Anything for You
I do not own Inuyasha Or Yu Yu Hakusho. Hope Everyone Enjoys ^_^
Chapter Two: Never Alone
"Guys… we have to go back…" Kagome muttered under her breath just as Kurama peaked his head over the edge of the well.
"I am no coward onna; I will not run from a fight." Hiei growled.
"You don't understand… that's Kikyou, and her purification powers are much stronger than mine are because she has more than half of my soul…"
"So then we just have to kill the soul stealing bitch right? Not that hard." Yusuke snorted.
Kagome turned a brief glare at him. "No one can move fast enough to dodge her arrows and if you, or I for that matter, get hit by one, we're dust."
"Hn." Was all that was heard from Hiei before he was gone. Kagome turned her fearful gaze to Kikyou and Inuyasha, hoping the hybrid really was as strong as he believed himself to be. She was shocked when she realized that he was moving so fast that she could barely see him. It was obvious that Kikyou was taken by surprise as well when she attempted to fire her arrow at the swift demon.
Once Inuyasha made to help the dead miko, Yusuke charged up his Spirit Gun and fired it directly at the couple. They watched as the spirit attack just missed the hanyou and completely engulfed the woman, incinerating her body until there was nothing left but a pile of what the miko's body had been recreated out of. Inuyasha and Kagome stared at Yusuke in shock before the hanyou snarled and darted off into the trees, his threats of revenge reaching her ears.
Hiei appeared back at Kagome's side but she barely noticed. Her attention was completely focused on the white sphere floating toward her. It was the other half of her soul. The orb disappeared into Kagome's chest and she was momentarily encased in a white hue. The miko sighed in contentment as she felt herself become whole again. Power surged through her veins. Unfortunately, the added boost didn't ease the confusion she felt ever since her demonic blood was unleashed.
Once the glow was gone, Kagome turned her surprised gaze to both Hiei and Yusuke. She had no idea they were that powerful. Maybe they did have a chance against Naraku… seeing as it only took two of the guys approximately a minute to defeat one of their group's biggest problems. Sango, Miroku and Kagome had been trying to rid themselves of Kikyou for more than a few months but she was far too powerful for them to take down. Kagome turned her emotional violet and silver specked eyes to the pile of dirt and clay once more to confirm what had just occurred.
Yusuke was taken by surprise when his cousin threw herself at him and hugged him tightly. "Thank you Suke…" she murmured before pulling away and smiling up at him softly. Turning her smile to Hiei, she rolled her eyes at the scowl on his face. "And even though you act like a complete asshole, you're not so bad."
Hiei snorted and stuck his nose in the air. "Shut up onna."
Kagome's bright smile slowly turned into a dark glare as Kuwabara climbed out of the well. "Are you incapable of using a person's name or are you just mentally challenged?" Kagome growled.
"I would rather be mentally challenged than a miko that cannot control her own power." Hiei fired back.
Kagome bared her fangs up at the hybrid as her tail subconsciously twitched back and forth in irritation. "You're treading on thin ice here hybrid, I swear I'll purify you into the next damn century if you don't back off."
"You couldn't touch me no matter how hard you tried." Hiei mocked, knowing far too well that he was much faster than Kagome could even hope to be.
"Will you please leave her alone Hiei? She's got a worst temper than I do and I seriously don't want to deal with it for the rest of the day." Yusuke whined. He quickly realized he butt into the argument at the worst possible time when Kagome turned her glare to him. Before he could escape, she smacked him so hard in the head that he fell back down the well. Turning on her heel, Kagome wrapped the end of her tail around the strap of her much lighter backpack and carried it behind her as she stomped off toward the village that she hoped Inuyasha hadn't demolished while she was gone.
When she reached the end of the path, Kagome nearly fell to her knees at the sight before her. The village was in ruins, huts were still on fire and every living thing was slaughtered. Her tail unraveling and leaving her forgotten bag behind, Kagome slowly entered the village. There could be survivors somewhere in the wreckage… she had to help if she could. She entered each pile of rubble, moved around the wood that used to be huts and checked everywhere for survivors. She got halfway through the village when Yusuke reached her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him with tearful eyes as he shook his head.
