Marionette

By: Metamorphose

Chapter 2: Rise and Shine…

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Sake. He smelled sake…and sweat. The pungent odor of the alcohol woke him violently, and the sickly sweet smell of sweat nearly gagged him. On top of that, his head was pounding. InuYasha groaned and opened one eye to the bright blue sky above him, cringing.

Late afternoon.

How long had he slept? He sat up, bracing himself on his elbows, and groggily surveyed the scene around him. Villagers were scattered here and there, caught sleeping where the last vestiges of their celebration had left them before fatigue overcame and conquered. On the threshold of the lord's home, a man sat passed out on the steps with his arm over the railing. InuYasha glared, recognizing him as the ubiquitous sake provider. Another slept below his arm, a bowl in his lap. So, he had been pouring yet another bowl of the rice wine when he fell unconscious?

InuYasha shook his head as a chill ran up his spine. Other scents assaulted him. The scant remains of the campfires' sulfur, sickness, blood the thick musk of coupling—all of these crashed down on him at once. It was overwhelming, and it fully awakened his senses. Among the passed out drunks he saw several sprawled together in their drunken acts of sex, simply passed out in full view of everyone.

Another chill suddenly crept up his spine, and InuYasha narrowed his eyes dangerously. The chill screamed warning, yelling silently that something was not right. He was missing something. Kagome's image filled his mind.

"Damn alcohol," he muttered, knowing she would have been his first priority if he had not been so groggy. He inhaled, searching specifically for her scent. The heavy scent of blood hit him first. To his left he saw a man unconscious and on his face, beaten and bruised, deep scratches along his back.

InuYasha growled. He remembered him. He remembered how the man had approached Kagome and himself after…

Few times in his life had InuYasha truly known fear. The first time came after the death of his mother when he found himself all alone. The second time he felt it, he had almost lost Kagome.

InuYasha swallowed and picked up on Kagome's scent. He tried to ignore the way his tinged hers and forced himself to look to the right. She was there, sleeping peacefully and completely and utterly naked on top of his haori. Images from the night before flooded his mind and increased his dread.

If he did not kill himself for being so irresponsible first, Kagome certainly would.

InuYasha quickly located his hakama and kimono and pulled on the red pants and crawled over to Kagome. Carefully draping the kimono over her form, he sat back and quietly observed her. Innocent. She looked completely innocent, yet as the images of what they had done once again hit him, he knew that she had been a much apart of it as he. InuYasha silently cursed himself. Never should he have let her have so much to drink. He should never have had as much as he did. The weight of what had happened bore down on him. No wonder he had nearly shredded the man who had come up to him, wanting to share. Kagome could not be shared

She was ruined; she was his. If she refused, he was alone.

He screamed in his mind. Nothing could be done now. Best to wake her and let reality sink in. Best to let her thrash out get all her anguish out early. He mentally prepared himself for the coming onslaught, and lightly shook her shoulder.

"Kagome."

She did not awaken, but merely turned over onto her stomach to continue sleeping. The kimono slipped from her shoulder. He covered it. "Kagome, wake up."

She groaned, as one does when they think they have been woken too soon. Her blue eyes opened slowly, and she retracted under his kimono from the light.

She grumbled a bit beneath her temporary blanket. "I feel like I got hit by a train."

InuYasha did not think it was possible to feel worse, but he did. He sat quietly, waiting for her to realize her position. He knew he should come right out and tell her, but when he went to speak, he found it impossible. Instead, InuYasha sat by her side, listening to her mumble incoherent things from underneath his kimono.
"My head hurts," she complained, "and…"

Kagome suddenly grew silent.

InuYasha felt the dread rise again, nearly choking him as he prepared himself to meet her fury. Awkwardly, he reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder. A moment later, her head appeared, and she clutched his kimono tightly around her. Her blue eyes were wary as she looked at him, knowing and uncertain all at the same time. She pushed her mussed hair out of her eyes and licked her lips nervously.

"InuYasha," she said quietly, "why am I naked?"

He swallowed and dropped his hand. "You don't remember?"

Kagome shook her head, not looking at him. "No, but I have an idea."

Silence took over them. They sat for a long time, neither looking at the other. Off and on, Kagome's brow furrowed in concentration as she struggled to remember what had happened to put her in her current state. InuYasha sat miserably next to her his eyes shut as he waited for her to speak. It would be more damaging than good to rush her.

The rest of the village still slept.

"Was it you?" she finally spoke.

He nodded.

Unshed tears shone in her eyes, and she nodded back to him. She began to stand, his kimono wrapped snugly around her.

Alarm suddenly filled him. "Kagome, I didn't…"

She held up her hand but would not look at him. "I know you didn't. Please don't worry; I'm mad at myself, not you."

"It's not your fault," he whispered. "I should have…"

"We both should have, InuYasha." She looked at him for the first time. "Help me find my clothes?"

Her clothing was not far. She gathered her undergarments and shirt; he handed her skirt to her, which she took blushing. They stood for a moment, quietly surveying the scene. No one else had moved yet.

"They'll be out for a while," InuYasha said.

Kagome nodded. "I should get dressed."

InuYasha blushed and picked up his haori, stretching it out before her while averting his gaze. "Hurry up. I won't look."

It was only a moment before he heard the sound of his kimono falling on the soft earth, but the heavy silence between them prevailed. InuYasha kept his word and did not look. He tried with difficulty to ignore the sounds of her undergarments sliding into place against her skin. She may not have remembered the night before, but he did.

"InuYasha," she said suddenly, "I…"

Another sound entered the village. They both heard it before they saw it: the sound of a cart clacking against stones studding the soil, the snap of reins, and jovial conversation of companions. Both felt their hearts drop with anxiety. They knew those voices, and Kagome still had yet to finish dressing.

InuYasha hastily threw his haori around her. "Shit."

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A/N: Uh-oh for them. Let me know what you think. Metamorphose