- CHAPTER NINE – HAVEN -


"What do you mean, you're not from Kanaka?" A green-haired girl asked. She and a younger teen, Ai, sat on Moegi's bed, staring at Kagome expectantly. They were in the women's wing, pelting the newcomer with a barrage that left her nearly breathless. Moegi had ended their tour in her room, only to find curious friends waiting eagerly, having guessed their final destination.

"I come from a different province," Kagome replied.

"Which one?" Ai asked immediately. With large eyes, a messy bun of purple hair, and blue, fin-tipped ears, she was young enough to nearly match the age she appeared to be. Her years had not yet outstripped her prolonged adolescence, and she had only recently graduated from Shippo's care.

Moegi cut in. "Kagome already told you. Mutsu. Remember when she explained where she learned the healing arts?"

Ai's mouth dropped into an 'oh'.

The other girl, Asagi, tapped her chin in thought. "How did you and Inu-Yasha meet?" Oldest of the Horai hanyou, she was blatant in her attempts to feel out the human.

Kagome didn't mind. The pointed questions, while hurled fast, held no pretense. She could handle a conversation without games. "He saved me actually," she offered a half-smile. "My former master had just found me escaping from his estate."

Ai's ears quivered. "You're proud when you say that," she turned her head slightly. "How many times did you try running away?"

Kagome blushed, unaware there'd been boast in her voice. "A few."

Moegi smiled; her new acquaintance was quickly learning the nuances hanyou could pick up on.

Asagi continued studying the girl, and Ai fell quiet, waiting for her verdict. After a minute, the elder Horai cleared her throat. "But why did Inu-Yasha take you?" She finally asked. "He's never brought back a woman before."

Kagome scoffed. "You mean a prisoner?"

"You're no captive," Asagi said. "You've had free reign of our mountain today."

Kagome motioned to Moegi. "I was supervised."

Hurt broached the quiet hanyou's features. "I offered because I wanted to," she said softly. "There weren't any orders given."

Kagome realized she was right and winced. Moegi wasn't a guard or a fighter – she wasn't even an adult. No one had made Kagome her charge. "I'm sorry."

Moegi waved her away. "It's alright. You're like us when we were first got here," she gestured to the two girls sitting on her bed. "Untrusting and hard-edged."

Kagome ducked her head in further embarrassment at the accurate, if not easy to hear, assessment.

The horned hanyou continued plainly. She wasn't angry. "We've all faced horrors and pain outside the mountain. Sometimes it takes a long time to let the hurt go and trust that it's better," her hand fell to Kagome's, twining their fingers together. "It is better," knowing eyes grabbed hers. "Inu-Yasha is a good person—a just leader."

Ai nodded vigorously. "He saved us from Horai Island. All of the villagers were gone, and we were marked as sacrifices."

"All… faced horror," Kagome mumbled Moegi's words, letting bangs shield her face.

Asagi's scrutiny softened. She got up from the bed and stepped to the pair still holding hands. "It may not seem like it," she laid a palm on Kagome's shoulders. "But you couldn't have come to a better place. No one understands what you've gone through more than us," her touch was warm as she let the weight of her words sink in.

A lump started in Kagome's throat. She tried swallowing it down, but it stuck as she thought of the women in Naraku's harem, little more than fractured shells of their former selves. They had wanted little contact with her – seeing how often she got the lash. She looked to the three hanyou before her and saw fire and independence staring back. No fear, no reproach – they had fought like she had. This was not a hall of women who cowered.

Ai joined her big sisters in standing. "You can stay with Asagi and I tonight," she offered. "Eiichi got us a huge bed on his last trip to Kanaka. It's big enough for three."

Asagi saw the human's eyes widen and rushed to clarify. "He acts like a father figure a bit too much, but he means well. He knows we've never had someone look out for us before."

Kagome thought of the hebi demon showing kindness to the two girls. Kindness – without the sort of payment men usually expected. She couldn't imagine the coarse, foul-mouthed hanyou having it in him. The idea of him shouldering a wide mattress back across those fields made her shake her head.

"She can't go with you," Moegi answered for her. "Because she's sleeping here with me," she squeezed Kagome's hand. "Right Nee-chan?"

The lump thickened. Kagome could only nod mutely.

The three hanyou continued to talk, trying to coax the girl back into conversation. There were still many answers to gleam.


Kirara let out a low growl. The first streaks of light had pierced the sky, heralding the sun's approach. Sango roused her brother, asleep against Hiraikotsu over her back, and he stirred with a shake of his head.

"Are we there already?" The question was only half-alert as he brought himself back to the world of waking.

"Kirara pushed herself," Sango patted her long-time friend. "We'll be there in a few hours."

Kohaku sat up. "I thought the Ouja were three days from Kanaka."

