If the Roles Were Reversed

by Glon Morski

I: Until he fell down the well and 500 years into the past, Inuyasha didn't believe in legends. His beliefs were challenged when he found himself in a world in which said legends are reality. Problem? He wants to leave that world behind, while it is unwilling to let him go. And so he begins a search for a substitute for a duty, aided by Kagome, his slef-proclaimed hanyo protector.

54. A Hanyo's Kindness

It's still March! I still made my deadline of an update once a month! You can't tell me I didn't! :p

Seriously, though, next month is likely going to be the real test of whether or not I can keep up such a pace, as uni will be starting again. Guess time will tell if I can manage monthly updates. For now, enjoy the chapter :D

No anonymous reviews this time around.

Tracks for this chapter:

Tackey and Tsubasa: Samurai

Standard disclaimer and reader's key apply.

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What happened last time: With Kirara poisoned by some bat demons, Inuyasha and a temporarily human Kagome head to a nearby village in order to get some healing herbs for her. The village in question turns out to be plagued by a demon that eats human bowels and the villagers suspect the local owner of the herb field Kagome and Inuyasha have been looking for: the half-demon Jinenji. Persuaded of the hanyō's innocence, Inuyasha strikes up a deal with the villagers. The villagers shall leave Jinenji and his mother alone until sunrise the following morning, and the priest has that much time to find the true culprit behind the killings. However, should one more person be killed before that, the deal is considered null and void. As Kirara still needs the herbs to recover, however, Kagome instructs Inuyasha to go back without her, while she spends the day with Jinenji, waiting for sunset so she can hunt the demon down then. Inuyasha agrees and delivers the herbs without problems, but runs into Naraku on the way back and is faced with an impossible choice…

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Chapter 54 – A Hanyō's Kindness

Kagome sat in Jinenji's hut with the other half-demon and his mother, arms crossed over her chest and a slight scowl on her face. It was late evening and the sun would set soon. That, of course, was not a problem. The fact that Inuyasha wasn't back yet was. Of course, the currently human half-demon had no way to be sure the priest would actually be back, but considering the way he acted before he left and his character over all, it would be far odder if he failed to show up.

"What's on your mind, girl?" the old woman finally asked, proving that she'd indeed picked up on Kagome's change in mood. Not that it was all that difficult concerning her expression. The Inuyasha sighed.

"I'm just starting to worry for my companion. He should be back by now," she admitted quietly, her gaze falling to her lap. It really was odd, especially with how determined Inuyasha had been to stay with her, and to be back before sunset if staying was impossible. Did something happen on the way? Did he get in trouble? Was he hurt? She hated not knowing. She hated even less not being able to do anything, though. Not to try and find him and not to deal with the problem she had to deal with for Jinenji, either. Thankfully, she wouldn't have to wait long to be able to start dealing with one of her worries, but turning back into her half-demon form would likely do little as far as her worries about Inuyasha's absence were concerned.

"The priest?" the old woman asked with a raised brow as if to make sure. "You're oddly certain he'd bother coming back to help a half-demon."

"Inuyasha isn't like other spiritualists out there," the black haired girl replied immediately, meeting the older woman's stare with her own, defiant one. "Demon, hanyō or human, he'd try to help anyone he believed to be innocent or otherwise in need of help."

"And yet he'd tried to kill Jinenji once already."

"That was a misunderstanding."

"You say that. What proof do you have?" Jinenji's mother asked and Kagome had to admit it was a justified question. She hesitated, then sighed.

"None as of yet. But I can guarantee I'll have one come sunset," she replied enigmatically. Of course, she was alluding to the fact that she herself was a half-demon as well and that that fact would become undisputable once the sun set. However, out of habit, she was still unable to simply admit to it. Old habits die hard, as they say. Although to be fair, in this case, she doubted it was a habit she wanted to break, even if it was more of a hindrance in this particular situation and that logic told her she could admit the truth.

As one should have expected, Jinenji's mother did not look convinced. Kagome didn't blame her.

"Maybe he's already hunting the demon actually responsible for the murders?" Jinenji asked quietly, most likely in an attempt to diffuse the situation. Again, Kagome could only disagree.

"He would come here first. And he'd know not to go hunting it without me," she said, once again gaining a skeptically raised eyebrow from Jinenji's mother. And once again, given the situation, the elder woman seemed to have a point when she spoke.

"Why would he? Between the two of you, he's better fit to go hunting a demon," she pointed out and Kagome had to keep herself from scowling. If the currently black-haired girl had been a normal human like Jinenji's mother thought, that would have been true. But it wasn't. Still, the elder woman had no way of knowing that, since Kagome was keeping her mouth firmly shut on the subject.

"He doesn't hunt without me. It's just how we do things," she settled on saying with a shrug, though it visibly failed to convince the old woman.

"You have a foolish way to do things, then," she said and Kagome shrugged once again, deciding not to answer this time. At least not out loud.

'I'm quite sure you'll change your mind once the sun sets,' she thought, but left the discussion at that. Even if she hadn't, however, it was unlikely they would have been allowed to discuss things calmly any longer, as in that moment, the sound of a stone or something similar hitting the wall outside reached their ears, along with the unmistakable shout of the villagers.

"Get your butt out here, Jinenji! We know you're the killer!" someone outside shouted. But of course, they did not stop there. "You filthy hanyō!" The last phrase was barely finished and Kagome was already standing up, fists clenched at her sides. She wasn't the only one. On the other side of the fire place, Jinenji's mother had stood up as well and had reached for her hoe.

"It's those damn villagers again," the old woman muttered angrily under her breath, not that she needed to comment on it for everyone to know what was going on. Beside her, Jinenji visibly shivered.

"Ma…"

"It'll be ok, Jinenji. You stay here," Kagome heard the elderly woman say, just as she exited the hut without a backward glance. It was not her place to calm the other hanyō, after all, his mother was much better suited for it. She could, however, give a piece of her mind to the people who had come to harass the little family of two. Which was exactly what she intended to do.

Stepping outside of the hut and letting the mat flap back into place behind her, the currently human half-demon glared at the villagers before her. They had come in a group, of course. There was at least fifteen of them, likely most if not all of the capable men, and all of them had some sort of weapon. Some had actual swords which Kagome suspected they scavenged from some nearby battlefield or another, but most had field tools or makeshift bows and arrows. Despite being human and vastly outnumbered, however, the black haired girl was far from impressed.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded in a low tone, not even trying to hide her anger. She was furious. Not only because they showed up at all, but because they dared to call Jinenji a half-breed. The insult might not have been directed at her, for once, but that didn't mean she took any more kindly to it. "We had a deal. The priest and I have until morning to prove Jinenji-san's innocence and until morning, you leave him alone unless there's another victim. If there had been, I'm sure we would have heard of it. So you've got no reason to be here. Get lost."

"Out of the way, wench!" one of the villagers called back, clearly ignoring her words. Whether it was because they had no answer or because they didn't care to answer, Kagome did not know nor care. And of course, she didn't obey. Instead, one of her hands wandered slowly, deliberately, to the hilt of her sword, which she had thankfully grabbed by reflex upon getting up a moment earlier.

"No," she answered boldly, defiantly, glaring at the people before her. Behind her, the mat fluttered again as someone else came out, likely Jinenji's mother. "Answer my question. Why are you here when we agreed you'd stay away?" Again, she got no answer, but this time, it was clearly because she was ignored in favor of the villagers doing what they often did best in such situations: persecuting those weaker than them. In an instant, there was a flurry of stones flying in Kagome's direction, although most likely, the target was actually the elderly woman behind her.

"You ingrates! We let you live in this village until now! But no more! Leave! Get lost!" the villagers called as the projectiles came flying. On reflex, Kagome tried to step in front of Jinenji's mother and cover her, raising her own arms in such a way that the fire rat fur was in the way of her head. Of course, stronger than any armor or not, the fire rat was still just a cloth, and so while it could not be cut, it did little to lessen the actual impact of the blow. As such, Kagome winced a bit when the stones hit her, but made no sound otherwise. Unfortunately, some projectiles missed the human shield that she tried to be and somehow managed to hit their actual target, as one, pained cry from the woman behind her proved. Eyes widening, Kagome glanced behind her to see Jinenji's mother holding a hand to her forehead, blood already seeping between her fingers.

"Obaa-chan!" she called worriedly, but since the old woman didn't really falter, the young girl decided to worry about the bigger problem. Anger mounting, she scowled and moved her hands quickly to the side, hitting a few last stones out of the way and biting back a wince at the impact. Damn human body and its damn sensibility to pain.

"Stop that!" she called just to be heard, the anger all but palpable in her voice. Maybe that was why the villagers actually listened and stopped and fell silent. That, or they just didn't expect Kagome to continue to defend the old woman behind her and the half-demon in the hut, let alone to seem so unfazed after being pelted with stones for a good half-minute. Kagome glared at them.

"I will ask one last time. Why are you here when we agreed you'd stay away at least until morning, unless the priest and I prove Jinenji-san's innocence in the matter of the murders?" her tone was low when she spoke, but that did nothing to make her seem calmer. She was furious, livid even, and she wasn't trying to hide it. The villagers noticed, too, and they seemed slightly intimidated because of that. But only a little and by far not enough to so much as take a step back. They were outnumbering her, after all, and besides that, she seemed to be nothing more than a young, human girl. A warrior maybe, if they believed a woman could learn to wield a sword and wasn't wearing one at her hip just for show, but still a young, human girl.

"And how do you intend to prove their innocence if you're not looking for the actual culprit?" One villager finally asked back once their surprise at her anger and actions diminished. The others were quick to nod in agreement, muttering loudly about how right he was. Kagome's scowl deepened.

"How many demons hunt during the day? Do you think we would have found anything?" she asked back challengingly after taking a second to ponder whether or not she should lie and say Inuyasha was actually already hunting the real threat. She decided against it, however, for the simple reason that she knew she was as bad a liar as one could be. "Shows how much you know. Most demons hunt during the night. It is why we asked for time until morning. Once the sun sets, the priest and I will start our hunt." Well, that was a little white lie, really. It was true most demons hunted during the night, rather than by day. It was also likely the demon responsible for the murders at the village was one such demon, otherwise it would have been spotted in the act by now. But that wasn't the reason why Kagome was waiting for the sun to set at all. She only hoped the villagers wouldn't pick up on the apparent flaw in her logic. But of course, she could never be that lucky.

