AN: This is my main fic for InuKag week. I hope to get other ficlets done and out for the event but this one is my main focus. I hope you all like it! Head to my Tumblr for the link to the playlist and drop some love while you're there!
Prologue
"Focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses.
Focus on your character, not your reputation.
Focus on your blessings, not your misfortunes."
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
She was pacing, and by the looks on the other's faces, it was annoying. But she couldn't stop; it was all too much.
"Kagome, dear, you're running a path in the hardwood. Please sit down!"
Turning, Kagome looked over her shoulder as she continued to move. "I can't! Not until they're all home and safe!"
"All you are doing is worrying yourself, and it's worrying the others. They will be fine!"
The elders and a small handful of children of varying ages were all watching her. Kagome knew they were right; her worrying was only making the others just as restless. Especially the children; all of them were fearfully waiting for the return of their mothers and fathers.
Flopping to the couch next to Mother, Kagome stared at the flames in the fireplace. The large manor had one in every room (due to the age of the place more than anything else), but the one in the gathering hall was massive. It loudly cracked and popped as it ate the wood fed to it. With the children silent and still, it was the only sound in the room. It was making hushed conversation that much more complicated.
"I should be out with them."
Mother looked to Kagome; the once leader of the pack was now forced to sit to the side. Just like Kagome. "You know that's not possible. It's dangerous for you."
"Izayoi, I can fight. Just like they can! Better than some of them even!"
"You are a great protector. All the more reason to have you here with us now! Do you think you were left behind for your own good?"
"Well… yeah…"
"It's more than that, Kagome. Inuyasha knows what he's doing, and he left you here for your protection and ours. I can't… I can't protect like I used to…."
Mother looked guilty, but it wasn't her fault. It happened to all of the pack members at some point. It didn't make losing the ability to shift any easier. Mother still maintained her strength; if it were humans they were facing, it wouldn't be a problem.
Too bad they weren't facing humans.
Glancing at her phone, Kagome counted the hours for the hundredth time. "They've been gone five hours now…" Mother said nothing, just looking at the children and wondering which ones might become orphans tonight, "I'm going to check the perimeter."
"Kagome, just relax. It's not good for you…."
"I'm fine. And if I'm here to protect, then I need to do a good job."
She grabbed her bow and quiver along the way. If anything happened, Kagome wanted to refrain from shifting as long as she could. New to the pack, Kagome knew she made them all nervous. They all kept waiting for her to drop dead any second now. But it had been over a year now, and she was still okay. Better than fine.
Kagome was happier than she had been in a long time, and that scared her more than it would most people.
Twenty years ago…
The moon hung heavily above, and Kagome bent out her window to look up at it. She always had a fascination with the large satellite that circled. It seemed so close, like she could touch it.
She was in the middle of reaching out to it when a scream pierced the air. "Mom?"
Not sure what she heard and her racing heart beating in her ears, Kagome slowly left her dark room behind. Moving with great caution, she searched for her mother. Had that been her mother Kagome heard scream? Maybe it was her imagination… she hoped she imagined it.
The living room was the last place she saw her mother and her father. But now, it didn't even look like the same place. The floor lamp was knocked to the floor; its light angled and gave an eerie look to the room. The tv was still on but had something smudged on it. Whatever it was, it was thick and blocked out most of the picture as it crept down the screen.
Kagome rounded the couch and had to swallow her scream. On the floor was her mother and not only was her mother not screaming, but she also wasn't moving. "Momma?"
Now on her knees, Kagome paid no attention to the wetness that seeped into her pajamas. Her sole focus was her mother as she tried to get her to open her eyes.
"Kagome!"
"Daddy!"
Kagome's eyes pressed into her father's chest as he swept her up and away. It hid any more of the scene she could have taken in as she was rushed back upstairs. Her father set her down; he had taken them to her brother's room.
"Daddy…" Kagome choked on a sob, "what happened to Mommy?"
A sound came from her father, one she had never heard before, a strange and strangled growl. But he ignored her question and handed over her baby brother in a bundle. "You need to take your brother and get out of here. The Kadens are a mile away, but the closest neighbors we have…."
"Daddy… what about you?"
