A/N: Sorry not to have updated for a while. I'm so very bad but I've been distracted by a million and one things lately. I'm back now though and will be updating regularly again. :)

A Cold Feeling

I don't own InuYasha or any other character.

"Kagome!" At the sound of someone else's voice InuYasha tore his mouth from hers, his head coming up. He placed his body in front of hers, automatically protecting what he thought of as his. InuYasha gaze hardened as he looked at the wolf standing before him.

"Who the fuck are you?" InuYasha's words were as hard as his gaze.

Kouga's eyes narrowed and a look of total dislike came over him as he looked at the half demon.

"Get away from her," the words were slow and quiet as they left Kouga's mouth but there was no doubting the rage in his voice. His blue eyes blazed, his lip curled up in a snarl as he pinned InuYasha under his gaze. InuYasha took a menacing step forward. He recognised the possessiveness in the other's voice and his reaction was as instinctive now as it had been just a moment ago with the woman.

Kagome was slightly dazed as she opened her eyes and looked beyond InuYasha. Her head swam and she clung to the tree for support, her knees refusing to hold her up.

Kouga? Where did he come from? Kagome blinked as she watched the scene before her.

"Don't even think of touching her again you piece of dog shit," Kouga's voice was harsh now, disgust evident on his face as he thought of InuYasha touching Kagome.

InuYasha recognised a challenge when he heard one. Fighting over something as useless as a woman was something he never did but right now he felt more than willing to oblige this idiot and rip him to pieces. His stance shifted slightly, his hands flexing at his sides, a small malicious smile kicking up the corner of his mouth as he eyed the demon from head to toe, deciding that he would be no trouble at all.

Kouga saw the almost dismissing look that InuYasha gave him and his anger doubled. He clenched his fists and he also took a step forward, InuYasha did the same his small smile turning to an almost evil grin at the thought of ripping this interfering wolf to pieces.

About to push away from the support of the tree and jump between the two demons Kagome stopped as a voice called out.

"InuYasha! Stop it" Miroku appeared from behind a tree slightly out of breath but neither demon took any notice of him. Kagome blinked as the handsome dark haired man she had seen the other night, appeared.

"Keep you dirty paws off her you mutt," Kouga snarled

"Are you going to make me?" InuYasha growled back, his claws flexing, his eyes glowing at the promise of battle. Miroku stepped closer trying once again to defuse the situation.

"InuYasha. Please calm down. You're acting----"

"Shut up Miroku,"

"InuYasha," Miroku tried again, slightly exasperated "Would you just wait one---"

InuYasha simply growled in response not even taking his eyes from Kouga. Miroku sighed and stepped back knowing it was useless to try to stop InuYasha when was like this. His eyes shifted to the young girl leaning on the large tree, the cause of all this trouble. His eyes narrowed as he watched her step away from the tree, her hand slightly outstretched, swaying slightly on her feet.

She had to stop them from fighting, Kagome thought, it was her fault. She shouldn't have run off without explaining to Kouga first. Pushing away from the tree she lifted her arm, reaching out and tried to speak only to be swamped by a feeling of dizziness that made her sway on her feet. She took a deep breath to steady herself only to have a feeling of indescribable cold suck into her lungs, freezing her insides, the feeling as sharp as a blade. Her eyes blinked closed in shock, her hand dropping to her side, the other clasping her chest as a familiar vision of blood slashing across the frozen snow filled her mind. She groaned, her eyes shooting open again, her breathing suddenly rapid, her insides quaked at the cold filling her body, at the pain and anguish that suddenly filled the air around her. She knew this feeling, she'd felt it before. Every night in her dreams.

Suddenly the day began to grow dark, the light shrinking away from everything around her as if afraid of what might be coming, the air heavy with an untold menace. Her eyes searched for InuYasha's form but she saw only a misty fog that seemed to surround her cutting her off from the rest of the world. Kagome's eyes closed again and as the cold inside her began to become unbearably heavy in her chest making her want to cry out in pain. She took a painful breath, her hand pressing hard against her breast.

Suddenly the air shifted and moved in front of her and Kagome sensed another presence nearby, felt herself being watched. Slowly she opened her eyes again and looked up expecting to see one of the others only to find herself looking into a pair of cold dark eyes that sent a bolt of pure dread racing down her spine. Around his icy black eyes his body was just a blur and her hands began to shake as she watched the mist darken around him and his form become clearer, more human like. His long dark hair though seemed to still cling to the heavy air, his feet and hands not quite solid.

"So you found him,"

His lips didn't move but Kagome knew that it was his voice that echoed painfully inside her head. A sick sense of foreboding wrapped itself around her. She forced herself to look at the tall, dark figure before her, to listen to the voice still echoing inside her. It was familiar to her; she had often heard it in her nightmares. An evil smile spread across the man's face as he gazed down at her. Slowly the realisation of exactly who stood there hit her as she stared into the cold depths of his eyes. A memory of cold steel and the scent of blood and snow assaulted her senses again making her feel ill.