She smiled, glancing over her shoulder. "On foot maybe," she reached for her belt, retrieving a handful of hard travel rations. "Hungry?"

The boy took the breakfast, knowing there would be little time later. His sister hadn't woken him for sustenance. There was a lot to go over before they entered the enemy's labyrinth.


Deep in the Ouja mountain range, Kagome found herself relying heavily on her body's internal clock to feel time's passage; heightened-sense hanyou had little need of windows or sunlight to tell them when to rise, and had never bothered trying to bring either to their stronghold.

Despite this lack, Kagome woke feeling warm and rested. Heads of green, olive, and purple hair lay beside her, framing faces of closed eyes and parted mouths. The candles about the room had burned low or gone out, and only the resilient torches on either wall still danced strong. Though the fireplace was cold and unused, she felt no chill. Thin arms sprawled over her, and Ai's feet were tangled in her legs. Sandwiched among the trio of hanyou, she had slept soundly.

Kagome felt a yawn build up in her. She wanted to hold it in, reluctant to let this glimpse of sisterhood slip away, but it resolutely rose her chest and stretched her mouth wide.

As expected, three pairs of eyes blinked open, and yawns echoed hers. The room filled with sleepy mumbles as everyone started to wake.

Asagi ran a hand through her short, now-spiked on one side hair. Oblivious to what the pillow had wrought, she made no further move to smooth it. Inhaling deeply, she frowned and scrunched up her nose. "Oh, damn. Akio's still on kitchen duty."

Ai, puffy-eyed and slow, sniffed tentatively. "I thought his week ended yesterday."

"Guess not," Asagi said glumly.

Ai sniffed again, crying out in exaggerated despair. "You're right! And he's still made three pots of rice."

Asagi shook her head and reached her arms high above her. "You'd think with the amount of leftovers he'd realize something was amiss."

"He must be trying to get rid of it," Moegi gave a rueful smile as she echoed her sister's stretch. "Why else would he offer so much this morning?"

"Yuck," the youngest hanyou made a face. "The only thing worse than undercooked rice, is wet, re-stirred mush."

Kagome joined the girls as they crawled across blankets and extended feet to the floor. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary among them, as if the presence of a human in Moegi's room was common enough.

Kagome felt the flicker of acceptance she'd woken with flare to a full-on glow. It spread through her chest, and she fought not to smile. Though her peers were disheartened at the lackluster breakfast awaiting them, there was no way Akio's cooking could dampen her mood.

They left the room, walking down the corridor of the women's wing as a group, greeting the few sisters they passed with smiles or waves. Kagome followed wordlessly at Moegi's side, feeling curious stares and offering out her own hesitant nods of acknowledgement.

Ai and Asagi started chatting, beginning to recover from the devastating news of Akio's extended post. Moegi turned to Kagome to ask yet another question, but jerked and stopped as her sisters froze mid-sentence.

Kagome watched their eyes all widen. "What is it?"

Tension erupted between them, and their noses lifted, ears quivering.

Moegi was the first to gasp, and her warmth left Kagome's side as she bolted down the hallway. Choking sounds came from the others, and they both broke into sprints, following her without looking back.

Kagome stood, bewildered. Wind rushed behind her, and several of the women they had just greeted blurred past, each heading for the main hall.

She didn't have to ask what was happening; she knew it was something bad. Tearing from her rooted spot, she ran after them.

The passageways were deserted by the time she shot down the steps and practically tripped her way into the central cavern. When it opened up in front of her, a scene of horror sprawled out at her feet, far worse than the carnage she'd seen at her arrival almost a week ago.

Bloody men lay across tables, covered in wide gashes and grimacing in pain. Overturned breakfast bowls, knocked aside in a hurry, littered the floor. In the fray of moving bodies rushing to help, Kagome made out the kuma brothers she'd met with Ren, each roaring and swearing as others tried to ply their sides with dressings. Adrenaline filled her, and she started assessing injuries.

The large ogre Inu-Yasha had invited yesterday morning was stretched out on the table closest to the four exit tunnels. His eyes were closed, and an impossible amount of blood covered his torso and waist, pooling under him and threatening to spill over the table's wooden lip. Eiichi hovered nearby, and she hurried over.

Without hesitating, Kagome elbowed the hebi aside. "What happened?" She asked, leaning over the hemorrhaging man. He was critical. "He's lost a lot of blood. Too much."

Eiichi glowered. "For humans maybe."

Kagome heard the strain in his clipped words and appraised him. From his crumpled stance and shallow breathing, she guessed he had two or three broken ribs and a punctured lung. "You should lie down," her tone softened, knowing he must be in severe pain.

"You're used to working with weaklings like yourself," he snapped. "Trust me. I'm fine."

