Chapter Three

Waiting

Would she be another half-demon?

She might accept him in that case but, if she was a yōkai, Inuyasha knew she would reject him and probably try to kill him. It would be a great insult for any demon if her destined mate turned out to be a hybrid.

He needed to at least check. Maybe she would accept the bond if she turned out to be a half-demon like him, and he could mark her and be with her. Inuyasha didn't like the idea of not being alone anymore, he enjoyed being independent... but he knew he would change his mind as soon as he saw her. Inuyasha followed the scent towards the end of the forest. Perhaps she was one of the border guards, like his brother.

When Inuyasha reached the last tree, he sat on one of its branches and looked around, sniffing in all directions. The huge metal fence that the humans had built quite some time ago to keep themselves out of their territory was a couple of metres away. All those who had dared to enter had not lived to tell the tale, so it was a good idea for them to stay away.

After a few seconds, Inuyasha realised that the smell seemed to be coming from outside the forest... from the city.

He frowned and climbed higher into the branches until he could see the streets closest to the forest. Inuyasha scanned the people passing by, eyeing each human carefully. Despite being so far away, his demon vision allowed him to see them perfectly and make out every detail of their faces effortlessly. Something stirred inside him when he saw a girl standing in a corner, watching the forest with curious eyes.

A roar sounded inside his chest and rage swept through him. No, a human could not be his mate. That was worse than a curse.

Inuyasha felt his vision blur and, when he looked down at his hands, he saw his claws growing longer. His demon blood reacted when he got too angry or upset, giving him much more power and transforming him for a few minutes into a full yōkai, so he could fight better.

His eyes turned completely red, except for the iris, which would change from gold to a very intense electric blue. A horizontal purple stripe appeared across each of his cheeks, much like the two that his brother had. It was probably something inherited from his father, though Inuyasha had never seen a picture of him so he couldn't tell. The most powerful yōkai were the only ones who had such markings on their bodies.

He dug one of his claws into the tree trunk and roared with fury, ready to leap out of the forest and run towards that girl. Thanks to his speed, the other humans wouldn't notice anything until Inuyasha had already killed her. He would rip her head off with a single swipe and be back in the forest before her blood hit the ground, and he would go on with his life as if it had never happened. Inuyasha knew it wouldn't take long for him to forget.

He had never killed humans before, but in that case, he would make an exception. He would not make the same mistake as his father and he would never allow a pathetic human to be his mate. Even if it meant being alone forever, Inuyasha was willing to give up that destined bond for the sake of not being with someone so inferior.

Just as he gathered momentum to jump across the fence, a bright, yellowish whip caught his feet and knocked him off balance, hurtling hopelessly to the forest ground. Inuyasha parried the blow with his arms and spun in mid-air, landing on all four limbs. He looked up, searching for his assailant and revealing his fangs, which had grown quite long.

Inuyasha froze when he saw his older brother standing in front of him, staring at him with a serious expression and a reproachful look on his face. His presence was imposing and the bastard knew it.

"What do you think you're doing, Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru asked, frowning and narrowing his eyes.

Inuyasha snorted and straightened up, rising to his feet. He clenched his fists, digging in his nails. He needed to control the rage or he would end up attacking his brother.

"I have to go out there and kill her!" he shouted, pointing towards the human city.

"You fool, you know what will happen to you if you leave the forest," Sesshomaru growled, stepping closer.

He wore a white kimono with red and purple patterns, colours that belonged to royalty, and carried a sword in his belt. He had a purple crescent moon on his forehead, just like his mother Inukimi. His cheeks had two magenta stripes and he also had another following the edge of his upper eyelids. Those were all dog yōkai markings of which Sesshomaru was very proud of.

Armour covered his chest and over his shoulder rested a furry white stole, which was part of his body and he could extend and contract it at will. Inuyasha had seen him use it more than once to trap an enemy yōkai and strangle it to suffocation.

The most powerful and fearsome demons were the ones with a human form, like him and his brother. Sesshomaru had repeated that to him hundreds of times while teaching him to fight, and Inuyasha had seen it for himself when he began to live on his own. Animal-shaped yōkai could be defeated in less than the blink of an eye, but humanoids were another story.

