing out at one of the arms in
her face blindly. A scream in a curse proved she had made contact.
"She's a feisty one, ne?" asked a bald thug, who stood off to the side with the group's leader.
"Aa, but we'll break her, make no mistake." He gave her a leery grin, causing her to gulp in fear. "Being feisty just makes it all the more exciting."
~ You're in deep trouble, ~ a voice in Kagome's head cautioned.
Kagome gripped the blade tightly, cutting away at the binds holding her as she backed away slowly. 'No kidding…' She cast the group her fiercest Inu Yasha impression. "You better not come any closer to me! I - I'll slit your throats… I mean it!"
The thugs blinked, looked around at each other, then broke out into gales of laughter.
~ Wow… real impressive… I'm shakin' in my sandals now. ~
'Shut. Up.'
"Saa, looks like we got ourselves a fighter, boss." one of the youkai sneered. "She's gonna beat us up!"
"Hai, better watch out boss! She might hurt ya!" More laughter erupted from the
group.
The leader snorted. "Hn… I guess I better arm myself then." He drew a sword from
the saddlebag of his horse. "Wouldn't want this to be an unfair fight, ne?"
Kagome could feel her stomach clenching with fear. Here she was, on her own, surrounded by a bunch of thugs that planned to do only Kami knew what to her.
Even if by some freak twist of fate she managed to beat the leader, the others will
still overpower her. What was she going to do?
'I can't give up yet!' she told herself. 'I have to keep fighting!' She gave the youkai
leader a steely glare. "This is your last warning!" she cried out, brandishing the
dagger threateningly. "I don't want to have to hurt you!"
The youkai laughed. "Urasai, wench!" He then kicked the knife out her hand, knock-
ing her backwards. Unsure of what to do, she backed herself towards a nearby tree, bracing herself for whatever came next.
'This is it…' she told herself, her eyes watering. 'I'm gonna die… just like this. I
failed before I even got a chance to start…' The leader was closing in on her, sword
in hand. 'Inu Yasha… gomen… Gomen ne!"
The sword cut through the air with a swish, coming down upon her for the final strike. Kagome could only close her eyes and hold her head high with all the dignity she
could muster. At least she wouldn't die a coward… at least he could be proud of
that -
"KAGOME!"
The young priestess jumped in surprise. Was she imagining things, or had someone called her name? There was a whoosh of air against her face as splintering sound reached her ears. Was that her neck, or her spine? Odd that she hadn't felt any
pain; was it always like that when the end finally came…? Pretty soon she'd be
hearing the voice of God calling out to her, beckoning her home.
"Sankon Tessou!!"
That was definitely not the voice of Kami. Several s could be heard as
Kagome found herself being shoved from behind. Instinctively bracing her hands
out in front of her, she dropped to her knees, landing hard in the dirt.
Inu Y"Itai!" A sharp object raked against her finger. Pulling back in surprise, she opened
her eyes and stared down at the remains of a sword; a sword that had been prepared
to kill her.
"Oi, that onna's not worth this!"
"Let's get out of here!"
"Run for your lives!"
Seeing big, burly youkai-thugs who had just threatened your life running away from
you like little girls was always an uplifting sight, but unfortunately, Kagome had
missed it. After opening her eye, all she could see red. She tried standing up, but before she had time to react, the red slumped against her, sending her tottering backwards.
She fell back with a thud, finding herself eye to eye with a very smug, but relieved hanyou. His eyes gleamed with emotion even though he looked as though he were on the verge of passing out.
Kagome didn't know whether to be angry or grateful. "Inu Yasha!" she exclaimed.
He smirked, watching her intently. Thank Kami he'd gotten to her in time. Who
knows what would have happened if he had been a second later…? "You hurt?"
"Ah…" She couldn't find any words. "I… they… ah…" Inu Yasha's expression
flicked from confusion to worry. "I'm fine, I'm not hurt… it's just… What are you
doing here…?!"
The hanyou let out a low chuckle, wincing at the effort. "I knew… you'd get into
some shit…"
Kagome slid out from under him, rolling him over to check for any injuries. "Baka!"
Sure enough, he'd managed to reopen the wound at his side; was it just her or was
it bleeding worse than before? "I told you I wanted to do this on my own!" She
glared down at him. "How dare you follow me in this sort of condition! Don't you
know you've only made things worse?" He didn't answer. "Are you even listening to me?"
"Hai, hai… not so loud…" he frowned, massaging the ear closest to her face. "Show some gratitude, why don't you?"
"Gratitude?!" Kagome blinked, infuriated. "I didn't ask for your help! I had things
under control!"
He let out a soft moan, closing his eyes.
"Inu Yasha…?"
He frowned softly, his ears twitching in her direction. "Keep nagging all you want…
I'm still listening… Honest..." With that, he slipped into unconsciousness.
Kagome stared at him a few moments before letting out a resigned sigh. She then
got up and dragged her bike and her pack over to where they sat. Staring up at the
sky, she replied aloud, "Well, looks like we are camping here tonight."
~End of Chapter
Authors' Notes -
Miss Chang Po - ::still poking Wufei:: He's still not musing.
Nataku-chan - Damn... we broke our muse.
Miss Chang Po - Our muse? He's my muse! Now how'm I gonna finish my fics?
Nataku-chan - As Wufei might say, 'get off your lazy, womanish ass and start writing'?
::grins hopefully as Miss Chang Po only glares::
Miss Chang Po - Anyways... er, that's Chapter 10 for you... like we said in chapter 9,
we're a bit behind in keeping ahead of our updates, so Chapter 11 might be a while.
Nataku-chan - If you have any suggestions! Let us know! ::keeps grinning:: In the meantime, you can help our muse out of his catatonic state by helping us break
the tie!
Miss Chang Po - Heyy... that's not a bad idea. Why not give it a shot? Tell us whose
Gundam you think is better (attack-wise, appearance-wise, whatever) Shenlong or
Dragon Gundam.
Nataku-chan - If you don't care either way, send us a review anyway. Reviews make
us happy. ^_^