"Even if the demon hunts by night, what's stopping you from finding it in its den by day?" a villager asked and Kagome cursed mentally. What was she supposed to answer to that? In a way, they did have a point, after all. Thankfully, Jinenji's mother decided to help her out.

"And what are the girl or the priest supposed to do when they arrived long after you cleaned up the latest corpse? Go into the forest and hope to sniff out the culprit like a pair of dogs?" Oh, the irony of that statement. If only Jinenji's mother knew… although really, she was about to find out in an hour or two when the sun finally set. And for once, Kagome was growing impatient to see it happen, though it was understandable given the situation.

"So what, they intended to use us as bait? To find the one killing people by catching it in the act, sacrificing another life in the process?" one villager challenged back and Kagome had to admit he was close. Close, but he wasn't quite right, because for one, no one would die. And secondly, the hanyō-girl would not need to catch the demon in the act to know the culprit. The scent of blood would be proof enough to her. Again, however, she kept those details to herself. It would only make the situation worse if she said any of that, after all.

"If you don't like our methods, you should have asked about them before agreeing to our deal," she said simply, but as expected, it did little to calm the angry mob. On the contrary, it seemed to make things worse.

"You said no one else would have to die!"

"I never promised such a thing. All I said was that we'd do our best to avoid any more victims, but we didn't guarantee anything. Which was why our deal was for you to stay away until morning unless someone else got killed. Which as far as I can tell is not the case."

"Damn wench!"

"You tricked us!"

"I did no such thing. I simply made a deal with you. And now you'll do well to abide by it. Get lost," Kagome said, her hand wandering to Tessaiga's hilt warningly once again. For a moment, the villagers hesitated. But again, that only lasted a moment.

"Why are you even siding with them?" one villager yelled and Kagome glared at the mob in general, unable to pinpoint the caller.

"Because in this situation, you're not the innocent ones who need protecting. They are," she said slowly, pointing with her head to the building behind her. Jinenji's mother muttered something under her breath in response, probably a doubt about how a lone girl could protect anybody or a statement of how stupid Kagome was being for that very reason, but the half-demon-turned-human couldn't be sure. "Besides, Jinenji-san wouldn't kill anybody. He's a kind and gentle person. You'd know that, too, if you spent some time with him. But of course, that would be asking too much because he's a half-demon, wouldn't it."

Her words got her a full ten seconds of stunned silence. But that was all. Then all hell broke loose, although really, at this point, she expected nothing else.

"Ignore her!"

"Get the wench with the others!"

"She must be a demon lover! Kill her!"

The villagers started to shout over one another and Kagome saw two of them raise their bows. She didn't hesitate then and immediately rushed forwards, drawing her sword in one, fluid motion. Tessaiga slid from its scabbard and came into contact with wood and then human flesh soon after as Kagome slashed at one of the archers, breaking his bow and pushing him back with the force of her blow, born from her speed. The man's arrow flew erratically into the air, but as the archer hadn't had the time to draw the string fully, the projectile imbedded itself point first in the ground harmlessly in front of the hut's entrance.

However, Kagome was still human right now and thus nowhere near fast enough to deal with both archers, so while she took one of them out, the others had more than enough time to shoot. Arrows set on fire flew through the air, and although thankfully not all of them hit anything other than the solid ground, thus being put out by the dirt, some of them reached the wooden roof of the hut. Cursing in her mind, Kagome stepped back swiftly to not be in the middle of the villagers, fighting the urge to glance back at the hut to assess the damage. In front of her, several villagers had been slightly destabilized as the archer she'd attacked had been thrown back a bit. The man in question was clutching at his chest, but there was no blood seeping through his fingers, nor any sort of wound where Kagome had struck. The currently-human half-demon was not surprised as she took a proper fighting stance, using the opportunity to let the confused villagers see her blade. Her very used, very chipped, and very clearly rather blunt blade, as she could not transform Tessaiga right now. Not that she would have even if she could.

"My sword may not be able to cut your flesh, but rest assured that I have more than enough strength and skill to break a couple bones. I will not kill you. But that does not mean I will shy away from fighting back should you not back down," she said lowly, once again glancing at the man she'd taken down. One of many and one she'd taken by surprise, yes, but she hoped the display would be enough to make the villagers pause and to make them realize that unlike them, she had experience in fighting and killing people. Enough so that she believed she could allow herself a handicap of not having a proper weapon and still act confident about defeating them. Whether or not her small display had been enough to intimidate them, however, it ended up not mattering at all as Jinenji's mother, understandably enraged at having her home threatening to burn down, advanced with her hoe raised.

"You bastards!" the elderly woman yelled while bringing down the agricultural tool like one would a two-handed sword from above her head onto one of the villagers. A clumsily raised sword met the makeshift weapon with a clang that told Kagome the katana was not being handled properly and the blade was suffering more than it already had from negligence since its last owner had been killed. Other villagers moved, swords raised like clubs to bring down on Jinenji's mother mercilessly. Moving forward, Kagome grabbed the old woman by the back of her collar and pulled her back none-too-gently, just barely managing to switch places with her in time. The swords struck true – clumsy, but true – and the black haired girl bit back a wince once again at the pain from the blow despite the fire rat fir protecting her flesh from being cut. She hadn't had the time to parry properly, and even if she had, she couldn't have parried all of them anyway.

She didn't let the pain stop her, though. Whirling in place, she immediately went on the offensive. Swinging her sword in a wide arc, she used her own momentum to gain speed as her free hand shot out to catch one, slow villager by the wrist. A quick turn of her hand and he was disarmed. Then she stepped closer, turned her back on him and used her momentum to throw him over her shoulder and to the ground. From there, she released the man and spun quickly with her sword at the ready, hitting only air this time because the villagers all stepped back.

The next minute or so were a blur as she tried to disarm or take down the men around her without killing them or maiming them beyond recovery. Her skills and experience were her only advantages, and likely the only reason she wasn't overwhelmed by their sheer number besides the fact that the villagers clearly did not know what they were doing. They were farmers, not fighters, after all.

Still, that didn't make anything easy. Fighters or not, the villagers had enough sense to know they needed to try and attack, and so they did. Kagome parried some of their blows. Others, she tanked with the help of the fire rat robe, although she was sure it was sheer luck her bones didn't give out from the clumsy blows at least once or twice. The only thing she was really careful of regarding defense was making sure no blade, pitchfork or even fist came close to her head. But she knew that wasn't enough. Eventually, her frail human body would give under the repeated blows. Damn it. Why couldn't the sun start setting any faster? That would take care of this messy situation. Maybe not in the best possible way, but the villagers would at least back off.

Luckily for Kagome, that happened anyway after another weapon slid seemingly harmlessly off her back. She'd managed to put five or six villagers out of the fight by that point, but she knew she herself would not last much longer. Her entire body ached. Damn human body and damn lack of pain resistance!

'Why are they retreating?' she thought wearily, readjusting the grip on her blade and trying not to show just how much pain she was in. Honestly. It was in rare moments like this that she actually disliked the part of her that was human. It never lasted and she'd feel horrible about it later, but right now, she really, really wanted to not be human anymore. At all.

"Witch!" A villager called, pointing a trembling finger at her. Kagome blinked and raised an eyebrow. Say what now? A witch? Her? Where did that come from? The fact she managed to take down five or six of them? That was skill, not witchcraft. "She's a witch! She must be! Why else would she not be bleeding?"

For a moment there was silence. And then Kagome laughed. Honestly? That was the reason they were suddenly so spooked?

"Surprised your blades don't cut me? Don't be. Though it has nothing to do with magic and everything to do with equipment," she snorted, although her own words made her blink before she mentally groaned. Man, she was stupid. If she'd played along, they might have just left. Although then again, no, it would likely have only made things worse in the end. Especially for Jinenji and his mother.

"Lies! She's using witchcraft! How else can a mere cloth withstand a sword's blade?" a villager called again and she rolled her eyes. To be quite honest, she'd expect that kind of reaction from Inuyasha, and even then only at the very beginning. By now, even the priest was wiser than whichever idiot had just spoken. As if they had never seen someone be unaffected by a human made weapon. Had they never met an actual demon or something? Except Jinenji, anyway. Kagome was inclined to think that might actually be the case, impossible as that seemed.

"Ever heard of fire rat fur?" she asked flatly, but didn't really wait for a reply. "Besides, you act as if withstanding a blow from a mere sword is impossible. Have you never met a demon? Or someone wearing armor made from a demon's skin, fur or whatever? If so, you've had a damn sheltered life and I don't know whether to be jealous of you, or to pity you." She shifted her stance a bit, watching them. They still seemed uncertain. Intimidated. Good. It was exactly what she needed. If only it could give her enough time for the sun to set…

Sadly, a brief glace at the sky told her that was not to be. The sun was lowering, yes, but it would still be a while before it actually set. Damn it.

A sudden cry from the back of the mob in front of her made everyone freeze and several villagers turn back. The cry had been brief, but filled with pain, and the source was easy to identify as one of the villagers suddenly fell over, his torso cleanly separated from his legs at the waist. Eyes wide, Kagome quickly glanced up from the corpse to the back of the group of humans and cursed loudly. As if the situation needed to get any worse.

A demon had come. A gigantic, worm-like demon, with a somewhat humanoid head. It had no arms or legs, but it had a creepy, human face with small, round eyes, a button-like nose and a large mouth. Said mouth was half-open and at least twenty or so tongues were coming out in a slithering manner akin to snakes. A similar comparison could be made with the demon's 'hair', the locks of which seemed to actually be snakes.

'Shit. Why now? Why not after sunset?' Kagome thought, her eyes quickly scanning the rest of the scene. Her fight with the villagers was understandably forgotten as the humans scattered away from the demon and the corpse, That, of course, allowed a clear view of what was happening to it, as a horde of four or five smaller demons resembling bedbugs only the size of a grown human or slightly larger converged upon the remains… and promptly started fighting over the innards that were spilling out, disregarding the rest of the flesh completely. As the humans and Kagome watched the morbid spectacle, a tense silence interrupted only by the sounds of the demons' eating fell on them all. Finally, it was Jinenji's mother, who had stayed back after Kagome had pushed her roughly away from the villagers, who spoke up.

"S-see… They're…eating the bowels…" Her voice was quiet, horrified despite the fact she must have seen similar scenes in her life already. That was all the commentary the old woman allowed herself in the face of the clear proof of her son's innocence, though. That was mostly because the biggest of the demons didn't really give them time to stare and wonder for long, as one of its tongues suddenly shot out towards the humans before it, aiming for a man just barely getting up after Kagome had nearly knocked him out earlier.