"I'll keep them off your trail."
She hopped back and forth on her bare toes. "But Daddy… what are they? What's happening?!"
"You don't need to know," he growled, grabbing her shoulders and shaking it into her, "you only need to survive. Survive Kagome. And never look back."
He moved to the door and led them out. Nothing happened as they moved through and out of the house; Kagome started to breathe a little easier. There was nothing to be afraid of. And their Daddy would go with them.
But then she heard a deep snarl.
Her father tried to push her away, but she had to look. And there, staring down her family, was a large dog. It had blood dripping from its muzzle and an ember of hatred in its eyes -eyes that danced dangerously between her and her father.
"Kagome… run."
"Daddy…"
"RUN!"
She skidded on her feet for a few heart-pounding seconds. But they soon found purchase and took her far away. Kagome was a child; if they were adults chasing her, she still would have failed. These weren't men, so her chances were even thinner. Kagome knew this, and yet when her father screamed, she stopped to look back just as his body fell limp to the cold ground.
"DADDY!"
Kagome couldn't move, breathe, or think. And her baby brother Souta's screams weren't helping. All she could do was stare at the lifeless mass that was her father.
Just like her mother.
The creature was massive and now took up Kagome's entire existence as it towered over her and her brother. Her lungs were seizing, and her bones were shaking. And her heart… it had shattered on the floor a while ago.
"You killed them…. you're a… monster!"
Kagome swore the creature grinned at her, white teeth stained with blood glowing as it pulled back its lips to sneer. It stood out significantly against the orangey-red fur that covered the giant wolf's body. She tore her eyes away to the ground. This would be how she died, just like her mother and father.
But what about Souta?
No, he was a baby. She couldn't let him die. What would her parents think if she disobeyed their final wish?
The monster's large paws were inches from her naked feet. Its claws were even closer, large talons that would cut her in half. There was little she could do, and that was clear. It was the only reason she could think that -when she kicked the monster in the 'shin' as hard as she could- that it actually worked. The creature growled and stepped back as if hurt. Kagome didn't hesitate; not wasting time by turning, she ran straight past the wolf. And past her father's dead body.
Nearly tripping, Kagome continued to sprint as hard as her legs would let her. Deep in the woods surrounding her home, she was heading the wrong way to make it a neighbor. In her mind, Kagome was also sure she would never make it no matter which way she ran.
The sounds of crashing and thrashing were getting closer behind her. Kagome could hear the angry growls as well as the heavy pants over her own.
They weren't going to make it.
At least she tried, she told herself, trying to understand death at such an early age. Death Kagome was sure she was already experiencing; no way the second large dog in front of her was real. It was pure white, so white, the tips of its fur looked blue in the spots of moonlight that filtered through the trees. Kagome was trying to wrap her brain around it when another large wolf appeared at the white one's side. Yin and yang, the second wolf, was black as ink.
Now instead of a swift death, these monsters were going to fight over her.
Kagome was frozen again. With nowhere to run, she remained motionless as the black creature stalked past her. Then her mind turned to mush as the white monster disappeared. She blinked, and instead of a large dog, it was a man. He was crouched, a knee out front to hold the weight of his torso as he looked up at Kagome with Souta in her arms.
"Hello, little one."
Loud snarls broke her out of it, glancing back to see the red and black wolf rolling in a fight. A hand landed on Kagome's shoulder, and she jumped back to forward-facing. The man had nothing on a second ago, but now he had a long red robe on. Nothing was making sense tonight. There was nothing but fear and pain, and Kagome couldn't take much more of it.
The man took his free hand and dug gently into her brother's blankets. Kagome turned quickly to stop him, but the man just smiled. "You've been through a lot tonight. But it's over now. You're safe."
"Father," a voice growled, and Kagome found a boy. He had pure white hair like the man… his father. And although the same color as his father's, the boy's eyes were not kind and gentle on her. "She's a human. And she's seen too much."
"She's a child, Inu." The man knelt again, this time right before her. "I understand your trepidation but… I would ask you not to speak of this night to anyone."
Kagome swallowed the lump in her throat but could do nothing for her tears. "My… my mommy and daddy…."