Dragging her feet and staring at the ground, Kagome allowed her tears to fall. Yusuke draped his arm over her shoulders and pulled her closer to him when Kagome suddenly heard something. Stopping in her tracks, the miko turned back to stare at the rubble. She could have sworn she heard a cry of help… but as she stared at the burning village, she was further convinced that she was imagining things. Just as she was going to turn around once more to leave, she heard the sound again. It was a child crying and it was coming from one of the burning huts.
Pulling away from Yusuke, Kagome used her new speed to dash into the hut she thought she heard the cries from. Searching frantically, she saw a large fur ball curled up in the corner of the hut. Tears sprang to the miko's eyes once more as the fur ball turned its head and mewed in relief. Knowing that she didn't have time to let her emotions get the better of her, Kagome rushed to Kirara's side, avoiding the burning planks that were falling from the ceiling.
Kagome didn't understand why the fire neko was just sitting in the burning hut until she noticed the four children she was shielding from the flames. It was obvious that Kirara would have pulled the children from the fire but one of the kids had lodged himself between two walls. From the look on his face, Kagome could tell that the boy was terrified of Kirara and probably thought she was going to eat him. Kirara didn't want to leave the boy behind so seemed to be trying to claw her way through the walls, effectively scaring the boy even more.
Moving quickly, Kagome placed three of the children on Kirara's back before reaching her thin arm through the walls and grabbing hold of the boy's wrist. "I'm not going to hurt you; we have to get out of here." Kagome said as she pulled the boy out of his hiding spot. Kagome could hear the guys yelling her name outside the hut and Kagome knew they had to get out of there before the entire hut collapsed on top of them. Kirara led the way since she wasn't as affected by the flames as Kagome was. The neko cleared a path for them to walk before trotting out of the hut with Kagome on her heels.
Seconds after they exited the hut, the roof caved in and fell to the ground with a loud crash. Placing the boy on the ground far away from danger, Kagome threw herself at Kirara, wrapping her arms around the large neko's thick neck. She held back her tears as Kirara purred and nuzzled the miko. "I'm so glad you're alive…" Kagome murmured before standing. She didn't have to wait long for her overprotective cousin to snap at her.
"What is wrong with you?! You don't just go running into flaming buildings!" Yusuke began yelling but was quickly cut short when the large cream colored neko suddenly moved protectively in front of Kagome, baring her large fangs at Yusuke.
"Kirara it's alright, they're friends… and family" Kagome assured, brushing her fingers through the neko's fur. Growling at Yusuke, she stepped toward him and inhaled his scent. Kagome could tell Kirara realized that Yusuke was related to her when the demon snorted and backed away reluctantly. Rolling her eyes, Kagome turned her attention to the four small children that now didn't have a home. "Kirara, could you please take these children to the neighboring village? I know the priestess there will care for them."
Kirara mewed in response and turned to the children.
"How the hell is that oversized cat going to carry all of those kids? We could get them there just as fast as she could." Yusuke stated, already holding a grudge against the demon. It was his job to protect Kagome, not that damn cat's.
Snarling at the miko's cousin once more, Kirara plopped down on the ground so the three larger children could climb onto her back. Kagome had to convince the boy that Kirara wasn't going to hurt him before he finally climbed on. Once they were settled, Kirara stood and approached the smallest child, which looked to be around four years old. Purring to the child and licking her face, Kirara hooked her sharp fangs through the toddler's clothing and lifted her off the ground. To everyone's surprise except Kagome's, the fire neko broke into a sprint before ascending to the skies, disappearing in the distance.
"Well that was unexpected…" Kurama murmured.
"Kirara is also very useful in battle. Let's be on our way, she'll find us once she drops off the children." Kagome smiled, now happy to know that at least one of her friends was still alive. Turning in the opposite direction that Kirara disappeared in, Kagome began walking toward the forest without bothering to see if her new companions were following. Her mind was completely plagued by her friend's deaths and the traitor that was the cause of all this.
Speaking of the backstabber, Kagome suddenly wondered whatever happened to the Tetsusaiga. She swore if she ever found it she would hunt down Sesshomaru and give the honorable sword to the inuyoukai. He truly was the son that deserved the fang in the first place. Kagome couldn't see Sesshomaru turning on Rin and brutally killing her like Inuyasha had done to their friends. But then again… she never thought Inuyasha would perform such an act either.