Sesshomaru waved his hand and the whip released Inuyasha's ankles, returning to his fingers and contracting until it disappeared between them. He scanned his younger brother's body with his golden eyes and snorted as he saw that he was in his yōkai form, knowing that Inuyasha had to have been very affected by something for him to transform.

"Nothing will happen to me. I'm a half-demon," Inuyasha replied, growling again.

"You're transformed into a yōkai now, you idiot. Besides, I won't allow it. I must see that no human gets in and no demon gets out."

Inuyasha put his hands to his head and tugged at his white ears with fury.

"I need to finish her off! You have to understand it, Sesshomaru!"

"Who is she?" Sesshomaru asked curiously. He blinked several times at the realisation and a smirk appeared on his face. "Don't tell me you found your mate on the other side," he added in an amused voice.

Inuyasha growled and jumped at him, grabbing the collar of his kimono tightly. The last thing he needed at that moment was to endure his taunts, anger was burning in his gut and his blood was calling for revenge.

"Don't laugh. I will destroy her, I won't be like our father."

"You're a hybrid, so I suppose it's normal for your mate to be a despicable human."

"I'll kill her. I'd rather not have a mate."

Sesshomaru grabbed his hands and pulled them away, snorting with contempt.

"Don't touch me again and pull yourself together. I have an idea."

His brother always had good ideas, there was no denying that. Inuyasha sat on the ground, crossing his legs and closing his eyes. He tried to slow his breathing.

"You remind me of our father with those purple lines on your cheeks and your hair up like that," Sesshomaru commented softly.

A few minutes later, Inuyasha felt the typical tingling on his face. The purple marks were fading and he noticed that his fangs were returning to their normal size, as were his claws. When he opened his eyes, he knew they were golden again.

"Father wore a ponytail?" he asked, glancing up.

Sesshomaru nodded. He sat down across from him and looked around before speaking, checking to make sure there were no other demons nearby.

"How did it go last night in the human world?" he whispered, raising an eyebrow.

"It was nice. They treated me like I was one of their own, and no one saw me leaving or returning to the forest," Inuyasha said, clenching his fists to control his anger.

His older brother stared at him in silence, probably wondering if he could trust his word. Finally, Sesshomaru sighed and leaned a little closer to him, until their eyes were level.

"Next month, when it's a new moon again and you're out of here... look for her. If she's your mate, you'll be able to feel her presence even if you're human, and she'll be drawn to you the moment she sees you."

Yes, it was a good plan. Her scent was so intense that Inuyasha was sure he could detect it even if he was in his human form. He could find her and she would feel the bond as soon as she saw him, which would make things much easier.

"Then it will be easy for me to convince her to follow me into the forest... and as soon as dawn breaks, I'll be able to rip her throat with my claws," Inuyasha added with an evil grin.

Sesshomaru nodded slowly.

"Human females are usually weak, you can even kill her in your human form... but it is best to do it in the forest, away from the gaze of other mortals."

"Alright. I'll wait a month, look for her and make sure she's not breathing anymore," he growled, crossing his arms and hiding them inside the sleeves of his red kimono.

Sesshomaru stood up and levitated, disappearing into the trees. Some yōkai like him could fly, but others had to settle for running at full speed and jumping great distances, which was good enough for Inuyasha.

It had been two days since that horrible discovery, and Inuyasha had to wait until the next dark night. But he approached the edge of the forest every morning to watch her pass by, controlling his entire being so as not to transform again when he smelled her scent. He couldn't pounce on her and kill her.

Just a few more weeks and his torture would be over. As soon as she ceased to exist, his life would return to normal.

Inuyasha snorted in annoyance, hiding better in the leaves of the trees. She was in the same corner again, scanning the forest for something... and always looking towards the area where he was.

Her brown eyes had a special gleam in them when they were watching the trees as if she was very curious.

A crooked smile curved Inuyasha's lips. If that human knew what was inside the forest, she wouldn't be so curious... she'd probably run home and never leave again, having nightmares for the rest of her life.