As a protector, Kagome wished she could save the man the yōkai was aiming for. She really wished she could. However, by the time she was certain who exactly the demon's tongue was moving at, there was no way her human body could react fast enough, so she could only watch as the man got impaled and hopefully died on the spot. She grit her teeth and turned her head away from the murder beside her, glaring at the demon.

"Hey! Big and ugly! Why don't you try to fight someone your own size for once!" She yelled at it in hopes of getting its attention. Was that a stupid move? Most likely, yes, but it was pretty much the only thing she could do to at least attempt to protect these people. Even if they were major asses and even if she'd been fighting them herself not even a minute ago. At least she hadn't been killing them.

"How about because it's easier to find smaller prey? Like you, little girl," the demon replied, though it glared angrily at the hanyō-turned-human before a second tongue darted out, the first not having had the time yet to move away from its previous victim. Cursing in her mind despite having achieved exactly what she wanted, Kagome raised Tessaiga as if to block, despite being quite certain the action was useless. There was no way she could withstand a blow like that in her human body, after all. Not to mention the tongue could change direction in the last moment and she'd have no time to react if it did.

That was exactly what happened, too. And yet Kagome did not die or even get impaled, because while the yōkai's tongue avoided Tessaiga's beat-up blade, it couldn't possibly avoid its barrier. It couldn't because it hadn't known in was there, much like Kagome herself. The girl had a tendency to forget repelling demons was one of Tessaiga's many abilities, but being reminded of it was always a welcome surprise. At least it gave her a sliver of a chance to try and protect someone.

The demon, meanwhile, had retreated, its tongue flipping back and forth as if it had been burned. Which was likely the case, actually. Kagome smirked and was about to throw another taunt at the demon to keep its attention on herself (especially since the villagers had already retreated from around her and had huddled together a bit off to the side), but the demon spoke before she could, its own expression far smugger than the black haired girl liked.

"Go ahead. Get the rest," it spoke, but it wasn't addressing Kagome. It was talking to the smaller demons that came with it. Its children, the black haired girl realized with a start. The bedbug-like demons did not need to be told twice and were quick to start moving towards the remaining villagers, though a few focused on the cadaver their mother had provided. Kagome clicked her tongue, trying to ignore the humans' terrified screams as the smaller demons came closer.

'I have got to do something… somehow… somehow… before it kills everyone here,' she thought desperately. But what could she do? She was still human and a quick glance westward told her the sun was only barely starting to set, so she'd still be human for a while. As a human, she was slow and weak. And easy to kill. What could she do, really? The answer was simple. A whole lot of nothing.

The fact that she'd successfully gotten the attention of the mother-demon wasn't helping matters any, either. With the gigantic yōkai focused on her and continuing its attempts to impale her, she couldn't exactly go to the villagers to help them. Damn it. Damn it to hell, what was she supposed to do?!

The idea came to her when she failed to dodge another attempt at impalement and Tessaiga's barrier protected her again. Of course. The barrier. Tessaiga. Kagome couldn't go to the villager's aid. But she could throw Tessaiga their way so its barrier kept them safe. Was it stupid? Definitely. Suicidal? Most likely. But it was the only thing she could think of, and so when she had a small moment of opportunity between the mother-yōkai's attacks, she spun to the side and threw her blade towards the villagers and the demons approaching them, praying the sword would land in a favorable spot.

It didn't. At least not quite. Instead of landing on the ground between the villagers and the approaching demons, the blade imbedded itself in the ground next to one of the yōkai children. Not close enough to cut, although that didn't matter, but it was close enough for the barrier to activate. The demon screeched and fell to the side against one of its siblings, causing a sort of domino effect as the smaller demons started to get in each other's way thanks to how clustered together they were when they started approaching the pretty much defenseless villagers.

Kagome didn't see any of that, though. She couldn't, because now that she was without her sword and the protection it offered, she had to focus entirely on not getting herself killed. Suspiciously enough, however, the mother-demon's attacks were just slow enough for her to keep up even in her human body. That… didn't seem right. She frowned and bit her lip, but decided to push her luck a bit and glanced towards the petrified humans and the demon children struggling to untangle themselves.

"Take my sword!" she yelled at the villagers, hoping they'd hear her and have the presence of mind to obey. They'd seen the barrier, after all. "Its barrier will protect you!"

"Ah, so that was how you did that. You should have kept that kind of protection for yourself foolish human," the demon focusing on her spoke as three tongues flew at her simultaneously. The hanyō-turned-human froze for a split second before reflex took over and she ducked before rolling to the side, somehow managing to avoid two of the three tongues. But the third got her. She didn't get impaled, thankfully, but the tongue wrapped around her arm with enough force to break her bones if she moved so much as in inch, she was sure. In the second it took her to asses that fact, a second tongue came and wrapped around her torso, trapping her. She glared at the yōkai before her, hating the way it smirked.

"I will admit you are fast, though. I only had to slow down to half the speed I'm capable of to allow you to didge my attacks," it said with a laugh. The black haired girl scoffed.

"And here I thought you were just slow," she bit back, unwilling to show even a sliver of fear or uncertainty, even in the face of most certain death. It was unlikely the yōkai would play with her much longer, so she couldn't hope for her demon blood to save her this time. She didn't regret her decision, however. From the sounds of it, the villagers had actually listened to her and gotten her sword, which allowed them a chance of survival, at least for now. With a bit of luck, Inuyasha would arrive sometime soon like he said he would. He'd finish things here then. This kind of demon shouldn't be a problem for him at this point, after all.

The mother-demon laughed at her words. What she found so amusing about them, Kagome wasn't sure, but she didn't really care, either.

"You've got spunk, I'll give you that. Here I thought you'd despair at the knowledge you never could have defeated me."

"'Never' is hardly the word I'd use."

"Oh? So you believe I caught you at a bad time, then? That a mere human like you could have defeated me if I just came at another time?" the demon taunted, though the amusement was gone from its voice. She was scowling. "Don't make me laugh, you insect!" The yell was accompanied by both tongues squeezing Kagome's body, effectively pushing the air out of her lungs. Which was the only reason she wasn't screaming, really, because it hurt like Hell and she was sure her ribs and the bones in her arm had given way already. Soon she'd be crushed to death. Really, what a pathetic way to go. And to be killed by such a lowlife, too…

"I'm going to squeeze you to death. And then I'll eat your bowels!" the yōkai was yelling, she was sure, but she only barely heard it. She was losing consciousness. Soon, she'd lose her life.

"STOP IT!" Someone screamed, but Kagome wasn't sure who. She was sure it didn't matter, either. At least until she was suddenly released, the tongues falling away from her and writhing on the ground. She fell face first to the ground from her crouched position and needed an additional second to regain her bearings. And to take note of the fact that while her torso still hurt, it didn't seem as bad as if it would have been if something was actually broken. Same for her arm.

Taking in deep, though painful, breaths, Kagome picked herself up from her lying position and looked up, blinking at what she saw. Next to her, though slightly up front, stood Jinenji. It had been the other half-demon who had yelled just now. In one hand, he had grasped the two tongues that had been squeezing Kagome's life out of her, likely the reason she'd been released in the first place. Considering he had his arm down the demon's throat to at least his elbow, the hanyō-turned-human guessed he had used that grip to pull the yōkai closer and attempted to punch it, though that didn't seem to have worked out quite as panned.

"Jinenji!" came a call from behind, though this time, Kagome was awake enough to recognize the voice as Jinenji's mother. That call brought her own voice back to her throat, her surprise at seeing the gentle hanyō in the middle of a battlefield, protecting her of all people, subsiding slightly.

"Jinenji-san!" she called for him as she stood up. The other half-demon hadn't really reacted to his mother's call, but when Kagome called him, he turned his head slightly to glance at her with one of his big eyes.

"Please… escape," he told her in a strained voice, although it was difficult to guess whether it was from the potential pain, or because he was using most of his strength to keep the mother-demon in place.

"Damn… you…" the yōkai growled as it tried to push Jinenji back, but failed miserably. Its mouth did inch further down the hanyō's arm, however, and Kagome was quite certain that if there were teeth somewhere in that mouth, they had to be biting down. Hard.

"Hurry!" Jinenji called to her when she failed to move.

"But…" she started, but didn't continue. He had a point. As she was now, she couldn't do anything anyway. She'd only die a pointless death if she stayed, like she almost had already. And yet… she couldn't just run. She just couldn't. She was a protector. No matter the circumstances, she was a protector. She couldn't run away when there were people who needed help. Even if she couldn't provide any more help, she just couldn't run away. It made no sense, even she could admit that, but it was stronger than her. Running away had just never been an option.

"Please… You're the only one... to have treated me like a normal person," Jinenji spoke and Kagome froze, eyes wide. Not because she was surprised at the words, not really, but because she wanted to reply and yet couldn't force herself to.

'Of course I treated you like a normal person! How could I not? You and I are the same!' she yelled in her mind, but was sadly unable to say those words aloud. So she could only stare, leaving Jinenji with no way to figure out the reason for her silence. Not that he'd given her much time to respond in the first place because he was quick to continue talking. Or yelling, at this point.

"If I let you die here, I will not be able to go on living!" Again, his words made Kagome freeze for a moment. Both because they were similar to how she felt about running away and letting basically everyone here most likely to die… and because she couldn't believe just how lonely Jinenji must have been to cling so strongly to her and how she'd treated him that he'd be willing to go against his nature and fight like this for her. Because she was sure fighting wasn't his nature. It was hers. She was a fighter, he was not. He was a pacifist. He shouldn't have to pick up a weapon of any kind, even if it were just his fists.

"I'm the same!" she called back with a shake of her head, knowing Jinenji wasn't looking at her anymore, but she hoped he'd listen. Even if it was likely too much to ask for him to understand. "I'm the same! If I run away now, I won't allow myself to keep living!" Well, alright, it didn't seem quite the same. Jinenji had said he wouldn't be able to keep going. She might 'be able to'… but she wouldn't allow herself to. For him, it was a question of how guilty he'd feel. A feeling Kagome knew well because she'd had to overcome grief of that kind before. However, in this situation, it was different for her. It wasn't about guilt. It was about honor. She'd promised her mother she'd protect humans. That promise never said anything about her only doing it when she was a half-demon and more capable. In fact, she'd meant it as a promise to do it always, no matter what. And she intended to keep that promise, no matter what. She lived by the sword. She'd die by the sword. Protecting others. That's how she lived. She couldn't possibly run away.

