They had traveled a good distance into the forest before she had even realized it. Kagome skidded to a halt, fighting the urge to double over. "Inuyasha, wait. I'm lost."
He glanced back at her with dark eyes and took in her deep panting. "Keh." He looked around them cursing his blindness and lack of smell not for the first time that night. In truth, he was just as disoriented, but he wasn't about to admit it. "We don't have time for this."
"I'm sorry."
A loud crash echoed in the distance to their right, and he looked to her, torn. She gave a curt nod. "Go, I'll catch up to you."
Within seconds, he had disappeared.
Something terrible was happening in these woods, and suddenly Kagome felt terrified to be alone. She tried to call forth runes for strength and bravery but felt the images falter, too weak from her agitations to pass through her sword. She fought the urge to cry, instead forcing herself to move forward. Why did she always have to be so weak?
She felt a hand grab her wrist and let out a scream.
Inuyasha dodged the oni's giant fist, barely glancing at the crater it created in the dirt from the impact. He heard the sound of Hiraikotsu rather than saw it and ducked instinctively as the large boomerang passed overhead, connecting roughly with the demon. The image of the oni split and blurred around the weapon, allowing it to pass through before melding back together. Inuyasha released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. How could such a thing be possible? Was he facing an invincible foe?
"Something's amiss here," Sango called from Kirara's back, somewhere above him in the blackened sky.
It was then that he heard Kagome's scream. With a sinking feeling he realized that he had left her in danger, and it was suddenly hard to breathe. He felt panic tense his muscles as he turned to run to her, but was forced to instead evade another attack. The demon wasn't going to allow him to escape.
"Hurry and go to her," Sango cried. "I'll take care of the demon."
He was running instantly and heard the sound of Hiraikotsu across the ground behind him, preventing the oni from attacking in his flight. He didn't bother to look back.
Kagome relaxed when she recognized the man before her. "Miroku."
In turn, he gave a wide smile. "I must say, I am surprised to find you out here alone, Kagome. Though there is something I've been wanting to talk to you about."
Kagome shivered, but it wasn't from the cold. Something was definately wrong. How had she missed it before? "Miroku. Why won't you let go of my hand?" She tried to twist away, but to no avail. "Miroku? Miroku, let go. You're hurting me."
She jerked harder as she watched his eyes darken slightly, a frown pursing his lips. She then noticed the dark aura pouring from his nose and mouth, and it scared her.
"Miroku."
"I'm sorry."
She heard the jingling of his staff as he brought it down hard.
Inuyasha burst into the clearing some distance away. "Kagome!"
He stopped abruptly, eyes clouded with confusion at the sight he was met with. She was fighting with the monk and seemed to be holding her own. But why was Miroku attacking her? He felt his whole body stiffen at the realization. They had been betrayed?
At the sound of his voice, Kagome turned to look for him, and Miroku took the split-second opening. Inuyasha jerked forward as she went down, sudden unadulterated fear pulsing in his veins, adrenaline forcing him into action. It was hard to breathe, difficult to swallow, and he felt himself choking on his own curses as he ran. His ankle snagged without warning and he hit the ground hard, the fall knocking the wind from his chest painfully. There was a slow, slithering movement up his calf and he jerked on reflex, trying to free his leg while ignoring the sickening feeling of the winding movement even as it constricted, nearly crushing the bone. When he was unable to jerk free, he rolled onto his back to get a glimpse of his opponent, fighting a wave of nausea at the sight. They appeared more like roots than vines initially from both the thickness and pallid coloration, but there were more of them sprouting from the ground, trapping his leg greedily. His leg was a mess of torn fabric and blood from the thorns, the liquid dark and metallic against the night air, shimmering where it coated the moving vines. He had unwittingly stumbled into the plant's trap and he got a mental flash of his lifeless body, mangled after it had finished.
Kagome was reaching for the closest sword desperately when she felt the harsh metal of his staff-head press against the skin of her throat. "Inuyasha."
He glanced back to her at her cry for help, still trying to break free from the plant's grasp. She was on her back, outstretched arm inches from her sword with Miroku straddling her lithe form, weapon steadied against her neck. It was an image frozen in time, neither of them willing to move. She looked to him, eyes wide and vulnerable, and his attempts to free himself became desperate.
"Kagome, I'm coming for you!" Don't die yet, he pleaded silently, unsure if it was meant for himself or her.
Inuyasha used his free foot to kick at the plant, ignoring the pain of the thorns where they dug in his skin. More sprouted from the velvety dirt in reply, and soon he couldn't move his legs at all. He grimaced as they wound up his thighs, constricting as blood began to soak the ground. He yelped as he felt himself begin to be dragged across the ground slowly, away from Kagome. He dug his hands into the earth, a pathetic attempt to slow the inevitable, cursing the lack of his claws and strength. Smaller, thornless vines had found his fingertips and now trapped his arms, continuing to coil around his chest. This was it; he wasn't going to be able to save her, all because he was human. He choked when they found his neck, the dry wood scraping across his bare skin, and he got a good look at the pit to which he was being dragged. He didn't doubt that there would be no making it out alive. He tried to crane his neck for one last glimpse of Kagome, not wanting to see her death but unable to look away, and it was then that he heard the familiar sound of Hiraikotsu as it traveled across the ground, effectively severing the larger vines that lead into the pit before returning to its owner.
Sango touched down on the other side of Kagome, poised to attack.