Kagome's thoughts were interrupted when she felt an arm drape over her shoulders. Turning her gaze to her cousin, he grinned and squeezed her tighter for a moment before relaxing his grip once more. Kagome returned his smile and rested her head on his shoulder as they continued on. Hiei and Kurama were behind Yusuke and his younger cousin while Kuwabara remained at the back of the group, feeling overly alert.
"Guys is it just me or do you feel like we're being watched? Or followed?" Kuwabara asked quietly.
"We probably are being followed or watched. This is the Feudal Era, youkai and humans live among one another in this time. You learn to stay on your toes all the time while you're here because there are always youkai waiting to attack." Kagome explained.
"But why the hell would they want to attack us out of all the other people in the damn world?" Yusuke complained.
The corner of Kagome's lip tugged up in a dreadful smile as she lifted the small jar that held her jewel shards. "Because aside from Naraku, we currently hold the most jewel shards in our possession."
"You truly are a walking disaster waiting to happen." Hiei snorted.
A soft threatening growl could be heard from the cougar youkai walking beside Yusuke.
"So we are searching for the last remaining shards? How are we to locate them?" Kurama questioned.
"I can sense and see the shards."
"And Naraku can too?" Kuwabara asked.
"No, Kikyou and I were the only individuals that could see the shards but now that Kikyou is dead, I'm the only one."
"Then how does Naraku gather shards?" Kurama asked.
"I haven't the slightest clue but he is almost always trying to either convince me to find the shards for him, take my ability, or just kill me." Kagome sighed.
"So the onna can be used as bait to lure out both hanyous." Hiei smirked.
"Hiei! Leave her alone already damnit!" Yusuke yelled.
'Why must you provoke her anger?' Kurama asked, knowing Hiei would hear.
'It is my only source of entertainment on this mission.'
'You do know that you could easily break off from the group and kill any youkai you like? Koenma does not control our actions here.'
Hiei shrugged. 'I can also go to Makai whenever l please and kill to my heart's content.'
Kurama rolled his eyes. 'Just please try not to piss off the unstable mikodemon.'
'Hn'
Just as Hiei and Kurama's mental conversation ended, a large ball of cream fur fell from the sky and nearly landed on Kagome. The miko squealed and wrapped her arms around the oversized neko as it mewed and rubbed her head against Kagome's hip.
"They're safe?" Kagome asked.
The neko nodded her head and Kagome smiled, scratching Kirara's ears soothingly. "Well done… did you see any sign of Inuyasha?"
Kirara growled but shook her head nonetheless. Kagome smiled grimly and brushed her fingers through the neko's fur to sooth her. "Well which way do you guys want to go? The last shards could be anywhere…"
"Which directions did your group cover last?" Yusuke asked, hoping he didn't bring back sad memories of her group.
Kagome's aura darkened slightly but other than that, she remained calm. "I think we were heading back to Kaede's from the north." the miko stated, looking down at Kirara for confirmation. The neko nodded her head slowly.
"Right, then lets go… east?" Kuwabara suggested.
"Fine with me, I'd like to avoid running into Sesshomaru if at all possible…" Kagome muttered as she began walking in the direction the only human of their group suggested.
"Why avoid him?" Yusuke asked.
"Because I don't want to be the one to explain to him that his father's sword is missing and of his half brothers dishonor… although I'm sure he wouldn't pick a fight with us, I don't want Sesshomaru breathing down our necks."
"Did you recently have the sword in your possession?" Kurama questioned.
"Inuyasha did. Both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha fought for the Tetsusaiga within their father's grave. He believed that he deserved it and now I'm beginning to agree with him." Kagome scowled.
"And Sesshomaru is powerful?" Kuwabara asked.
"He's the lord of the West."
"Then why don't we form an alliance with him? Surely he could come of use during the battle with Naraku." Kurama recommended.
Kagome sighed as she realized what a great idea it was. "Yea… but he's creepy…" Kagome whined so quietly that they almost didn't hear her.
"Why am I not surprised that you're intimidated by a inu." Hiei snorted, mocking the fact that she was now a feline.
Kagome turned a glare to the hybrid. "Shut up."
"Make me." Hiei smirked.
"Yusuke, tell your pintsized friend to leave me alone before I'm forced to fry him." Kagome snarled.