"I'm a protector. I can't run away. I won't," she said, quieter this time. However, despite her words, she was no fool. As she was now, she had no chance against that demon. She had to pull back, at least until she turned back into her real form.

She was about to do that when a cry from the side caught her attention. Glancing that way, she saw one of the villagers being dragged away from the others by the yōkai-children, hands reached out towards the people he'd lived with all his life and yelling for them to help. To save him. But of course, no one did. They were just as helpless as she was.

"Don't move too far away! The magic is too weak to keep you safe if you do!" the village headman, who was the one who was holding Tessaiga, called to the others. If the situation hadn't been so dire, Kagome might have rolled her eyes at the words. Magic. Right. Because making a barrier to repel yōkai was magic, not an ability born from the capacity to use one's spiritual energy. Not that the human seemed capable of accepting that a sword would be capable of such a thing because it had a mind of its own.

The situation was dire, however, and so the currently human half-demon didn't react with sarcasm, but rather with worry as she frantically tried to figure out who to help, Jinenji or the villagers, and more importantly, how to help them without basically offering up her life to the demons in the process.

"S-Save me! Please!" the villager being dragged by the little demons cried desperately, as if knowing of Kagome's dilemma and intending to guilt her into helping him. The half-demon-turned-human even glanced his way with a desperate, but sad gaze and bit her lip in indecision, before looking away with clenched fists. She knew she couldn't save that life. It wasn't possible for her right now.

The villager screamed as the yōkais' teeth bit into his shoulder and back and Kagome glanced back again, almost ready to just throw caution to the wind and do something incredibly stupid. She held herself back, though, if only barely. She wasn't a fool. She couldn't help him and she knew that. She could only watch him die and hope no more would end up in his predicament until the sun finally set.

Another scream tore from the villager's throat, and again Kagome's eyes turned in his direction. This time, however, the scream sounded more surprised than pained, and as a result, the black haired girl looked that way curiously, rather than desperately. Her eyes widened at what she saw, although she soon smiled, recognizing the occurrence easily. It was Seiryuu's reiki-wave – although it was once again in its uncontrolled, overcharged form as it covered the now screeching demons and the yelling villager. A moment later, the wave passed and dissipated, revealing the yōkai children gone and the human unharmed beyond the bite wounds he'd already sustained. The villagers stared for a moment before looking in the general direction the odd light had come from. Kagome did as well, though she didn't see the priest she knew to be at the source of that light right away. In fact, it took about another minute or so before Inuyasha came close enough to be seen or heard. He must have released that attack from quite the distance.

"What the Hell are you bastards doing here?" was the first thing that left the priest's mouth. "We had a deal!" Kagome almost laughed at the way he echoed her own words without even knowing, and she might have, had they not been in the kind of situation they were in. Glancing briefly at Jinenji, who was still struggling with the now rather enraged yōkai-mother, she bit her lip and quickly walked over to the stunned villagers. Particularly the village headman.

"We're… saved…" the humans muttered disbelievingly, visibly ignoring Inuyasha's insults or indignation. Kagome wasn't going to stand being ignored, however, and stepped right in front of the headman, her hand outstretched.

"Yeah, you are. So you don't need my sword anymore. Give it back," she all but ordered and the headman complied somewhat reluctantly. An additional glare from Kagome quickly made him release Tessaiga's hilt, returning the sword to his owner. Sheathing her blade, Kagome immediately turned to Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha," she acknowledged with a nod, "you came back just in time."

"Yeah, I noticed. What the Hell's going…" he started, but cut off when he noticed Jinenji's predicament. To be more specific, he noticed the way the demon mother was slowly but surely advancing on the hanyō, swallowing more and more of his arm, inch by inch.

"I'm going to eat your entire arm," the enraged yōkai growled, her words barely understandable since her mouth was so full. Jinenji's expression looked a bit fearful in response to the threat, but then again, that might have just been the impression Kagome and Inuyasha got simply because his eyes were naturally so large. The priest reached for his sword immediately, but didn't draw it yet. Kagome did the same, but paused when she felt a pulse within herself. She glanced towards the sun again. She hadn't noticed, but it was already half-way below the horizon by now. Finally.

"We've got to help Jinenji," the future-born teen said and took a step forward.

"No, don't help him!" came a cry over from the burning hut and the priest stopped short, blinking in surprise and glancing towards Jinenji's mother. His expression was nothing short of stupefied as a short 'huh?' was all he managed to reply with. The old woman, on the other hand, seemed quite determined. "Do not help him," she repeated resolutely and met Inuyasha's gaze before glancing at Kagome when the girl glanced at her as well. "Jinenji must fight this alone," she continued. Where Inuyasha was confused, however, Kagome's gaze was calculating, yet understanding. She gave a slow nod.

"Alright," she said slowly and Inuyasha looked at her next, blinking owlishly.

"Kagome…?"

"We won't help him. Doesn't mean we'll just stand back. There's something else still to take care off," she answered the priest's unvoiced question and pointed to the ground in the general direction where the yōkai children formerly were. Following her gaze, Inuyasha noticed several more of the little demons, some perfectly fine and others singed and definitely angry. They hissed as they started crawling forward again. "You didn't get all of them," she pointed out the obvious and Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I noticed, too. Let me finish up then," he said, though he still glanced uncertainly in Jinenji's direction. Kagome laid a hand on his arm then.

"No, stay back. Let me take care of it," she said without looking at him. The young priest glared at her.

"As you're now?" he challenged, despite already feeling her youki returning. It wouldn't be long before she turned completely. Didn't mean he appreciated being relegated to mere back-up again. "No way. Leave it to me for once. I can handle it."

"That's not the point," Kagome replied evenly before a sound of scrambling caught her attention. Both the half-dog-demon and Inuyasha turned around to see the villagers trying to make a break for it now that they weren't attacked directly. The hanyō growled, the sound befitting of a half-demon by now, even though her appearance had yet to change completely. Her hair was already becoming lighter, however, and if Inuyasha had met her gaze, he would have seen clear traces of gold bleeding into her irises.

She moved forward then, walking briskly in front of them and intending to bar their way. She managed, too, because they stopped and stared at her when she stood in front of them, her arms crossed. That was most likely due to her more and more obviously changing appearance, though.

"You guys are staying. You came all this way already and stayed so long, you're not leaving when something important is about to happen," she told them in a low tone that made them all go back a step.

"You… you're not human!" one of the villagers called and Kagome smirked, revealing her sharp canines. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the sky becoming almost entirely black. Just a few more moments and she'd be her normal self again. Good.

"Thank you for stating the obvious," she said and looked past them towards Inuyasha, who had already unsheathed his sword, but didn't advance on the demon children yet. Sure, he didn't like Kagome ordering him to stay back again, but something in the tone of her voice earlier told him she had a very good reason for it. One that didn't have anything to do with him or his skills for once. "Inuyasha, I leave these guys to you. Make sure they don't get hurt. And that they don't bolt." He glanced over his shoulder at her with a half-hearted glare, but concentrated and made a barrier around her, himself and the villagers – the best way to keep them contained and out of trouble.

"Will you at least explain to me why you're against me fighting?" he asked in an annoyed tone, his gaze moving to the young demons. "I can take them no problem. We fought worse things. I'm more worried about Jinenji," he said, looking towards the other hanyō again. Kagome approached him again and sighed softly.

"I know you can take care of those things. I already told you, that's not the issue," she said in a low tone, her by now golden gaze flickering between the hesitating kids, the enraged mother that was biting into Jinenji's arm and toward the forest, even though its edge wasn't quite visible from here. "The issue is Jinenji-san," she said quietly, glancing briefly at the other hanyō's mother. The old woman was watching her son.

'I know why she doesn't want us to help him,' Kagome thought with a frown. 'I know and I understand. She has a point, too. But I can't quite agree with it.'

"If he's in danger, then we should help him," Inuyasha said hotly, his grip on his blade shifting. Kagome shook her head and Inuyasha gave her a questioning look. One that only got more confused when she replied.

"That's not it. He won't lose. But there might be a different problem."

"What different problem?"

"I'll explain to you later if I need to. Though I have a feeling you'll understand on your own in a bit. It's why I want you to leave those things to me," she said, pointing to the children that were slowly approaching the barrier, only to retreat when they got too close and got zapped in response. They hissed and screeched angrily, but quickly quieted when Kagome gave them a glare and flexed her claws. Young or not, the demons understood a threat when they saw one. They didn't back off entirely, though.

"Fine," Inuyasha said with a long-suffering sigh. Then, remembering something, his eyes widened and he glanced Kagome's way. "By the way, we should hurry up here. There's something very important I have to tell you about," he said, his tone urgent. The young half-demon gave him a worried, questioning gaze, but didn't ask any questions and just nodded.

"I'll try to be quick then," she said, just as Jinenji's mother started to yell so that her son could hear her.

"SHOW THESE VILLAGERS WHAT YOUR TRUE POWER IS!" As if reacting precisely to his mother's encouragement, Jinenji chose that very moment to finally win his power struggle with the enraged demon mother. There was a sickening ripping sound as part of the demon's body started to tear itself in two. The yōkai screeched, its teeth sliding out of Jinenji's skin as its mouth opened wide and it retreated, its agility allowing it to escape before it was literally ripped in two. The wound it sustained, however, was still clearly severe. The demon mother glared at the large hanyō, visibly seething.

"Amazing…" Inuyasha couldn't help but whisper. It really was, too. That display of strength… he knew Kagome was strong, too, but somehow, he had the feeling that where physical might was concerned, Jinenji's strength almost definitely topped hers.

"I'll rip you apart piece by piece for that, you lowly half-breed," the yōkai hissed angrily. But before it could move towards Jinenji again, Kagome moved first. Not towards the half-dead adult demon, though, but its children instead, taking care of them in a couple of seconds and a few well-placed swings of her claws.

"That takes care of that," she said calmly, shaking her hands a bit to get rid of a few more droplets of blood from her claws. Her sudden movement had drawn the mother's attention and now the yōkai was staring at Kagome. If it was even possible at that point, it seemed even more enraged. Kagome met its angry eyes with a calm, even challenging gaze. "What? If you didn't want that to happen, you should have done something about me earlier."