"Don't move, taijiya," the monk hissed, pressing the edge of the staff against Kagome's skin in warning.
Kagome swallowed against the feel of the blade at her throat, careful to remain still.
Sango resisted the urge to jerk, fighting back her emotions and the tremor of her weapon. What did she feel now at the sight of him? Betrayed, upset, afraid? It was obvious that he had been using them all along. Why then did she feel like crying? "Houshi-sama!" Why?
At the title and sound of her voice, he seemed to regain some part of himself and turned to look at her with frightened eyes. They stayed like that, staring at each other as the moment stretched. "Sango. Please, stop me."
She took in the trembling of his staff and the pleading in his voice, not hesitating to release her weapon. He cried out in pain as the boomerang connected fully with his body, knocking him backwards off Kagome. He hit the ground a few feet away and skidded, unconscious, flopping from his side onto his back, hand limp as the staff rolled away. Sango was there immediately, weapon raised high for a final blow before Kagome managed to choke out, "Don't, Sango-chan! It's not his fault."
Sango hesitated for a moment before lowering the weapon slowly to her side. She shelved her questions for later, as Kagome had focused her attention on helping Inuyasha struggle out of the dead vines.
"Don't, stupid; you'll cut yourself," he hissed, pushing her hands away. He had torn the smaller vines away, but freeing his legs was going to be more painful, the mere act of sitting up stealing the breath from his lips.
She threw her arms around his neck, sobbing. His own body jerked in protest from the emotional strain, and he slowly slid his arms around her. "I'm sorry."
Sango approached slowly, kneeling enough to inspect the tangle of vines around his legs, causing Kagome to pull back. She popped a hidden blade from her right arm, surprising Inuyasha enough so that he jerked back slightly. As the sawed at the vines carefully, she remarked, "We should hurry back to the castle for refuge through the night. We can regroup in the morning." She was sensible as ever, though clearly worried, glancing over her shoulder from time to time. "I don't think the real demon has shown himself yet."
He nodded, ignoring the searing pain in his legs as he rose to his feet, lifting Kagome into his arms as he stood. If he had lost all else as a human, he at least retained his stubbornness. "Kirara will need to take the monk."
Once they had settled into a central room in the castle, Sango turned to Inuyasha suspiciously. "You were going to hide your secret from us."
He scowled at her from his position in the corner. It was true, but he wasn't about to admit it. "I don't owe you anything."
"Only your life," she hissed, and he looked away from her obstinately, signaling the end of their conversation.
"You should have trusted me." Kagome's voice was soft, almost crestfallen where she sat beside him.
"Keh." He lowered his head to hide behind his bangs, unable to answer. What could he say in front of Sango? He would have trusted Kagome, but he couldn't let anyone else know that. He was trying his best as it was to keep Sango's suspicions off of him. After all, he didn't want Kagome to be tainted by the love of a hanyou. He looked to her suddenly, violet eyes pleading for her to understand in a moment of uncharacteristic desperation, but he was interrupted before she caught his gaze.
"That's why you didn't draw your sword."
He glared at Sango for pushing the conversation, but finally relented. "That's right. It won't transform for me now, and the blade is too dull to slice as it is. It's useless." He heard the bitterness in his own voice and regretted admitting to it.
"That's not true," Kagome offered quietly. It was obvious that she was exhausted. "The aura around your sword is still very strong. I'm sure it could block against demon attacks and create a barrier."
He eyed her suspiciously as she slowly drew the sword from his waist and carried it across the room before thrusting it into the closed wooden door.
"See?"
Inuyasha blinked at her dully. As a human he couldn't sense anything. "It still won't cut."
She grinned at his response. It was so like him. "I'm going to add to the barrier before going to sleep, though it seems to be fairly strong on its own."
Inuyasha sighed and rose to his feet restlessly, shuffling toward the door. He glanced to Miroku, who had been lain on a cot in the far corner of the room, away from the others. Kirara had curiously chosen to curl up against him when she went to sleep. "Should we bind him?"
"No need," Sango called, stifling a yawn as she settled against the wall in a sitting position, both her and Kagome's weapons on the floor nearby. "He took a direct hit from Hiraikotsu." Mentally she added, without resistance. "He'll be out for at least a day." She paused thoughtfully, before adding, "Kagome-chan, what exactly happened between you?" And why wasn't it his fault?
"I think he was bewitched," she called over her shoulder casually. "I'm certain that he didn't want to hurt me." She paused, hesitantly. "There was also this strange aura, almost overflowing from him. I can sense it faintly now, but it's not nearly the strength it was before. I don't know what that means."
Inuyasha turned to face Kagome at her words and watched her finish the last of her runes. She let out an accomplished sigh and turned to walk away but faltered and tumbled forward, lightheaded from the physical strain she had forced on her body. Inuyasha caught her with a hushed, "Wench," and hoisted her back into his arms. He settled back down in the corner of the room making sure to keep watch on both the door and Miroku, hugging Kagome's back to his chest as she slid comfortably between his legs. He wrapped his arms around her waist possessively, surprised at his own actions. After almost losing her from his own stupidity and weakness, he was going to be damned if he didn't protect her while she slept. And truthfully, feeling the press of her weight against his own relieved him on some level. For her part, she didn't seem to protest, and he didn't even bother to look in Sango's direction. "I'll never put you in danger like that again," he whispered into her hair, eyes dark with emotion. "I promise."