"Why don't you act like an adult." Hiei snorted.
"Why don't you look like one?!" she shot back, continuing to insult his height.
"I'm taller than you are onna." Hiei glared at her.
"By only several inches! It's normal for a woman to be short like I am but for a male? I think that big head of yours weighed down your entire body and prevented it from growing to its full height."
"Continue talking and instead of searching out the demons that possess the shards, I'll hang you from a tree and let them find us." Hiei threatened.
Kirara leapt in front of Kagome and snarled up at Hiei in warning. If the hybrid dared to touch her new mistress, she'd tear him to shreds.
"I'd like to see you try." Kagome growled.
"Don't tempt me onna." he smirked, ignoring the neko that was only a few feet away from him.
"I'll purify you before you even have the chance to get me in the damn tree."
"Shut up! Both of you!" Yusuke yelled, slapping a hand over Kagome's lips to prevent her from talking. To everyone's surprise, the detective grabbed the excess fur at Kirara's neck and pulled the snarling demon away from Hiei. "Even though watching you guys cut each other down is funny, I don't want either of you to start physically fighting!"
"Hn like she could harm me."
"Wanna bet on it apparition?!" Kagome yelled through Yusuke's hand, though her words were muffled. Kirara snapped her jaws in Hiei's direction in warning.
"Leave her be Hiei." Kurama glared at his hybrid friend, slightly scared for his safety seeing as both the mikodemon and her fire neko looked ready to spill his blood.
Hiei rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. Not trusting that his cousin wouldn't attack Hiei once he let her go, Yusuke locked his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him as he continued walking with her in tow. He released Kirara only because he knew the faithful demon would follow wherever Kagome was going.
"Why do you let him get to you?" Yusuke muttered to his cousin.
"I don't! That bastard needs a good beating!" Kagome snarled, trying to escape her cousin's strong hold.
"Stop struggling Kags. You've had no training so you have no chance of getting away from me or even lasting a second against Hiei in battle. Believe me, he would find a way to avoid getting touched by your purification." Yusuke said.
"I don't care how strong he thinks he is, I'll kill him if he gets in my face again." Kagome growled.
"I know you don't mean that Kags. I saw how worried you were when he went to attack Kikyou." Yusuke muttered, turning his gaze to the still struggling miko.
Kagome glared up at him angrily. "I don't care how my face looked back then, right now, I hate him."
"Whatever you say cuz." Yusuke laughed. He knew that Kagome held some form of respect for Hiei and that would keep her from trying to seriously hurt him. Not to mention she wouldn't want to hurt him or the others by killing one of their close friends. She wouldn't do that intentionally and that's the only reason Yusuke slowly let go of his cousin so she could walk beside him instead of dragging her.
She huffed in irritation for a moment before straightening her clothes and calmly falling into step beside Yusuke. She could feel Hiei's amusement rolling from his aura in waves and it took all of her self control not to turn on her heel and punch him square in the face. Why couldn't he be more civil? More polite or kind? Like Kurama? He was the definition of perfect and Hiei… well lets just say if someone was to look up the word Satan in the dictionary, Hiei's picture would be there.
Kagome giggled to herself softly until she heard a familiar growl. Turning slightly, she saw that Hiei was glaring at her intensely and growling in irritation. For a moment, Kagome thought he had heard what she was thinking but brushed it off quickly. He was probably just angry because it was obvious that she was laughing about something that concerned him. Feeling Kirara rub her head against her hand, Kagome smiled down at the neko and brushed her fingers through her fur before turning her attention to Yusuke.
"How did you know that Kirara wasn't going to attack you for grabbing her like that?" she asked.
"I figured that she could smell we're blood related and that I meant no harm to you. So I was hoping she trusted me and wouldn't bite my arm off." Yusuke chuckled.
"Well you're lucky she's as intelligent as she is." Kagome said, petting the large neko once more before she mewed and reverted to her smaller form. Kagome grinned at the surprised looks on everyone's faces as she pat her shoulder. Kirara leapt to her shoulder before climbing on top of the miko's head and resting there comfortably.
"Whoa… didn't know the beast could change into a smaller form…" Kuwabara muttered.