That was all the taunting that was really necessary. With a screech, the demon rushed at the hanyō-girl, clearly not caring, or having forgotten about its own injury. The half-demon wasn't fazed. In fact, she didn't even draw her sword. Instead, she stepped aside in the last second before being half-swallowed by the demon, claws at the ready to tear into the yōkai's flesh. She hit her mark flawlessly, tearing at its body from the open mouth sideways in a clean swipe before using her own movement to turn around and face the demon again. The childless mother had stopped before reaching Inuyasha's barrier and turned around as well, lunging blindly a second time. The result of that was similar to the first time she tried. And yet, she did not go down. Kagome had to hand it to the yōkai, it was tenacious. But then again, she kind of expected it after slaughtering its children the way she had. And cruel as that might sound… she'd kind of done that on purpose, too.

"I'll shred you, you damn half-breed. You and that big one and all the humans here!" the demon tried to threaten again. But Kagome was far from impressed as she bent her knees and flexed her claws again. Her eyes, however, were flickering to Jinenji every now and then as she answered, meeting the other hanyō's stunned gaze.

"Not going to happen. Want know why? Because unlike you, I don't intend to let you harm anyone besides myself. You were the one who failed to protect your children. I won't make the same mistake. I'll protect Jinenji-san and even the villagers behind me. Because that's how I live my life," she said, that last part in particular being directed at Jinenji. It was a message. A warning. He'd shown his strength, yes, he'd shown he could kill this demon, yes. But he hadn't killed it. Whether that was a good or bad thing was for him to decide. But Kagome intended to give him a little warning before he did.

As the yōkai screeched again, Kagome's ears twitched and she jumped out of its way, but didn't counterattack this time. Instead, she looked in a different direction entirely, namely towards the forest. She'd heard something beyond the yōkai's scream. Something familiar. And very unwelcome. It didn't take her long to see the source, either.

Saimyosho.

Not one or two, either. An entire horde. And behind it, a rather large group of what Kagome assumed were demons from the forest. Well, she'd kind of expected the scent of blood would lure some of them. But the Saimyosho's presence meant there was more to it than that, because it was unlikely it was just observing in this situation.

Her gaze turned back to the demon mother when he ears picked up the sounds of it dragging itself across the ground. It was visibly weakening despite its anger and desire for vengeance. Kagome frowned and prepared herself. The next strike would have to be the last. She didn't feel like dealing with this enraged yōkai on top of the quickly approaching horde.

As the demon approached, she jumped over it. Or at least she seemed to jump over it, when in fact, she almost jumped on its back. Instead of landing there, however, she leaned forward and began to perform consecutive somersaults, arcs of golden energy following the movement and making her look like a wheel of light from the side. Inuyasha recognized the move. She did the same thing when fighting the centipede when they first met and he freed her from the Goshinboku, way back when.

The attack worked, the golden energy shredding the demon's back (and likely its insides) and making it screech briefly before it fell to the ground, unmoving. For a moment, all was silent as Kagome straightened up after landing in a crouch not far from the edge of Inuyasha's barrier. Then, finally, Jinenji spoke up first as he tried to approach the silver haired girl.

"Kagome-san, you…" he started, but Kagome uncharacteristically interrupted him and turned her back on him, facing towards the forest. And the approaching demons, most of which had likely been convinced by Naraku to do his dirty work for him. Again.

"Stay back, Jinenji-san. It's not over yet," she said in a low tone. Then she glanced at Inuyasha out of the corner of her eye, barely catching his attention as he had noticed the approaching demons as well by now. If not even earlier. He had an oddly worried look on his face, but Kagome decided that now wasn't the time to focus on that. She could ask him about it later. "Inuyasha, stay back and protect the humans."

That did get his attention. She barely managed to finish saying 'stay back' and he was already turning his head to glare at her, mouth opening to protest. But in the end, no sound came out of him and he blinked, mouth closing before he just nodded slowly. There was something in her gaze right then. Something he'd never seen when she usually told him to stand back. Usually, her gaze was worried when she said it, or at least uncertain, implying she wasn't sure whether or not he could handle himself. Or at least that was how he took it. Not this time, though. This time, her look was one of warning. It was a look that was telling him that if he didn't obey, he'd get hurt. And likely not because he lacked in ability. As to what Kagome might be warning him off, though, he wasn't sure, but he could see in her eyes that this warning was to be taken very seriously. Which was the only reason he didn't insist further. Something would happen in a few moments. He wasn't sure what, but he knew something would happen and that he wasn't supposed to be part of it.

It didn't take long at all for the demons to arrive. Nor did it take long to find out that the scent of blood only lured a part of them here. The rest had been told by someone that this might be a great hunting ground for them and they clearly believed it. It was hard to miss with how vocal they were about it.

There were a few who didn't bother with giving out free information, though. Likely the ones the most excited at the prospect of a free meal and an exciting hunt. Those demons didn't pause to admire the bloodied field or the dismembered demon carcasses. They didn't give Jinenji, who seemed rather intimidated by the number of demons that arrived when Inuyasha glanced at him, his mother or even Kagome a look. No, they focused on the cowering humans who seemed like they wanted to flee once again, yet were too terrified to do so. And they wasted no time in rushing towards them, earning more than one terrified, girly scream.

"Somebody save us!"

"Kannushi-sama! Please protect us!"

If he wasn't being targeted by about three or four fast approaching coyote-demons (or some other sort of canine, he wasn't really paying attention), Inuyasha might have rolled his eyes at that kind of reaction. He nearly did, too, but caught himself and took a ready stance, his hand already pulling Seiryuu out of its sheath again.

"Shut up and let me concentrate if you want the barrier to stay in place," he grumbled, his quiet words somehow managing to make the people behind him quiet. The demons were almost upon him and he was ready to intercept them. However, when they were a mere coupe of meters away from him, it turned out he didn't have to as two of them suddenly found their head separated from the rest of their body, while the third howled and fell to the ground, a bloody gash running from his neck all the way to his rear along his back. Inuyasha blinked, not really understanding what just happened until a very familiar, red-clad figure landed next to the two carcasses and one agonizing yōkai before swiftly putting an end to him by stabbing her sword through his skull. For a second, complete silence descended on the site. A silence Kagome used as she glanced at the horde who came here to hunt, drawn by the scent of blood and gore and death. In part, anyway. The rest were tipped off by Naraku if the presence of the Saimyosho meant anything.

"Tough luck. If you want the humans, you'll have to go through me first. And I can assure you, none of you will manage," the silver haired half-demon said in a low tone that had Inuyasha blinking. He'd heard her taunting other demons before. Heard her state confidently that she wouldn't be defeated by the likes of them, that they wouldn't get past her. And yet this time, something was different in her voice from all those other times. Something darker. Something that didn't fit the Kagome he knew at all. But of course, the demons either ignored it, or missed it entirely.

"Oh? You will stop all of us, will you?"

"A hanyō like you? Ha! Don't make us laugh!"

"Walk away now, little half-breed. We'll give you a chance to just turn tail and run."

"Yeah, don't get involved, little girl. This hunt has nothing to do with you. Walk away and maybe we won't persecute you later."

Some demons taunted right back, clearly underestimating her. That was something Inuyasha had grown to expect by now, though. Kagome was a half-demon and like it or not, that meant most demons, no matter how low in the food-chain, would look down on her until she actually bested them and took their life. Kagome didn't reply to the taunts, either. At least not beyond removing Tessaiga from the skull of the demon she killed a mere moment ago and pointing it at the demons before her.

"I'll give you one more chance to walk away yourselves. If you don't, you can be sure I'll slaughter you," was all she said in that oddly calm, dark voice Inuyasha really didn't like. Something was off here. Very much so. This wasn't the Kagome he knew. Or at least it didn't seem to be.

Some demons laughed at her reply. Others seemed offended. Enough so that they decided to try just how much truth was in Kagome's words in the stupidest way possible.

"If you're so confident, half-breed, then let's see how you manage an attack on two fronts!" they yelled. It must have been a group that was part of a pack or something like that, because they seemed to act as a group without having to say a word to each other. One group went directly for the half-demon. The other, in the direction of Jinenji and his mother, both of whom were apart from the group of villagers huddling behind Inuyasha in terror. The bigger half-demon saw them coming, too, and seemed to want to intercept them as he had with the demon mother before. An action that made his mother cry out worriedly, despite the fact that the woman likely knew better than anyone just how strong her son was.

"Jinenji!" she called to him, but really, she needn't have worried, because Kagome didn't seem impressed at the maneuver at all. One placed Sankon Tessō took care of the demons going for Jinenji long before they reached him. And the ones going for her were felled with a few swings of her blade. From there, before Inuyasha could blink, the silver haired girl moved straight into the middle of the horde. And all Hell broke loose.

[T]

To Inuyasha, it seemed like time had slowed down for a moment. He didn't really see when Kagome moved, but he saw her arrive in the middle of the demons. He saw some of them hesitating, likely surprised at her speed. He saw her spin around, her blade extended, and he saw blood fly as she hit her mark on more than one occasion, wounding or downright killing her targets. Then came the screech and the yōkai all turned on her if they were on the ground, or dived at her from the air and the situation became nothing short of chaotic.

In that kind of melee, it was really hard to make out any kind of detail. All Inuyasha could really make out was the countless bodies mingling about with the occasional flash of red that could be either blood or Kagome's haori, and an even more seldom flash of her silver hair. The demons seemed to have forgotten all about their possible 'easy prey' and focused on the half-demon who had dared to defy them.

Inside the male storm, it wasn't much better. Kagome had barely time to think, let alone come up with a strategy. She barely had the space needed to move efficiently, either. This wasn't a fight that required skill. No, this was a simple test of strength, speed and endurance, nothing else. Her only advantage, if it could be called that, was that she had far more targets than her enemies, so it was far easier to hit something. Still, that didn't mean the demons around her didn't manage to get a good hit or two (or far more than that, really) on her. They were outnumbering her heavily, after that. All things considered, it might have actually been idiotic of her to jump into something like this on her own. Even she could admit that. However, she was doing it for a reason, and that reason made the danger worth it.

Still, she had to admit it had been a while since she was in a fight quite this intense that wasn't a duel with Sesshōmaru. It had been quite a while since the last time she was surrounded with so many enemies at once that it didn't really matter where or how she swung her sword or claws to draw blood or end a life. But then again, it had been quite a while she fought on her own like this. Doing it again now really made her realize just how different it was to fight such a quantity of enemies with someone watching your back. In a way, it was easier. Much easier. But in other ways, it was harder, too. After all, if she was alone like this, she had no one else to focus on but her enemies. She didn't have to make sure her allies wouldn't get caught in some kind of cross-fire. She only had herself to worry about, and since there was no one around her whom she wouldn't want to hurt, she could go nuts. Which was exactly what she did.

