7.


The silence that fell after she spoke, was almost deafening. Not even a bird chirped outside. Kagome felt as if a gust of wind flew past her, she felt as if something invisible swirled around her, swaying the ends of her hair and the strands of the man's silver mane.

The fae blinked his golden eyes.

"What the hell?" he breathed out. She scowled something fierce. "You're joking, right?"

"Of course I'm not." Kagome shook her head. "Now - name."

"You may call me the one who wears the robe that doesn't burn," he grumbled.

"It doesn't sound like a name." Kagome pouted.

"Keh, and how many true names the wise miko happens to know?" the man raised a brow. Kagome paused a little.

"Um... none... But it still doesn't sound like a name," she said softly. The man smiled a wide, cheerful smile, that seemed to make the whole room fill with light and elation. She felt tempted to return this smile.

As she looked at him, Kagome glimpsed a canine too long to belong to a normal human. Yet another sign he wasn't human. But, instead of being scared, she felt a bit fascinated.

"So, um... you that wears an inflammable shirt," she started.

The fae snorted.

"Just call me Inuyasha, wench," he offered, covering his mouth, as if trying not to laugh. Kagome perked up, despite the fact that he was obviously having fun at her expanse.

"Is it your real true name?" she asked hopefully.

"Who knows?" he chuckled still.

"Well, you should know if it is or not," she pointed a finger at him. "And you shouldn't laugh at me. I'm just trying..."

"...To seize control over my spirit, I know," he cut in. Now, his voice was harsh and hard. The room was now shadowy and cool.

"What? No! I just don't want to be lied to," she shook her head. There was a tight feeling in her stomach at being accused of wanting to enslave him.

"Liar," he barked.

"I'm not a liar. I'm a terrible liar."

"Keh. I can believe that," he smirked, his anger now a fading memory. Kagome gave him a somewhat faint smile. It seemed he was easy to anger, but it didn't last long. It was a reassuring information, he was not of the vengeful fae.

"Um... Could you, please, play for me? You said you did before, and I really liked it," she said shyly, fiddling with her fingers, standing in front of the bed and feeling a bit like a small girl asking for sweets.

"Is it an order? Because, if it is, you should say my true name instead of the 'p' word," he said teasingly. Her downcast eyes lifted up to glance at him.

"It's not an order, it's a request. Besides, I don't know your true name," she pointed out. He cocked his head like a dog

"I told you my name," he said. "Do you think it's not name-like enough to be a name?"

Kagome giggled. "It sounds like a name, but I doubt you'd tell me your true one, since you seem to be very afraid I'd abuse it."

"Keh! Humans always abuse our names," he said with a scowl, his tone agitated. Kagome lifted her hands in front of herself in a soothing gesture.

"I wouldn't. And it was just a request," she said and took a small step back, trying to make him realize she was not a bad person.

"Feh," the fae man grumbled and winced when she stepped back. "Fine, I'll play."

He lifted his right hand and reached to the spot behind his ear. When he saw her curious, hopeful expression, he smirked and pulled something that was hidden behind one of his adorable ears.

"Oh," Kagome gasped in awe.

It was a flute. Somehow, he pulled it out of behind his ear, where no flute could be hidden from view.

"Neat trick, huh?" he smirked. Kagome nodded, looking at the ear, that flicked at her attention, then at the flute itself.

It was nothing like the flutes she'd seen. It was made out of light, almost white wood, that was carved and then painted with golden and red. Autumn leaves swirled around the shaft of the flute. The fae's smirk grew wider when he saw her eyes glued to the instrument, then he lifted it up, avoiding the arrow. He started to play.

It was a song the kind of which people talk they dreamed about, but can't recall the melody after waking up. Kagome felt a wave of relaxation and warmth wash over her as she listened to the tune, her body rocking on her heels a bit. The fae's eyes glinted, the forest painted around them seemed to be alive, the world outside felt like a dream of someone else. Kagome sighed and took a step. The music was so painfully beautiful and strange, but she was sure it'd sound even better once the stick in his chest was removed. She wanted to hear it. She wanted to dance to it, dance with the golden-eyed man, laugh as he laughed and run in the wilderness of the hills behind the shrine grounds, forgetting her old life, her old dreams, her old boundaries.