"There has been many times that Kirara saved us in tight situations. When we first met Kouga, his pack was preparing to tear us apart. Kirara transformed and those wolves went running with their tails between their legs." Kagome grinned.
"Who's Kouga?" Yusuke asked.
"Oh he's the leader of one of the wolf demon packs. He has two shards and will probably keep them until the final battle rolls around."
"Why not take his shards now before Naraku gets to them?" Kurama questioned.
"Because even though Kouga kidnapped and tried to kill me the first time I met him, he's now a close friend and ally. He can easily outrun Naraku because of the shards."
"What kind of coward runs from battle." Hiei snorted.
"The kind that's intelligent enough to know when he's fighting a losing battle." Kagome growled.
"So Kouga just runs every time Naraku comes after him?" Kuwabara asked.
"The first few times Kouga stood up against Naraku, he lost almost his entire pack and his jewel shards. Now he's far wiser and doesn't underestimate his opponents. If he's in trouble or knows Naraku's location, he knows to find us." Kagome explained.
"Why would he bring the danger to you guys?" Yusuke asked.
"Because all of us together can fight off Naraku… well that's how it used to be. I'm sure Kouga's heard of Inuyasha's betrayal. I'm actually surprised he hasn't come searching for me yet."
Kirara made a noise that sounded llike a snort and everyone stared at the neko in question.
"Kouga thinks he's in love with me." Kagome said, clarifying their confusion.
Yusuke laughed. "Wait wait so let me get this straight. A wolf demon kidnaps you and tries to kill you then falls in love with you. And from how both you and Kirara are acting I'm guessing this guy is very open about his feelings?"
"Shut up Suke. You wouldn't know what it's like to not want to hurt someone's feelings by breaking their heart."
"I may not but Kurama has plenty of experience with that!" Yusuke laughed.
Kagome turned a questioning look toward the avatar and he sighed. "I have quite a large fan club in my school."
Kagome laughed though she wasn't surprised. The red head was very attractive. "Then you know how I feel."
"Indeed."
"Well if we do run into this lover of yours Kagome, we'll be sure to not bother you guys." Yusuke laughed.
"Shut up Suke…" she growled as she smacked him over the head rather hard.
After traveling for the remaining hours of sunlight they had, Kagome agreed to stop for camp when Kuwabara and Yusuke started complaining. Setting up camp, Kagome declared that she would gather some fish for dinner before disappearing into the darkness. Kagome followed her nose to the nearest source of water before sitting on a large rock beside the river. Staring into the water, Kagome sighed deeply as she saw her reflection. She slowly touched her new black and blue ears as she stared at her violet and silver speckled eyes.
Kagome's calm eyes slowly turned to panic as she saw the reflection just above her head. Inuyasha was smirking down at her and before she could leap away from him, he grabbed hold of her sensitive tail and yanked her back to the ground. Wrapping his claws around her throat tightly, he scowled at her in disgust. "Did you really think you would be safe on your own? You always were stupid. Didn't I tell you they wouldn't be there to protect you all the time?" he smirked before throwing her forcefully into the nearest tree. She winced in pain as she fell to the ground. She was about to yell for the guys but before she could utter a sound, Inuyasha had her by the throat once more and was squeezing so tight, she couldn't breath.
"You're so pathetic. How did I ever see any use for you." Inuyasha snorted before slamming her into a tree again. "You took Kikyou from me you bitch." he snarled, baring his fangs at her.
"S…screw yo…you" Kagome gasped out.
Growling, Inuyasha threw her into another tree and smirked when he heard the familiar sound of bones breaking. "Since your friends took Kikyou from me, I'm going to take you from them… slowly and painfully." he smirked as he made his way to her once more. Kagome was gasping for breath as she tried to stand. Looking up into the nearest tree, she made to leap up into it and run for her life but Inuyasha was too quick and was able to grab her already aching tail once more and slammed her into the ground again.
"Why bother escaping? You're too weak to get away." he chuckled darkly.
Growling at him angrily, Kagome kicked her feet against his chest as he approached her, sending him flying into a tree. Quickly getting to her feet, she wrapped her tail around her waist to keep it a safe distance from Inuyasha so he couldn't tear it off. Turning toward where camp was, she began to run but was quickly stopped in her tracks when she felt sharp claws dig into the skin of her back. The force of the attack sent her to the ground once more and Kagome tried her best to call upon her purification. Nothing worked; she had no control of her powers now that her demon blood was unleashed.