Unfortunately for her, she had crossed his path and only had a few weeks to live. Hopefully, that would be the last time a demon would meet their mate in the human world. First his father, and then him... More than enough. It was like a fucking family curse that Inuyasha hoped would not be repeated.

She tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth and, after a last glance at the trees, turned and walked down the pavement, probably in the direction of her home. Inuyasha watched her walk away and didn't move until she was out of sight. As soon as the dark night came, he would go to that street and surely he could smell her scent. It wouldn't be hard to follow it and find where she lived.

He jumped down to the forest ground and started to run through the trees, letting off some of the adrenaline he had built up while watching her. Inuyasha picked up the pace as fast as he could and reached the foot of one of the mountains. Without thinking, he jumped off and began to climb up through the rocks, not stopping until he reached the top. Once there, he approached a group of trees and split them in half with two swipes.

The earth shook as the giant trunks fell to the ground and Inuyasha stared at his sharp nails for a moment, already feeling a little better and not filled with rage. He carried one of the logs over his shoulder and walked down the slope, heading towards his cave. He had vented his rage against those trees, but at least he would use them to make a fire.

Inuyasha stopped running when he reached the flower-covered meadow and leaned the log against the entrance to his cave, splitting it into several pieces first. He sniffed the air, detecting the scent of a boar nearby.

Time to hunt.

Kagome found the classes at the university more burdensome than ever, probably because she knew they were her last and she couldn't wait for them to end.

Ayumi nudged her and she blinked several times, snapping back to reality. The teacher was talking and she had almost fallen asleep. Kagome twirled her pen between her fingers and sighed, looking back down at her notes. Just a few more months and she would finish her degree. All the effort would be worth it in the end.

Her friend poked her in the ribs again and Kagome scowled at her. She was already attentive and Ayumi didn't have to keep trying to shake her. She smiled at the look on her face and pointed to the pages of the book. As Kagome looked, she noticed that there was a small piece of paper with something written on it.

She picked it up and immediately recognised Eri's handwriting. She was sitting two rows back.

Next week, when we finish classes, we're going out to celebrate and you two can't say no. We're going to go downtown and dance until dawn, so start picking out your dresses.

She looked at Ayumi again, shaking her head as she smiled. Eri was the party girl of them all. Classes and studies took up too much of their time and it had been weeks since they had last gone out together, so there was no way she could refuse. Kagome wrote her reply next to Ayumi's and they passed the paper back again, making sure the teacher didn't notice anything.

A few hours later, the three of them left the classroom together and walked between the university buildings, toward the wooded area where they always ate lunch. Yuka was already waiting for them, a bento in her lap. They sat down on the grass next to her and took out theirs, placing them in the middle to share the food.

"You're coming on Friday too, aren't you?" Eri asked.

Yuka nodded, catching a piece of omelette with her chopsticks.

"Count me in. I'm looking forward to one of our crazy nights."

The four of them laughed and Ayumi sighed.

"Maybe we'll meet some good-looking guys. The ones at this university are all too old-fashioned and I'm not interested in any of them."

"There are nine million people in this city. I'm sure there will be someone who catches your attention," Kagome replied in a mocking voice.

"What about you, Kagome? You've had an admirer since your first year," Eri said with a low chuckle.

Kagome rolled her eyes, letting out a snort.

"Do not remind me," she grunted, turning her attention back to the food.

"Still not interested?" Ayumi asked in a curious voice.

"He's not my type," Kagome said, shaking her head.

"And what is your type?" Yuka questioned, giving her a sidelong glance.

"I'll tell you once I know."

Her three friends snorted.

"You're old enough to date a guy, or at least get your first kiss. I don't know what you're waiting for," Yuka protested, crossing her arms.

Kagome shrugged, holding up a bowl full of rice.

"I'm in no hurry. Someone will show up, and he will take my breath away," she joked.

Luckily, Eri changed the subject and told them that she fancied a guy from the philosophy building. She was going to invite him and some other friends she knew from school to join them that night.

After a few minutes, Kagome tuned out the conversation and looked up at the blue sky. Dark clouds could be seen in the distance, heralding a storm for later that evening.

If only she had known what the future held. She had no idea what storm was coming her way.

Someone was eager to take her breath away... though literally, so that she would never breathe again.