Wow! 178! You guys are FANTASTIC! I've never posted a story so quickly! Well...as promised...more Inu and Kag fluff! Enjoy!
Inuyasha bounded into the village, cradling the miko to his chest, while Kyo cackled gleefully on his shoulder. The hanyou landed next to one of the villagers. "Where's the village healer?" he demanded. The man beside him stared at him with wide eyes before letting out a scream of 'DEMON'. The shout echoed through the village, quickly drawing all the fighters, with their weapons, toward the three travellers.
The headman stepped forward, "What is your business here demon?" he spat. The hanyou glared, pulling the miko even closer to him. "I need to see your healer," he snarled back. "Why would a demon need a healer?" the headman shouted, "You seem to be perfectly healthy to me." Inuyasha began to growl. Kagome was hurt, and these bastards weren't helping. "I never said I was hurt," he yelled, "It's Kagome, she's the one that's hurt, and pretty badly too." He loosened his grip on the girl, setting her down beside him, and helped her to stand. Kagome braced herself against Inuyasha's shoulder for support, allowing her to take the weight off her injured ankle.
One of the men, glancing at the girl, strode forward. "If the girl's hurt," he asked Inuyasha, "Then what did you do to her, you filthy demon?" Inuyasha's growling became louder, and he was about to pound the man into the ground, firstly for insinuating that HE had been the one to hurt Kagome, and secondly, because of the lewd, sliding glances he was giving her, when Kagome pushed herself off of his shoulder and strode forward. She winced with every step but refused to stop until she was standing right in front of the man. Bringing her hand back, she slapped him for all she was worth.
"How dare you," she growled at the man, "How dare you say that. He has a name, it's Inuyasha, and he would never, ever hurt me. He's spent the better part of the past three years protecting me, so why would he harm me now? It makes me so mad when I hear people think that just because he's not human, he must be vicious, but what really makes me angry is when people start saying that having demonic heritage makes him tainted, or filthy. Take a good look at them, him and Kyo. You may only see a couple of hanyous standing there, but do you know what I see? I see two of the purest souls I've ever met.
"I've met some pretty nasty youkai in my time, but I've also seen some equally bad ningen, so who are we to condemn another race, when we act just as bad? Yet there are also those from demonic bloodlines who are exceptional, surpassing humanity with their kindness, and two of them are standing before you. If there's one thing that sets Inuyasha above the rest, it wouldn't be his steadfast determination, or his amazing strength, it would be his heart. He risks his life daily to protect those around him. He'd rather let himself be torn to bloody shreds then for one of his friends to gain a single scratch, and for that, I'm honoured to call him my best friend."
Inuyasha's ears perked as he stared at the miko before him. He'd seen her transform from the gentle girl she was, to an all-fired-up, battle vixen when facing demons, especially when fighting Sesshomaru and Naraku, but never with another human. The hanyou stood stunned as Kagome slapped the human, putting all her weight and anger behind the swing, and had to chew his cheek to keep from smiling when she'd so brazenly defended him. His heart swelled as she'd declared, in front of everyone, that his soul was pure. Sure, she'd basically just called him soft in front of everyone, which he'd get her back for later, but she'd also called him her best friend. All this time he'd been blessed with her company, and he didn't realise that she was so proud to be associated with him. Inuyasha knew she meant every word by the conviction in her voice, and it gave him hope that she might, one day, love him the way he did her.
The headman walked forward, "And who are you to make such claims of pure souls and kind hearts in demons?" he demanded. Kagome turned to the headman, staring him down, "I'm a miko," she replied. Inuyasha suppressed his laughter as his ears picked up the whispers around him. Every man present had been more then willing to call a human defending demons insane, but priestesses were pure, and as far as humans went, their word was law. Kagome's declaration of being a miko forced them to accept what she'd told them. "Prove it," one elderly man in the back squeaked. Regarding the old man, Kagome nodded, she knew they'd want proof of her claim before they accepted what she'd told them.
"May I borrow your bow and arrow?" she asked one man. He handed over his weapons and she lined up a shot, not to close to the gathering, but within range to see her power. Releasing the arrow, she watched it fly, enveloped in a shimmering pink glow, as it streaked to its target, a tree stump, thudding soundly into the old wood before exploding, taking the stump and surrounding earth with it. The energy she'd expended wasn't much at all, but compounded with her throbbing ankle, she began to fall. "Kagome," Inuyasha called as he raced to catch her before she hit the ground, breathing a sigh of relief once she was safely wrapped in his arms. Kyo hopped down from Inuyasha's shoulder to grab the headman's kimono. "Please," Kyo asked him, "Please help my mummy."
From her display of power, everyone knew she truly was a miko, and a powerful one at that, judging by the hole in the ground. Staring at the tiny hanyou's eyes and how the larger hanyou rushed to insure her safety, he realised how much they actually cared for the young woman. "Follow me," he told them, "I'll take you to the healer." Kyo yipped for joy as he leapt back onto Inuyasha's shoulder. Inuyasha cradled the girl in his arms as he followed the headman to the healer.
Okay, I hope you liked that one...for the next chapter...415!
May your thoughts and creativity flow,
Lady Ami DragonHeart