Kagome tried to cry out in pain when Inuyasha grabbed her ankle, pushing his claws right through her skin, as he dragged her back to their previous location. She couldn't make a sound because of how tightly Inuyasha had grasped her throat. She could barely even breathe and she felt as if her lungs were smashed, not to mention she was almost positive that several of her ribs were broken from the hanyou slamming her into so many trees. There was nothing she could do and no one there to save her…
"You're such a baka!"
"It's not my fault I don't know how to cook!" Kuwabara yelled.
"Yea it is! And it's your fault you burned the food!" Yusuke yelled back.
"Why don't you cook dinner then Urameshi!"
"Because I'm waiting for Kagome to get back so she can cook dinner you dumb ass!"
"Kagome did say she was bringing back fish, so there was no need to waste the ramen in your bag Kuwabara." Kurama stated.
"Well what's taking her so long?! I'm starving…" Kuwabara whined.
Suddenly Kirara roared and transformed to her larger form and lifted her nose to the air. Hiei and Kurama leapt to their feet. The smell of blood was heavy in the air and it was familiar. Turning to look at each other for a moment, Yusuke's weaker demon nose finally recognized the scent and panic filled him. "KAGOME!"
Kagome was slowly losing consciousness and she knew the end was near. Inuyasha had thrown her into several more trees and choked her a few more times. Her wounds were bleeding profusely and she was sure that if Inuyasha didn't kill her soon, she would either die of blood loss or internal bleeding. Her arm was broken in several places and she could barely breathe since Inuyasha had crushed her airway to the point of nearly suffocating her. Her entire body was screaming in agony and she just wanted it all to end.
"Don't fall asleep yet wench, I'm nowhere near done with you." Inuyasha snarled as he pressed his claws into the long gashes on Kagome's back. The miko's eyes widened as she groaned in pain. Tears trailed down her cheeks as her body was forced to remain awake and alert. Kagome was practically begging her powers to help her but it was no use. Her purification and demonic powers were battling each other and made her senses so disorientated that she couldn't even sense Inuyasha as he stood directly over her.
Kagome held back her tears as she glared up at Inuyasha bravely. If this was the end for her, she refused to allow him the pleasure of seeing her tears. She would not show him her pain. The little miko bared her fangs up at him before biting his arm as hard as she could. Kicking him where it hurt most, Kagome pushed herself to her feet. Before she could even move, Inuyasha punched her hard in the stomach, sending her flying into a tree. Slumping to the ground, Kagome couldn't move. She was in too much pain to even lift her head. All she could do was squeeze her eyes shut and wait for Inuyasha to strike her again.
Instead of pain, Kagome felt relief flood through her entire system when she felt a pair of arms gently lift her from the ground. "It's alright Kagome, we're here now." She could hear Kurama say as her vision swam. Knowing that she needed to remain awake, she forced her eyes to stay open. She could faintly hear Kirara's roars and the sound of battle only feet away from her but she didn't have the strength to lift her head and see what was happening. Before she knew it, Kurama was carrying her off and Yusuke was at their side trying to get his nearly dead cousin to speak to him.
"Kagome…"
"From what I can see, her throat is crushed. She probably can't speak or barely breathe for that matter." Kurama said softly. "We have to get her to camp so we can clean her wounds and hopefully heal her other injuries."
"Kuwabara, grab some of that water." Yusuke ordered, refusing to leave his cousin's side. "Just hang in there Kags…"
Once they reached camp, Yusuke unrolled her sleeping bag and dug through her bag for the first aid kit. With the light of the fire, everyone winced at the condition the miko was in. There were long and deep gashes along her back and puncture wounds in her ankles from where Inuyasha grabbed her. Dark purple bruises covered her entire neck and it was obvious that there were many broken bones.
Lying her down on her stomach, Kurama immediately picked her back up when she groaned in agony from the pressure on her ribs. "Shit, her ribs are broken too aren't they?" Yusuke asked, feeling his heart drop into his stomach.