It was something Inuyasha eventually noticed, when the battle field before him seemed to disperse slightly. At first, he thought Kagome had simply cut her way through the demons enough for the melee do dissolve a bit, but he soon noticed that that wasn't the case. The demons were simply dispersing, likely noticing that agglomerating like that hindered their own movements. They forgot, however, that the hanyō they were trying to kill was also hindered like them and would appreciate a bit more space. A fact she proved to be true the moment she had some breathing space, as instead of staying in place, she spun this way and that, her strikes becoming more precise and thus more deadly.

The priest stared as the half-demon fought on, using every bit of space she could get and moving faster than he ever thought he'd see her move. He'd seen her fight before, of course, countless times. But never like this. Never in such a frenzied way that made it look like her sword and claws were everywhere at once, including behind her back whenever a demon tried to get her from behind. It was beautiful, in a way. It almost looked like she was dancing, although the dance in question was clearly a very brutal one. As beautiful as it was, however, it was also terrifying.

Usually, Kagome had clear control of what she did in battle. Of course, that was still the case, otherwise Inuyasha was sure his barrier would have already caught some sort of cross-fire. However, while he knew logically that there was still control in everything that Kagome did, it really didn't look that way. To him, who was so used at seeing her fight at a completely different pace because she wasn't the only one on the battle field, she seemed to be fighting with a reckless abandon that really didn't befit her. The fight seemed far more desperate to him that he thought it should. Like Kagome herself might think she bit off more than she could chew on her own, but jumped in anyway like an idiot she taught him never to be.

He realized the reason she told him to stay back then. If he'd gotten in there to help, it was quite likely he'd end up cut up by Kagome herself, as the half-demon clearly was in some kind of 'fighting solo mode'. What he didn't understand, though, was why she did that. He could have fought with her. It would have been less dangerous, they could help each other like they always had before. It wasn't like Kagome hadn't fought beside him, or the others, before. So why did she insist on it now of all times?

He didn't know. But as soon as this muddle was over and done with, he intended to find out.

What he couldn't possibly predict but what Kagome was slowly starting to figure out, was that this mess she'd gotten herself into might actually take a while to be taken care of to the end. She'd miscalculated. From previous experience, she'd assumed there would only be lowlifes in this group. Naraku hardly, if ever, seemed to be able to convince anything but the lowest of scum to do his bidding. Not this time, however. Sure, many of the demons weren't worthy of any kind of worry and none of them were particularly strong on their own. In a duel, Kagome would have had no big problem with them. Thing was, this wasn't a duel at all, and so even though some of her opponents were moderately strong at best, it didn't change the fact that in a group as they were, their strength was greater than if they had been alone.

That wasn't all, either. Some of the demons living in packs had been stupid and came together, allowing her to take care of the entire pack at once. But not all were that stupid. A few had come alone or in groups of just two and were now starting to call for the rest of their packs as back-up. And said back-up was quick to arrive, too. Kagome clicked her tongue as she jumped out of the way from one of the demons attacks and blocked another, glaring at her foes and partially beyond them at the new arrivals.

"There's no end to you, is there," she grumbled in annoyance before spinning away from another attack, using that same movement to counter and behead another yōkai. "Then again, you calling reinforcements means you don't think you can beat me on your own. I guess I should be honored?" She asked mockingly, smirking as she said that and ducking under another demon's attempt to smash her face in while another got one of her legs. She didn't seem bothered by the injury at all. It wasn't too deep. Thankfully.

"Filthy half-breed! We'll make you regret crossing us!" one of the yōkai, some kind of bird she didn't care to try and identify whose friends were speedily coming in from the forest, cawed at her and she snorted before looking up at him.

"Like you tried to make me regret it thus far? Heh. Don't think you'll get far then," she shot back, already moving again. Avoid and counter. Avoid, avoid, counter, press the attack, block, retreat, jump back in, avoid, counter. And on it went as she continued her deadly dance. In a way, it felt invigorating. Yes, it was the kind of fight that was dangerous because of how overwhelmed she was. But at the same time, since she hadn't experienced this kind of fight in a while, it was kind of exhilarating. It was the kind of challenge she hadn't even realized she missed until she experienced it again. Although she was sure this one experience would last her for at least another fifty years again, if not longer.

Although she was kind of far away, her expression didn't escape the priest who was watching her as closely as the situation and his human sight allowed. He blinked, persuaded he had seen wrong. Out of all the expressions he expected Kagome to have during this kind of battle, enjoyment was definitely not one of them. But then again, maybe he shouldn't be so surprised. After all, while her overall reason for fighting was usually to protect someone else, Kagome had never even insinuated that she didn't enjoy combat on some level. And really, if she didn't, it was unlikely she'd keep doing it, reasons be damned.

He was right in that assumption, too. Kagome didn't particularly dislike combat. She hated it when innocent people were dragged into it or when people she held dear were hurt, but she didn't dislike fighting in general. A fact she'd known for a long time already and a fact she realized again and again when she was in particularly thrilling battles, like this one. The only battle that had ever been more than just a challenge that had never made her enjoy it was each and every time she had to fight her brother. Those battles, challenging as they were, were not thrilling. They were stressful and scary, even for her, because there was no other battle in which she was that aware of her own mortality and weakness in comparison to the one she was fighting.

The current battle she was in, though, while thrilling, was also one that was dragging out. She needed to end it as soon as possible. She wasn't taking risks just for her own enjoyment, after all. No, she had a different reason for acting the way she was. A far more reasonable one than just wanting a thrill.

That was why, when the enraged yōkai attacked her again, at first, she did nothing but dodge and avoid them. It wasn't because there were suddenly no openings she could use. There were, she just chose not to take advantage of them, prioritizing positioning herself and waiting for the right moment, when the reinforcements that were still being called in were close enough. That moment eventually came and Kagome did not waste it, raising her sword high above her head with both hands and then swinging down with all her might, unleashing the Wound of the Wind now that she was in a position she could safely do so. The result was hard to notice as the gigantic wave of golden energy tore through the ground, accompanied by the surprised and pained shrieks of the demons caught in her attack. They were short, though, and after not even a minute, the golden energy dissipated and in its wake was left only silence.

[/T]

Kagome took a deep breath once the dust settles and let it out in a sigh before glancing ahead one more time to be sure. Her nose confirmed what her eyes were telling her. There was no yōkai left alive from those she'd needed to slay. Maybe some Saimyosho escaped in the mess that the melee had become, but that was likely all that potentially ran away. With another sigh, she sheathed her blade and turned to Inuyasha, approaching him slowly.

"Well, that's one problem taken care of," she said slowly, looking past Inuyasha's shoulder at the villagers behind him. "That leaves only one potential problem," she added, making the priest blink as he followed her gaze to the men behind him. He wasn't quite sure what she was talking about, but the villagers seemed to because they panicked immediately. Most even went as far as fall to their knees and started to beg, much to the future-born priest's astonishment.

"We're sorry we didn't honor the agreement!" one of them cried, hands folded in front of his face in a praying gesture.

"Forgive us for accusing Jinenji-san without proof. We were wrong and we won't do it again!" another screamed, bowing until his forehead actually touched the ground.

"Pease… don't kill us!" a third person called, actually staring Kagome in the eye, though his expression was one of terror. It was then that Inuyasha was tipped off to what was actually transpiring. Kagome was terrorizing the villagers, though he doubted it was on purpose. That assumption was proven correct when he glanced at her and saw her shake her head with her eyes closed as she scoffed.

"You really think I went through all that trouble," she said while pointing at the carnage behind her, "just to kill you myself? Please. That wouldn't be worth the effort at all."

"But saving their lives was," Inuyasha deadpanned. Not because he was surprised or unbelieving, but because it was quickly becoming visible that Kagome wasn't going to admit to that. Why, he wasn't sure, but he had a feeling it had something to do with her being used to this kind of reaction, unjust as it was. The half-demon didn't comment on what he said, though. In fact, she seemed to have ignored his input entirely as she addressed the villagers again.

"Besides, I'm not the one you should be apologizing to here," she added with a shrug before turning away, visibly intent on going towards Jinenji, his mother and their burning hut. Before she did, though, she glanced at Inuyasha over her shoulder. "By the way, you can drop that now. There's no more danger in the vicinity," she said to him, motioning at the seemingly empty air between them and alluding to the barrier. Inuyasha nodded.

"Right," he agreed before letting the barrier drop, a hand rising to his head as soon as it did. It was only once the barrier was no longer there that he realized how exhausted he was from maintaining it for so long while partially focused on something else. Especially since it wasn't like he'd been slacking off during the day, either. Kagome had obviously noticed, because her gaze turned worried.

"You alright?" she asked softly, ears and nose twitching reflexively despite knowing there was no reason for him to be hurt as he hadn't fought along with her this time. The teen nodded again.

"Yeah. Just a bit tired, is all. I'll be fine," he answered, waving her off. She looked at him for a few moments before deciding to accept his answer and nodding, turning away again, as she walked off towards Jinenji. And of course, as soon as she did and the villagers relaxed, they were hounding him.

"Kannushi-sama… were you aware of what she was?" one of the villagers asked disbelievingly, clearly expecting a negative answer for some reason. Inuyasha gave him a flat stare.

"Of course I was. Why wouldn't I be?" he asked flatly, but that clearly didn't calm the villagers any. If anything, it made them more outraged, or more confused, or both.

"But how can you travel with her, then? She's a demon! You should purify her!"

"She's half. And if I had done that, she'd be human and you'd all likely be dead. Or at least a few more of you would be. She saved your lives, in case you haven't noticed," Inuyasha grumbled back, more than a little irritated on Kagome's behalf. Really, she just risked her life for them, saved their hides without asking for anything in return and this was how they repaid her? Honestly. The more he realized just what people thought of half-demons and what it meant for Kagome, the less he liked the picture it all painted for him. Talk about unfair prejudice… "And by the way, she can hear everything you're saying," he added casually as he glanced her way, but of course, Kagome made no move to prove him right beyond a slight movement of one ear. Despite that, however, it was more than enough to shut the men up. If only briefly.

Kagome, meanwhile, had walked up to a visibly very stunned Jienji, who was staring at her with his big, round eyes seemingly almost bulging out of their sockets. She wasn't surprised, all things considered. She sighed.

"I'm sorry for ruining your father's field," she started softly, looking down for a moment before she raised her head to meet his eyes with her now golden gaze. "And for not telling you the truth of what I was. Old habits die hard, you see."