It was the only offer she'd give. "Then can you help me?" She asked. "I'll need water, bandages, and medicine," her gaze roamed the hall once more. She told herself she was taking in the scene, but she searched for a red haori among the shouting and bustle.

Eiichi's eyes followed hers. "He's not here."

Kagome nearly jumped. "What?"

"He's out doubling the guard postings," he turned to get her requested supplies. "I'll be right back."

She watched him leave, wondering if she'd made her hunt that obvious. Ibuki groaned from the table, and she refocused her attention downward. There was work to do.


Kagome sat down heavily, her green dress stained red. She fought back exhaustion and wiped a wrist across her sweating forehead, leaving a bloody smear. She and a dozen Ouja, including Asagi, Moegi, and Ai, had treated nineteen of Inu-Yasha's party; only Inu-Yasha himself was left, and had yet to make an appearance. Kagome scanned the main hall, as she had done all morning. Quiet aftermath was settling over the cavern, and even Eiichi had finally been ordered to rest. At her insistence, hanyou moved about the men, making them lift their heads to take drinks of water. Besides a few muttered complaints of mothering, they were complying.

Kagome heard the slow pad of bare feet approach her bench and knew instantly her search was over. Maybe being around so many with keen senses was starting to rub off on her, if not to help with time-keeping. Without looking, she scooted over, and Inu-Yasha plunked down beside her, touching his thigh to hers.

"You look awful woman," his voice was low and tired as he took in the red caked up her forearms, and the straggly bits of hair escaping from her hasty ponytail. Blood streaked her face, and he reached out, wiping it away with a sleeve to make sure it wasn't her own.

Kagome let him clean her forehead, blinking as fabric brushed her eyes. "Better?"

He withdrew and shrugged. "Not much to work with in the first place."

Unable to muster insult, she nodded heavily and leaned back against the table, resting her elbows to let her arms dangle. "Are you okay?"

Inu-Yasha palmed his chest and stomach, as if checking. "I think everything's still here."

She didn't respond to the sarcasm, listening to the sound of his breathing instead. No hitched inhales. No hisses of pain. He wasn't hurt. She lifted her inspection to his face, seeing fatigue that mirrored her own. "What happened? Did the wolves do all of this?"

Inu-Yasha sighed, raking a hand through his hair, pushing back low-hanging bangs. "Can you ask me in three hours?" He surveyed his comrades, seeing them bandaged and out of danger. "One of these tables has my name on it."

Kagome stretched her arm behind his back, patting the hard wood. "It's here. I was saving it for you."

"Aw," he cracked a grin. "You shouldn't have."

She felt her adrenaline bleed away now that she knew he was safe. Weariness replaced it, filling her frame and making her lean into his shoulder. "I'm that nice," she mumbled.

Inu-Yasha made no move to get up, and they sat quietly, watching the hall. Ai was on her tip-toes, speaking to Eiichi. Akio, the infamous rice novice, was guiding a ladle of water into Isato's mouth. The lizard hanyou's eyes were both bandaged, and he relied entirely on his brother. Miroku, wearing an angry red cheek and a delighted grin, was watching Moegi walk away.

Inu-Yasha cleared his throat, growing more alert. Kagome was slack and unguarded against him – no wary tenseness, no reserve. Her temple rested at his arm, and she stared off into space, content not to have to support herself. He knew this was the time to say something kind or charming, before she threw up her defenses, and searched through his dusty repertoire. "I'm glad you stuck around," he said awkwardly, trying not to call attention to it. "For the men."

Kagome's arm lifted to his back absently and sank through the snarls of his matted, dirty hair. "Were you worried I'd run off?" She took a tangle idly, rolling it between her fingers.

Inu-Yasha stiffened at the warmth of her palm and the gentle tug as she handled the white mess he rarely paid attention to. The touch was a distracted fidget, thoughtless and without meaning. "No," he kept still as she wound a lock in and around her knuckles. "There were…," he struggled to form a sentence. "Were…," the workings of speech completely left him as her fingers continued their innocent play. "More pressing things to focus on," he got out.

Kagome pulled back and let her eyes follow her fingers, taking in layers of his old snarls. "I don't suppose brushing was one of them?"

Inu-Yasha snorted.

"So what was so 'pressing' out there?"

He had had no intention of telling her about Kagura, or how Tessaiga had transformed again. With the pressure of her hand at his back, he found himself speaking anyway, revealing even the possibility of surviving wolves, and the threats Kagura had issued against the mountain.

Kagome listened, growing more somber with each detail. When Inu-Yasha finished, he looked over at her.

"Too much?"

She withdrew her buried fingers, drawing them into her lap. "No," she shook her head. "But it sounds like yesterday was dangerous."