"Yes, this is going to be far more difficult than I first assumed." Kurama sighed. Calling Kirara over, Kurama asked the neko to support her back as they sat her down on the sleeping bag. They needed to clean her wounds and stop the bleeding before they attended the broken bones. The neko placed herself right behind Kagome and Kurama rested her upper back on Kirara's stomach. Taking a cloth, Kurama soaked it in the water and first cleaned the wounds on her ankles while Yusuke pressed another cloth against her back injuries to clot the bleeding.
Yusuke asked Kuwabara to get more water before turning to Hiei. Pleading his friend with a face that Hiei had never seen the detective use before, Yusuke requested that the hybrid help him clean Kagome's back wounds. Holding her upright from the back of her shoulders, Hiei watched as the miko's face cringed in pain each time Yusuke pressed a clean cloth to her back. Once she was clean, disinfected and bandaged up, Kurama made a makeshift sling for her broken arm. Feeling her ribs, he was relieved that they weren't shattered, only cracked. Thanks to Kagome's new demon blood, her ribs would heal within the next few days.
The last injury they had to tend was her throat. Inuyasha had done quite a number on the poor miko. She couldn't speak and her breathing came out in gasps. Unfortunately, the only way to repair her lungs was to reform them and remove the dents Inuyasha had inflicted. Sighing, Kurama searched for a seed that he could use for the situation. He needed something he could control that was edible and made of a soft texture. Finally finding the perfect plant for the job, Kurama held it gently in his palm and forced it to grow.
Everyone, including Kagome, watched as a long velvet soft looking vine grew in the avatar's hand. The smell of peppermint invaded their senses as Kurama moved closer to Kagome's head.
"Kagome, this may hurt but it needs to be done so you can breathe and survive the night." Kurama stated, his voice soft as he gently held her head up with one hand and brought the vine toward her lips with the other. Kagome's eyes widened when the vine moved of its own accord. Trying her best, she pulled her head away from Kurama's grasp. There was no way he was getting that thing in her mouth.
"Kagome please, it's edible." Kurama pleaded with the miko.
'I don't care if the damn thing's edible, I'm not letting you put it in my mouth.' Kagome snarled in her mind although she knew no one could hear her.
'Open your mouth onna before I make you.' Hiei growled.
Kagome was now confused. Hiei was in her line of vision but she didn't see his lips move at all. She was absolutely sure she heard his voice but how? The miko was so distracted by her current line of thought that she didn't notice Yusuke grab her jaw and open it while Kurama placed the vine on her tongue. Everything happened so fast. One minute, she felt a slimy worm like object on her tongue then before she knew it, the vine was traveling down her throat and pushing against her airway. The vine was pushing her crushed lungs back into place and it hurt far more than when Inuyasha had made the injury in the first place.
After a few minutes, the vine slithered back out of her lungs and slid down her throat and into her stomach. She could feel the plant dissolve and felt a warm comforting feeling fill her entire body for a moment. Kagome then realized that Kurama had used a peppermint plant. Peppermint worked well with healing tissue and muscles and that's probably why the avatar had her ingest the plant once it finished repairing her lungs. Speaking of her lungs, Kagome felt relieved as the wonderful feeling of a full and complete breath of air entered her system.
"Feeling any better Kags?" Yusuke asked, worry evident in his voice.
Kagome nodded her head slowly, not trusting her voice just yet. Her cousin smiled in relief before grabbing his sleeping bag and dragging it over. Positioning it right beside Kagome's, he sat down and smiled toward her.
"We should get some sleep, Kagome especially." Kurama said as he also made his way to his sleeping bag. Kagome watched as Kuwabara added a few more branches to the fire and Hiei leapt into a nearby tree to sleep. Kagome buried her face in Kirara's fur as she thought of what happened to Inuyasha. Did the guys kill him? Did he escape? Was he at least injured? She had no idea but she wasn't too worried if he was alive because the guys had proved they could keep her safe. As she closed her eyes and took in another long breath, Kagome felt completely protected with her four body guards sleeping around her.
A/N:
That wraps up chapter 2 and I'd like to give a shout out to HlfDemonLvr7703! I love reading reviews from readers like you :) it inspires me to continue my writing. Hope everyone enjoyed it as much as HlfDemonLvr did ^_^ Thanks for reading, R&R please.
*~Icyfire~*
Next Chapter - Chapter Three: Accidentally On Purpose