"That's… something I can understand," the larger hanyō said softly, though he was quick to look away, his entire posture seeming to sag slightly. Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome saw his mother approach with an unreadable look on her face. The old woman's gaze was shifting from Kagome to Jinenji and back again in a rather calculating manner. The silver haired girl decided to ignore the old woman for the moment, though.

"I know this puts a lot of our conversations into perspective. And I know… it may make it seem like me accepting you as a normal person is not as significant as it was when you believed me to be a simple human," Kagome went on, her voice soft as she gently reached out a hand to lay on Jinenji's much larger arm. He didn't stir and her ears drooped guiltily. She should have kept her distance more. Better even, she should have told this boy the truth long before the sunset did it for her. "However, that doesn't mean it's impossible for humans to see us as normal, living beings. Sure, it might take a lot of effort and there might not be many of them who're willing to give us a chance, but they exist. He's one of the best proofs for that, don't you think?" she asked, pointing back at Inuyasha, who was still in the midst of arguing with the villagers. Arguing for her sake to boot, from what she could hear. Arguing in her stead, because she'd long since given up on doing so. She sighed and shook her head a bit, though she was smiling gently. It might not make any difference in the end, but his attempts still meant a lot to her. Even if she rarely, if ever showed it or told him as much.

"He is a priest. And he knew you were a half-demon like me. And yet… he still accepts you," Jinenji's voice was soft and somewhat incredulous as he asked that question, his gaze having followed to where Kagome motioned. The hanyō-girl nodded.

"He does," she admitted, deciding to not comment on how the kannushi actually considered her his friend. That would undoubtedly lead to questions that would be difficult to answer without revealing too much and she didn't feel like explaining it all right now. Or ever, really. Besides, this wasn't why she came to talk to Jinenji now. Nodding to herself, she glanced up at the larger half-demon. Before she could, however, Jinenji's mother spoke first, arms crossed over her chest.

"So, you were a half-demon yourself all along. Well, I suppose that explains a few things," she grouched, although her voice was not unkind. Kagome blinked and gave a soft smile before glancing at Jinenji again, though her words were directed at the old woman.

"I suppose it does," she said simply. Again, she didn't get to say much more than that, because the old woman went on, this time saying something that kind of confused her.

"That's one of those things," she said simply, motioning at Kagome's direction and making the half-demon blink. Jinenji, too, glanced at her before giving his mother a quizzical look. The old woman, for her part, was actually smiling slightly. Which only confused the silver haired girl more, to be honest.

"I'm sorry?" she asked, tilting her head to the side in utter confusion. She had no idea what Jinenji's mother was alluding to and it seemed the old woman found that amusing, for she chuckled briefly before motioning at her again.

"The look on your face. You've been glancing at Jinenji that way every now and then throughout the day. A look that said you understood him on a level no one else ever could. I couldn't figure out why you'd have such a look. Now I know," she said simply and Kagome shrugged.

"Well… me being a half-demon is part of why understood. The other part is that Jinenji-san and I… we're a lot alike, actually," she admitted slowly, once again glancing up to meet the other half-demon's gaze. He was looking down at her, his big eyes wide. It didn't seem like he believed her.

"Kagome-san and I… are alike?" he questioned before shaking his head. "That's not true. Kagome-san is much stronger than me," the hanyō said while shaking his head.

"Not what I'm talking about," Kagome replied with a soft smile, though one that was also a bit sad. "We're both hanyō. We both never knew our fathers, for they died before we could remember them. We both have nothing but a memento to remember them by – your field and my sword. But the biggest similarity between us it not our history or what we are. It's something in here," she said, reaching up to lay a hand as high as she could reach on Jinenji's chest in an attempt to reach his heart. She managed, though barely, and likely only because the bigger half-demon was hunched over. "That similarity is our kindness, Jinenji-san. Though we show it in very different ways."

Beside Kagome, Jinenji's mother nodded in agreement – maybe not as far as Kagome being kind was concerned, though the woman definitely should have had enough time to notice the silver haired girl was a kind soul, but she definitely agreed where it concerned her son.

"She is right, Jinenji. You're a kind soul. Kinder than most others out there. And it's because you're kind that you have put up with the villagers' treatment," she said and Kagome closed her eyes, trying not to think of the scars she'd seen marring the younger half-demon's arms. Scars that had been put there by humans. Scars that shouldn't even been there because hanyō didn't scar easily, at least as far as she knew. "Which was why I wanted you to show your true strength to them. I thought it would be best if they knew what they were dealing with, even if I knew you would never harm them," the old woman went on. Her gaze, which had up until then been on Jinenji, hardened and turned to Kagome next. "However, you don't seem to agree."

"I do and yet I don't," Kagome said with a shake of her head before glancing up at Jinenji again. A bit further to the side, Inuyasha decided he had enough of his argument with the villagers, which was clearly going nowhere, and started approaching them, not that Kagome noticed. "I understand why you wanted that and I agree they should know that Jinenji-san is not fighting back not because he can't, but because he doesn't want to. However… I already said, Jinenji-san and I have very different ways of showing our kindness.

"I am a fighter. I fight to protect those weaker than myself, whether they hate me or not. I could have left those villagers to die tonight. I could have not gotten involved in the village's problem in the first place, but I decided to do it anyway. I sensed a dangerous situation, a situation in which my sword might be needed to save lives and so I made sure to be there and do what I could to help. You saw their reaction to that, Jinenji-san. So you know what to expect from them when you approach them now, after they've seen what you're capable of as well. However, you have not killed your opponent. It might be because I distracted it, true, but in the end, you did not deliver the killing blow. And I believe that makes a difference," she said softly. Since she was focused on Jinenji, she didn't notice the effect her words had on his mother. Nor did she notice the way the old woman looked past her at the priest who was now close enough to hear the conversation and who was blinking owlishly at what he was hearing. Inuyasha did notice the old woman's gaze, though, and motioned for her to keep quiet. Whatever it was Kagome had to say, he had a feeling Jinenji needed to hear it. And quite honestly… he felt like he might need to as well. If only because it would put Kagome's earlier actions into a perspective he doubted he'd get a chance to see otherwise.

"That's the difference between us. You're not a fighter, Jinenji-san. You have a different way to show your kindness than mine and I do not think any way resembling mine would be fitting of you. Only you can make that kind of decision in the end, though. Just keep in mind what you saw tonight. Keep in mind what the path of a fighter might entail," the silver haired half-demon finished before stepping back slightly and motioning towards the villagers, some of which were trying to more or less discreetly disappear from the scene now that nothing was keeping them. "The choice is yours, Jinenji-san," she said simply and the larger hanyō followed her gaze to the humans picking themselves up. They'd been protected well by Tessaiga's barrier and then by Inuyasha, but most of them still had varyingly serious injuries. Jinenji watched them for a couple of seconds before slowly making his way towards them, walking past Inuyasha as he did so, since the priest stepped out of the way. No one stopped him and all watched to see what he'd do, Kagome and Jinenji's mother with varying degrees of more or less concealed worry.

The first reaction his approach got was something Kagome had expected and not much different from what she'd gotten herself once she was done fighting. Namely terror as the villagers fell over themselves and begged for forgiveness for wrongly accusing him. Question was how Jinenji would react to that.

"He's frightening them," Inuyasha commented with a raised eye-brow as he came a bit closer to Kagome. Really, the villagers' reaction surprised him, though not as much as it had when Kagome approached earlier. If only because he was seeing it for the second time. Beside him, Kagome shrugged.

"Not surprising. He just showed them that if he wanted to, he could nearly rip a demon twice his size in half. Killing a human would be no sweat at all if he wanted it. That puts their earlier treatment of him into a rather terrifying perspective," she said simply as she crossed her arms over her chest. Inuyasha gave her a look, but couldn't deny the truth in that statement. It made sense, after all. These people had just now realized that they'd been tormenting someone who could rival a bear in strength, likely even surpassed a bear in strength. It was clear that if Jinenji wanted revenge, not one of the villagers could possibly stop him. Thing was, as Kagome had pointed out, that Jinenji was kind, so the probability of him actually doing that was pretty much zero.

The larger half-demon proved as much in another moment, too, as he lifted his fist towards the terrified humans. They, of course, thought they were about to be flattened, but they couldn't have been more wrong as the kind half-demon opened his hand, revealing the herbs he held in it.

"Uhm… Everyone's injured. These herbs… they're good at healing wounds," he muttered softly and for a moment, the villagers just stared at the giant they had tormented, the giant that could easily kill them if he so wished. The giant who instead of doing that was offering them something that would help them heal. Kagome smiled at the sight and nodded to herself. Yes, that kind of action fit Jinenji-san far better than any kind of battle.

"As I said, Jinenji-san, you're not a fighter. You may have the prowess of one, but not the heart. No, you're a healer. And so a healer's path is the one you should take," she said under her breath. Beside her, however, Jinenji's mother did not seem convinced that this was the right choice, if the way she slowly sank to her knees was anything to go by.

"Jinenji…" she said softly, her quiet tone making Kagome and Inuyasha look at her. The half-demon's gaze was soft as she gazed at the old woman.

"Do you not think he's doing the right thing?" she asked softly before glancing at the bloody part of the destroyed field. The remnants of her battle, of her attempt to warn Jinenji and open his mother's eyes. "Would you rather he walked a path similar to mine?"

"No mother would wish that for her child," the old woman replied without hesitation, her gaze following Kagome's to that same spot. "I understand now what you did. As one who already walks that path, you knew better than anyone what would await Jinenji if he listened to me. A life of solitude filled with violence. A life where he'd always have to watch his back. It is not a life I would wish for him. It is not a life he would be able to bear. However…" she broke off, her gaze moving to Jinenji now. The large hanyō was still standing in the same place as before, the herbs already distributed and the villagers leaving slowly, though not without glancing back over their shoulders every now and then. The old woman sighed. "I am not persuaded this is the best way for him to continue, either."

"Time will tell," Kagome said with a shrug. "But I believe that no matter what this leads to, it would be better than if he allowed the villagers to continue to fear him. They've feared him before without reason. If he gave them one now, it would only make things worse."

"You may be right. You're wise for your age," the old woman commented and Kagome almost laughed.

"For my age? I mean no disrespect, but I'm most definitely older than you, obaa-chan. I would have thought you'd know that better than anyone," she said and the old woman beside her actually chuckled.

"Of course. I forgot. I suppose I still see you as the human girl you pretended to be the entire day." Kagome only smiled slightly and rubbed the back of her head when her silence on the subject of her not being human was brought up again. Thankfully, however, the old woman did not pursue the subject further.