"No" the whisper fell from her lips like a plea as the man stepped toward her, the mist still clinging to him. She took an unsteady step back, her hands coming into contact with the tree behind her. "No," she denied again.

"Yes," The smile on the man's lips was pure evil pleasure as he contradicted her, enjoying the dread written over her face.

"Naraku," she whispered as he laughed at the despair in her voice. He had found her, had found them both. Kagome's heart pounded painfully at the thought of InuYasha, she shifted her gaze searching for him again but again saw only the cloudiness surrounding them. Her hands clenched at her sides, her face hardening. She would let nothing harm him, she would protect him.

Naraku smirked as if he could read her thoughts and found them amusingly pathetic. His hand lifted from his side, reaching toward her and Kagome flinched trying to jump back only to come up against the tree. Naraku's semi transparent hand pressed into her chest somehow holding her there, moving to reach deep inside her, squeezing at her very heart.

Kagome screamed as pain and the deadly numbness of pure cold surrounded her heart. Her hands frantically tried to grab at Naraku's arm to pull it away only to swipe right through it like air. She gasped feeling as her life started to drain away from her, her eyes fluttering closed. She heard his maniacal laugh echo around her, felt his enjoyment at her struggles. No….. She wouldn't give in, she couldn't! She wouldn't fail, not as the others had…she had found him at last, she needed to be with him….

"InuYasha," a voice whispered somewhere in the distance "InuYasha," it came again. "InuYasha, InuYasha, InuYasha, InuYasha, InuYasha," this time it was whispered by many voices growing louder and louder urging her, telling her not to give in, reminding her of what she had to lose. Kagome's eyes flew open and she stared straight into Naraku's face.

"InuYasha," she said clearly and placed her hands upon his chest a burning light exploding between the two and forcing them apart.

"Kagome, Kagome!" Kagome felt hands holding her upper arms and shaking her, a familiar voice was calling her name, sounding desperate the longer she took to answer. "KAGOME!" Slowly she opened her eyes to find three worried male faces looking at her. Kagome blinked rapidly up at them, wondering what was going on. She looked around, she was lying on the ground under the tree where she had been standing and there was no sign of Naraku or the mist that had surrounded them. The day was clear and calm once again. Her mind whirled. Had she fainted and somehow dreamed Naraku's presence? Her hand moved to her chest. No, she hadn't dreamed it. He might not have been here in the flesh but he had definitely been here, the cold feeling that still remained in her chest was proof.

Kouga moved to kneel in front of her and the tall dark haired man stood next to him but her eyes went straight to InuYasha, standing just to her left. InuYasha, his name whispered inside her. It had saved her, she was sure of it. Just hearing his name, saying it, had made her want to fight, to protect.

InuYasha's eyes locked with hers and he slowly knelt at her side, his hand gently covering hers. What was it about this woman? What made him want to touch her? He squeezed her small hand under his, a finger moving to gently stroke her wrist. Why did he feel the need to protect her? When she had fainted it had felt as if his heart was being crushed, only now that she was awake and well was the feeling leaving him. He scowled inwardly, he didn't like feeling like this. He should let go of her hand and walk away right now, he told himself, but he didn't move just continued to stare at her face as relief washed through him.

An uncomfortable silence descended as the two simply continued to stare at each other not saying a word. Miroku stared in amazement for a moment at the sight of InuYasha holding the girl's small hand in his clawed one before turning his head and clearing his throat, his hand covering his slight smile. Kouga on the other hand had risen to his feet, and at the sight of InuYasha touching Kagome's hand, a growl rumbled from his chest, his lips coming up in a snarl, his eyes narrowing. It was bad enough that Kagome had called out the stupid hanyou's name as she lay unconscious but now they were holding hands like two lovers. He couldn't take it anymore! Opening his mouth to challenge InuYasha again Kouga was suddenly halted as things happened all at once.

A high pitched feral scream rang out through the air as a huge insect like demon appeared right behind them, his enormous clawed hand already descending toward InuYasha and Kagome. "Watch out!" Kouga and Miroku both cried. InuYasha swore and wrapped himself around Kagome protecting her, prepared to take the brunt of the attack, knowing there was no time to safely move away.

"Hiraikotsu!" a huge boomerang slashed through the air slicing the demon right in half. The demon screamed in outrage and agony and raised its claw again ready to strike just as the boomerang on its return journey sliced the demon head right from its body and it dropped dead to the ground. The boomerang landed back in Sango's waiting hands, the force of it pushing her back along the tree branch that she stood on. Her eyes searched the area making sure there were no other threats before letting her gaze move to Kagome making sure she was ok before allowing herself to look at the man she had dreaded meeting again.

"Miroku," she whispered under her breath.

Miroku stared up at the tree branch and the woman standing there, his heart pounding. Her name fell from his lips as he gazed at her face. "Sango,"

Sorry to end it there but more coming very soon :)