Her hand lifted, reaching over the pile of dry leaves covering the man's half.

The sun set.

The music faltered and then stopped when the fae's fingers grew limp, his arms falling to the bed, his head lolling to the side. The flute rolled across his chest and disappeared in the leaves.

Kagome gasped, shaken out of her trance. She blinked and jumped back, realizing she was now standing next to the bed, that she almost unleashed the fae, entranced by his music and magic.

"You... You sneaky dog," she glared at the mischievous man, who was smiling innocently in his sleep.

She wanted to yank at these cute ears of his for trying to trick her. But she realized it would be a bad idea. Fae in the stories always got hostile if offended or assaulted, even if they were good or neutral in the beginning.

Still, she couldn't leave his mischief unpunished.

Kagome glanced at the man, thoughtful. Then she ran out of the room and returned a minute later with a comb, a handful of silk flowers and a hair tie. Giggling, she approached the slumbering fae and quickly braided a section of his hair that went from the base of his ear all the way to his waist. She braided in the colorful flowers, feeling more than a bit jealous about how soft and nice his hair was. No wonder he kept it long, she wouldn't want to cut such pretty hair. She made sure the braid rested across his chest before she left the room.

It was just then, as she closed the door, that she remembered about Souta and the supper. Blushing at her forgetfulness and hoping Souta wasn't weirded out by her sudden dash for her room, she went downstairs to help the maid set the table for the supper. Her brother gave her a curious glance, but said nothing about her odd behavior.

.

Her body felt so heavy and tired as it coiled between jagged rocks and small, feeble bushes that covered the mountain slope. Scales scraped against the small pebbles and it was the only sound she could hear, beside her own breathing. She crawled forward, only reason her body moved was the steel will that burned behind her eyes. With the jewel under her tongue she could draw on its power, but she was afraid it'd give her location away.

She wanted it all to end, to stop. She wanted to be safe and warm again, to be able to relax and not look behind her back at every shadow and noise.

How could one of her kind be so skittish?

Well, the answer was clear - she was chased, pursued for so long she no longer remembered what feeling calm meant. Months or years passed since she'd escaped his webs and the fear of going back to that cavern, now bearing scorch marks and smelling of her despair, was enough to make her move. She couldn't go back to that dark place, where she would be bound and helpless. She couldn't go back to the sweet, putrid odor of rot, of malice and greed. She couldn't go back to the pain, to the slow fading of her will, to the patient captor waiting for her to give up, to release the jewel, to surrender her name.

Vaguely she remembered the time before being captured, the peaceful days of silent, happy life, the house filled with sunlight, with creaking veranda boards under her feet, with no pain and fear. Back then she'd had a younger sister. They'd sing in the evening, brushing each others hair, dressed in nightgowns and laughing together. The memories were foggy and shattered, many of them seeming more like desperate attempts of warding off the darkness. Still, she knew that once, long ago, she'd been happy and pure.

Oh, how she longed to be human again...

She stopped when she saw it - a silver, shimmering web spread between two tall rocks way to her left.

With a bone-chilling shriek, she rose to her feet, her wings snapping open, her tail slashing the ground. A lightning came from the cloudy sky, blasting the web and one of the rocks. With another scream, she threw herself into the sky, finding new strength, the jewel in her mouth glowing pink as she rose in a tight spiral to the storm clouds. Rain fell and thunder roared, covering her tracks and swallowing the sound of her flapping wings.

A pair of red eyes watched her, malicious mirth glittering in them as they watched her ascend to the sky..

A/N: So, yeah, 'Inuyasha' isn't his full true name, but it's his name nonetheless.
And, oh, who might be this lady fleeing? And from whom?
Next update will be either this or the following Sunday/