"There's one thing I don't understand, though," Inuyasha said hesitantly as he gazed at Kagome, the half-demon turning to meet his questioning gaze with her own. She didn't say anything and he took that as an incentive to continue. "Why did you insist on fighting alone like that?"

His question was met with an incredulous stare on Kagome's part before the hanyō-girl sighed and rubbed her temples.

"Because if I didn't, my warning would not be clear. I was trying to use that fight to show Jinenji-san what the path of a warrior entailed," she said simply. Really, she thought Inuyasha would have figured that one out. He might be naïve at times, but he wasn't an idiot, after all.

"But it's not like you're fighting alone. So why make it seem like you do?" the priest pressed and this time, Kagome's stare lasted longer before she shook her head. His question seemed really stupid to her. But she had to remember that a lot of things others had always known about beings like her, Inuyasha had either yet to learn, or be reminded of. At times, his naïveté clouded his judgment, too. The half-demon supposed that this was one of those times.

"True. But I wasn't born the day I met you, Inuyasha. Before meeting you, and before meeting Kikyo, I was already alive and living my life the same way as now. And as you can imagine, I had been alone then. I might no longer be now, but that's not a given. I was actually lucky. That's all. There's no guarantee anyone else would have the same amount of luck," she said and Inuyasha bit his lip. Despite appearances, he hadn't asked because he failed to realize as much. However… he had hoped that wasn't the case. He also hoped the rest of what he figured wasn't the case, either, but something told him that was a fool's hope.

"So the way you fought tonight… the battles you fought before meeting Kikyo and fighting alongside someone… they were similar to the one tonight?" he asked slowly, though he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer. Kagome shook her head.

"No. Not similar. The exact same."

For some reason, Inuyasha had to suppress a shudder at those words.

-ξ-

It was a few hours later that Jinenji and his mother set to work on rebuilding their hut. After everything that happened during the night, one would think they'd at least wait until morning to start the repairs. Thing was, though, that they didn't really have anywhere to sleep, and so waiting until morning wasn't as appealing an idea as it would have been if they had a roof over their heads. Kagome wanted to at least offer to help, especially since she felt partially responsible for the damages. Maybe not to the hut itself, but definitely to the field. Before she could, though, Inuyasha pulled her away so they could talk more privately.

"There's something I have to tell you," he told her when she asked him what this was all about. She frowned, noting his low tone and tense shoulders. She had a feeling something was off. And as she was about to find out, that feeling wasn't wrong. Now that things had calmed down in his immediate vicinity, Inuyasha couldn't stop thinking about the reason he'd tried to get here so fast. In the end, even now after everything was over and done with, he wasn't sure if he'd done the right thing by coming here and not going back. He didn't regret it, not really, but a part of him worried for the others. A lot.

"Inuyasha, what's going on?" Kagome all but demanded, wrenching her hand free from his grasp and stopping when she deemed they had walked far enough away that the other half-demon and his mother would not overhear. The teen stopped along with her, glanced back at her and then away, suddenly uncertain. Not about whether or not he should talk, but rather about how to breach the subject.

"It's… about something that happened while I was gone," he decided on finally, feeling more and more anxious with every second. He had a feeling Kagome would be pissed at him. He felt she'd yell at him, and tell him he should have gone back to the others instead of rushing here. She might even be right, too. After all, it wasn't like he'd contributed all that much to resolving today's fiasco. That was largely Kagome's doing. As usual.

"Out with it," Kagome pressed, making him realize he'd been quiet for a little too long. The hanyō-girl didn't seem irritated with him, however. More than anything, she looked worried. And rightfully so, Inuyasha was certain. He sighed.

"On my way back here… after I delivered the herbs for Kirara… I ran into Naraku," he finally admitted, looking away when he saw Kagome tense and her eyes widen. For a moment, she just stared at him and he rubbed the back of his head, unsure what to make of the reaction.

"You what?" It was a mere whisper and it made him look up. Kagome looked far more scared than he thought she would. A moment of thought made him realize he shouldn't be so surprised, though. After all, the last time Narau sought him out hadn't ended well at all. He winced at the memory.

"I ran into Naraku. Or rather, I think he sought me out…" he repeated, biting his lip a bit. "It wasn't in order to fight or anything like that. In fact, I didn't even see him. But I could feel him near. And he talked to me. That's all he did."

If Inuyasha though this kind of explanation would placate her, he clearly didn't know her. Kagome frowned pensively and worriedly. Just talking? Yeah, right. There was more to it than that, she was sure. Naraku didn't do idle chit-chat.

"And what did he want?" she asked in a low tone, noting how the question made Inuyasha shudder, then stiffen. Immediately, her senses were on high alert, even though she doubted she'd pick up Naraku's presence anywhere near. Still, it was clear that the meeting had left Inuyasha shaken up for some reason. Knowing it was Naraku's doing, part of her wasn't surprised. But that didn't really make things any better.

"I'm not sure. At first… it seemed like he was trying to taunt me or something. Maybe even trying to coax me into joining him, or at least not fight him, stupid as that sounds. I mean, as smart as he supposedly is, he had to know that wouldn't work a second time," he said slowly and Kagome nodded in agreement. "Looking back… he likely did that just to get my attention. To get me to stay long enough so he could talk to me. And like an idiot, I fell for it."

"It would have been far more foolish to ignore him," Kagome disagreed, though she was glaring at the ground, arms crossed over her chest and her hands squeezing her arms a bit too tightly. "He might have done something more than just tried to talk and that was something you needed to avoid since you were alone. Especially since it wasn't like I knew where you were. Nor would I go looking for you until I came back to the others and they told me you left to meet up with me. I would have likely assumed something held you up." Which didn't mean she wouldn't have been worried anyway, as evidenced at how she'd wondered just what the Hell was taking Inuyasha so long earlier. Still, if he hadn't arrived when he had, she likely wouldn't have jumped to the conclusion that something happened to him. Even less that Naraku might be involved. "Then what happened?"

"He… started talking about not knowing where he should go. That maybe I could help him decide whether… whether he should go back to the temple where Miroku and the others are… or to wherever you were at," Inuyasha admitted softly, gulping a bit as he remembered that moment. Even just thinking back on it, he still could clearly feel the panic and indecision as he tried to figure out where to go. In the end, he followed his gut instead of logic, but to be quite honest, he wasn't quite sure if that was the right decision. "And then he left. I didn't know where to, though."

Inuyasha didn't need to say more than that for Kagome to understand the situation quite clearly. In fact, she'd filled in the blanks the moment Inuyasha mentioned Naraku wondering where to go. She cursed softly under her breath, one hand rising to grab a fistful of her hair.

"He made you chose blindly whether to go back to the others or to me. You knew he'd go after me or the others and you were made to choose whom to try and warn, weren't you," she stated and it wasn't a question. Inuyasha nodded anyway, though, and Kagome cursed again. "Damn bastard…"

"I… didn't really know what to do," Inuyasha admitted and Kagome sighed, forcing herself to relax her posture a bit.

"Not surprising. Few would in a situation like that," she admitted softly before looking up at the priest. "What made you decide to come back here, then, over going back to the temple?"

"You were human," Inuyasha replied with a shrug, not meeting her eyes. "I figured it'd be bad if Naraku found out about that. And even if he didn't, if he went after you while you were human, he definitely would have tried to kill you, wouldn't he?"

"True. Although I'm pretty sure he'd try to kill the others if he went there, too. And really, considering how things went here, it's rather likely," Kagome said with a frown and Inuyasha tensed, looking up at her guiltily.

"But there were Saimyosho here earlier…" he pointed out and while Kagome nodded, she did not seem reassured at all.

"There were. But while that was a testament to Naraku's involvement, I don't think he was actually here personally. So if he really was planning to come either here or to the temple, then he likely chose the temple," the half-demon pointed out. Inuyasha's eyes widened at having his worries confirmed, but the worry was quickly drowned out by guilt. He should have gone to the temple after all, shouldn't he.

"I messed up again, didn't I."

"No," Kagome said quickly, much to his astonishment and the kannushi looked up at her in surprise. The half-dog's expression was surprisingly gentle as she looked at him. "No, Inuyasha. You didn't mess up. It is impossible to mess up in a situation like that. I think Naraku didn't really leave when you thought he did. Most likely, he waited for you to make up your mind and then went the opposite way. But even if he didn't, you had no way of knowing that. You did what you thought was best. And that's the only thing anyone can expect of you when faced with a choice like that. Frankly… it's not a choice that should have ever been pushed on you. It's a kind of choice most people wouldn't have even been able to make. That you didn't just stay where you were in your indecision is impressive enough. Don't beat yourself up about what your choice entails. We'll deal with those consequences in the morning. Together."

"In the morning?" Inuyasha replied quickly, barely taking the time to register everything else Kagome had said. "Shouldn't we be going now? Of we hurry, we might still…"

"Don't be naïve," the hanyō interrupted him sharply, but not unkindly. "You met Naraku during the day, right? Likely several hours before sunset. By now, he'd have had more than enough time to get to the temple and back out. Waiting until morning won't make that much difference at this point. If he planned to kill the others, they're already dead. If he planned something else, then he will have left us a trail to follow. Knowing him, the second option is actually more likely, or at least that's what I'd like to believe. He'll set a trap for us. For me. And we need to be on top of our game if we intend to walk right into it and back out. Which means we need to wait until morning. You're exhausted and you need to rest."

She had a point. He really was exhausted. Not only physically, but mentally, too. Still, he didn't seem convinced and really, no one could blame him. Naïve or not, he couldn't help hoping that if they left now, they might, by some miracle, make it back to the others before Naraku showed up there. Although really, if he thought about it a little, he knew that it was a fool's hope and that Kagome was right. Naraku likely already finished whatever business he'd had at the temple.

"You're certain that's for the best?" he asked anyway, despite already knowing Kagome's answer. The half-demon didn't disappoint and nodded quickly.

"As certain as I can be," she said before sighing. She might try to be acting confident, but that didn't mean she was any less worried than Inuyasha was. And she had a feeling she wasn't doing such a good job of hiding it. Not that she really wanted to. After all, it would have seemed far odder if she were calm and composed as if nothing was wrong. At least she thought so. "Go get some rest. We'll leave at dawn, with the first rays of light."

"You should get some rest, too," Inuyasha pointed out and for once, Kagome didn't object.

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And there we go. That's it. A bit longer than usual. Hope you enjoyed and don't hesitate to leave any reviews. You know I love hearing your opinions ;)

Next Chapter: Trap of Darkness

See you then! :D