Inu-Yasha turned to stare out at the room. He smelled her anxiety, and the urge to protect, by now familiar, rose up and filled his mouth. "I won't let anything—," he started.

She interrupted. "It's not fear for myself your nose is picking up," she said quietly.

His jaw fell, and he scoffed, embarrassed. "Oh come on," he said. "You weren't worried about us out there, were you?"

Kagome didn't join him in their normal territory of bait and sarcasm. "Actually," her hands folded and unfolded together at her waist. "I think I was."

Inu-Yasha reeled; thoughts and hopes swirled in his mind, bumping the wind witch far down in importance. He coughed, trying not to give himself away. "You're just tired."

Kagome didn't have to read scents to know her effect. "You're right," she let her voice lighten. "I must be near delirium. Me? Afraid for you?"

"I know," Inu-Yasha slowed the churn in his head. "I'm a monster incapable of decency."

"You steal people!"

"Girls even!"

Kagome nodded. "Who would care if you got hurt?"

"Not you!"

"No way!"

They smiled together.

She shoved him with her shoulder. "I am glad you're okay."

Inu-Yasha nudged her back. "Delirious. You said so yourself."

Her smile grew. "It's true. You almost seem likable right now," she got to her feet. "Out of my way. I obviously need to lie down on this table more than you."

"Hey!"

"Nope!" She pushed him back. "I'm not in my right mind. Move it!"

Inu-Yasha stood with a laugh and took her elbow, grinning with uncharacteristic amusement.

Kagome looked up at the foreign sound, more carefree than she would have guessed, and inhaled sharply. The stare that grabbed hers was warm and approving, the usual anger lines furrowing its brow and hardening the mouth below gone. Their absence made it hard to remember she was supposed to think him ugly.

Inu-Yasha felt the desire from yesterday's breakfast return, and the room dropped away as he watched her study his face. He wanted to kiss this woman who was slowly driving him mad. His smile slipped as he pulled her close, and Kagome didn't resist, letting herself be drawn to his chest.

He reached for her waist, spreading fingers just above her hip and settling them in a satisfied clutch. He heard her heart start pounding against his and grasped tighter, pricking claws through her dress as he swallowed down the beginnings of a rumble. He lowered his head, longing to let his hands do the same.

"Get a room you two!" Came a voice from one of the surrounding tables. Eiichi propped himself up on his elbows, glaring balefully. "I don't need nausea added to my problems!"

Inu-Yasha let go immediately, surprise flushing his cheeks. "You must not have a mirror in your quarters, your face is cause enough!" He snarled back.

Kagome stepped out from his arms, trying to ignore the sear his hands left on her sides. They burned with sudden emptiness. What was she doing?! Wondering where he was? Fearing he might be hurt? Letting him hold her? She may have disliked Eiichi, but at that moment, she was deeply grateful. Retreating even further, she breathed long and slow to calm her thundering heart.

Inu-Yasha turned back to her, taking in the new space between them. Gruffness – and the return of deep lines – filled his face. "What's wrong?" He asked sharply.

Kagome was too ashamed by her slip to get angry at his tone. She cast a glance at the high rock walls imprisoning her from all sides. "You know," she replied.

Inu-Yasha frowned. It was hard to quell the urge to seize her about the waist in a far rougher fashion, lean her back, and be done with all these feints. He wrestled for control, working not to inhale through his nose; he didn't want her scent to drive him to be the man she feared he was.

Kagome watched the war in his face, hearing his conflict like he was mumbling it aloud, and felt worse. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to—."

"You don't need to apologize," Inu-Yasha interrupted. "I never want you to," the words were clipped and forced. "You have every right to want space," he stepped past her and climbed up onto the bench. Without untying the sword at his hip, he turned and stretched out across the table. "Go lie down. You look tired," he closed his eyes, trying to hide his struggle. "Have someone wake me before evening."

Kagome was glad for the dismissal; it helped end uncomfortable musings creeping their way into her head. She turned to go, and Inu-Yasha jerked back up into a sit.

"Wait," he reached out for her, changing his mind. "I want to ask you something."

She cursed silently. With a sigh, she swiveled back around.

He gauged her. "Would you have let me kiss you just now?" He asked flatly.

Kagome's mouth dropped. "W-What?!"

Inu-Yasha motioned with his finger to where he'd been standing. "If Eiichi hadn't interrupted," he pressed. "Would you?"

Her cheeks burned red hot. "N-No. Of course not," she stammered. "Why would you even ask that?"

His stare smoldered. "Because I think you're the one full of it," he held her eyes.

At that, Kagome felt her temper ignite, and snapped her jaw closed. "I'd rather kiss the forest youkai!" She hissed. Spinning on her heel, she left the table and marched for the tunnels. Amber bored into her back the whole way.