The man's face twisted and then he sniffed the air, a sour look now on his face. "I'm so sorry." He stood, towering over her and all seriousness. "You want justice. You deserve it. But nothing will come of it if you try to seek it out on your own."
"No one… will believe me." Forget the tale of it being dogs as it was; she was only eight. Who would believe her? "And no one will help me."
"We'll take care of it." The boy spoke again, this time far softer towards her than he'd been a moment ago. "You take care of your family… what's left of it."
"Inu. Get back to the pack!"
The boy kept his eyes on her, amber eyes that burned like a fire. Just like the monster that killed her family but not in hatred. More like a warm blaze on a cold night. The same kind of eyes on the man as he turned Kagome around and guided her back towards her house. The black dog was panting over the red one. The one that had chased her and killed her parents wasn't moving. It was breathing, but it wasn't moving. Somehow, she knew, so she wasn't surprised when the red wolf jumped up again and ran. The black one was surprised, taking a long second to give chase. The man was still pulling her along as they disappeared into the woods.
Kagome was stopped and turned harshly; the man had a harsh hold of her shoulders again. "Don't look."
It was her father, his body and blood sinking into the ground just behind the strange man. "I've already seen it."
"That doesn't mean you should have another look. What's your name, girl?"
She was raised not to speak to strangers, but Kagome felt oddly safe with this man. It was his eyes. They comforted her. "Kagome Higurashi."
"Kagome, you may call me Toga. And I'm going to take good care of you and your brother. I promise."
Twenty years later…
The house and the woods were still and quiet. Kagome sat on the roof, walking the length of the widow's walk and back again with her bow at the ready. The large house was more of a compound. It housed the entire pack and their families. Several miles from the city, it was private and surrounded by a thick forest. It was all designed and planned to give privacy to all that lived there. Here, they were safe and could be free.
No one went unnoticed as they went in and out of the place.
Her senses were on high alert, but even if they weren't, she would have caught sight of the pack of large dogs as they exited the dense forest. Kagome pulled back her bow, just to be sure, but lowered it quickly when the colors of her pack became clear. Since they left her behind for this battle, Kagome had felt useless. And she felt it, even more, when she counted the number of members in the crowd that returned.
As quickly as she could without putting herself at risk, Kagome climbed back down into the house and raced to the back door where the pack would enter. Everyone else that had been left behind was already there, greeting those who returned. They were quickly passed clothing in human form: a robe or a pair of pants or a shirt. Crudely dressed, Kagome pushed through the crowd and searched. Her heart fell into her toes when the one she looked for wasn't there.
"Kagome."
She tensed at the voice, and when they tried to grab her, she pulled away as fast and hard as she could. "No."
"Kagome…"
"NO!" Anyone that touched her got burned as Kagome slapped and popped all their hands away. None were the hands she wanted to touch her and therefore weren't good enough. "Where is he!"
Now they were all silent, looking sheepish and guilty. Kagome had enough, shoving anyone in her way aside and going for the door. The rain had picked up, going from the drizzle she had stood in for hours to a downpour. It matched her mood as it usually did. Something that was both irritating and comforting.
A few followed her out, and Kagome didn't need to look to know who. Mommy Izayoi, Sesshomaru, and Koga were among them, while the others were those who had just returned and were responsible for the one that didn't.
"Kagome, dear, come inside, please," Izayoi begged.
"No. I will not. Not without my mate."
Sesshomaru stepped around her, blocking Kagome's movements and grabbing her shoulders tight. "Kagome… your mate is dead."
She shook all over, but only her head was in her control. "No, no, it's not possible. I would know. I would know if he was dead!"
"He didn't make it out with us," Koga added, stepping up to her side to help Sesshomaru contain her, "that's as good as dead."
"But it's not dead. He won't die. He wouldn't leave us!" She was screaming and sobbing, a real mess with tears, snot, and slobber all over her face. But she could care less as she pounded Sesshomaru and Koga back. They released her, and she fell to the ground, curling into herself as much as possible. "Inuyasha always comes back. He won't leave me. Inuyasha will come back to me!"
No one touched her, and for a while, all she felt was the pain. But then it all went away and dark. Then she was floating and warm.
