When Kagome was seven, she killed her first Demon.
She had been on a routine training expedition, with about five others her age. They were still in the vicinity of the Well, nothing was supposed to happen. Their leaders had given this class a special clearance to go out into the sun. Today they were learning survival tips and how to find proper shelter if they were caught outside in the dark. The sun was overhead, and the watchers had not seen a Demon close for a week. Training had to be done, it was important and everyone started early.
Her teacher was droning on and Kagome wasn't paying attention. A boy that was smaller than her had found a tiny bug and was pushing it around with his toe. Kagome had been so focused on it, she didn't feel the tale-tale chill that ran up her spine.
It happened so quick, no one screamed. Kagome was watching a tiny, green bug one second, and the next she was thrown to the ground. Sounds blurred together.
A girl next to her started screaming, a boy next to her wasn't moving. Their teacher was yelling something, but she couldn't understand. Slowly, her hearing faded away to the thunderous hammering of her heart. The cold chill was freezing her body in shock. It was utter terror that took over. She was only seven, she could fight no wars! She thought of her poor mother, how scared she would be if something happened to her daughter.
Her eyes whipped back and forth, trying to locate their attacker. She tried to slow her breathing, slow her heart. It was impossible to hear anything. It was like she was drowning. Her instincts flew out the window. Her training was useless.
It was ugly.
Kagome watched in utter fascination as the monster moved from human to human, sniffing and tearing. Her fellow students were being torn to shreds. Her teacher was knocked unconscious. The girl next to her was shocked still, watching the same macabre scene unfolding before them.
Kagome was the biggest of the ones that were left. If she didn't do anything, they would all die out here. She looked around for something, anything. The boy lying next to her had a small pocketknife hanging out of his pocket. Kagome didn't know how useful it would be. She reached for it while keeping an eye on the Demon. It was closer now.
She opened the knife up, sickened by its dull blade. It would have to do. She turned to the girl beside her and lifted on finger to her lips. The girl understood and quieted down. They understood that this would be their only chance. If Kagome failed, they would both die.
The Demon grew ever closer. Almost as if something clicked, it paused and rolled its massive red eyes to focus directly on Kagome. It was smiling a ragged smile, full of broken and jagged teeth.
It lunged at her. Kagome didn't even have time to react. The girl was screaming again.
The scream was cut off by another sound, one that Kagome would always remember. It was like a scream, but more painful. It was followed by a burst of energy that nearly knocked Kagome down. The Demon clawed pitifully at the knife that Kagome had thrust into its wide chest. It let loose a long wail before slumping over.
Kagome sat as still as death. She was still holding the knife out in front of her. By now, her arm was covered in Demon blood. It was bright red, and she could smell it. It made her sick. She stared at the still warm body and then began to heave.
It was only moments later when the guard came. They lifted her up and were mumbling things that she couldn't understand. They called her a Priestess. She fought to keep her eyes open. As they carried her away, she looked behind them at the now dead Demon. In a sick and twisted way, she felt as though she had done a terrible thing.
She could not deny how human the thing looked, and how its blood was exactly the same as her own.
Later, when the Leader was patting her on the head and marveling about her deed, Kagome was still back in the field staring at the thing she had killed. It was an image that stuck in her mind forever.
The Demon was wearing a ring. A wedding ring like the one her mother still wore…
Kagome opened her eyes slowly. The bright, white light nearly blinded her. She closed her eyes to a squint, allowing them time to adjust. The smell of antiseptics was a familiar scent, and for a moment, she thought she was inside Keade's infirmary. For a moment, she thought the past week had been a dream. She would have kept on believing, if not for the familiar voice yelling profanity just outside the room.
Kagome sat up, looking around quickly. The room was white, just like Keade's hospital ward. It held the same machines and beds to hold the sick and wounded. The only difference was the size and lay out of the room.
And that this room was not supposed to exist. She had been told all her life that she was the only future for humanity. The Well was the last human stronghold to fight the Demon plague. How had they been so terribly wrong? Who had lied to them all?
"Kagome!" A very irate Inuyasha burst through the door, followed by two overweight women who were yelling more profanity back at him. He stopped beside her bed and looked her over, almost like he was scared for her.
"Inuyasha… where are we?" Kagome stared fearfully at the two women who were throwing their hands up in the air in frustration.
"We're at the old bastard's place. You said you needed a bath, so I got you one." He folded his arms over her chest and scowled at her. Typical Inuyasha. He was staring at her elbow.
"I'm sorry." Kagome looked down at the IV drop in the crook of her elbow. She hated needles and shuddered when she saw it. Why had she passed out? Was she that weak? Inuyasha was nearly growling.
"Feh, hurry up and get better. The sooner we get out of here, the better."
With that he whirled around and stormed out of the room, casting a glare at the nurses. They both shot him a tired look back. He was mumbling under his breath when he turned the corner.
Kagome nodded, still in shock. The two women were not sad to see Inuyasha leave. Once he was gone, they began asking her questions.
"How can you manage to suffer through his moods?" One said.
"I nearly can't."
"He is quite a looker, to bad his attitude doesn't fit." The other mused.
Both of them sighed and puttered around the room making sure her vitals were steady. Kagome nearly wanted to laugh, she only passed out. These women would pass out if they had seen her after that one Demon attack…
Kagome just watched the women, amazed. She was at first shocked at the discovery of other colonies of humans. Then, as she thought about it, it was a miracle. She could not wait to tell the others of The Well. This gave new hope. Humans could conquer the Demons! No more living in a hole in the ground. Humans living only twenty odd miles away from her home was almost preposterous. To know that all this time, others were right under their noses was remarkable.
Then, a dark thought settled through her. Twenty mile radius. Was that coincidence? How extraordinarily ironic it was that humans lived nearly twenty miles from her own home, and yet right outside of that radius human populations thrived?
Kagome wanted to rip the IV out of her arm, find Inuyasha, and get out of here. She was growing anxious not having a weapon. All hers had been left behind when Inuyasha kidnapped her, which now she regretted terribly. She had been raised with a sword and gun in her hands, and now she was defenseless and hopelessly dependant on her sworn enemy. How had things gotten to this point?
Inuyasha was yelling again. She could hear muffled voices coming from somewhere close. They were talking to him. He was yelling back. To her, this wasn't a good sign. He was upset about something, and that something was probably going to upset her.
Kagome sat up and waited for the two women to leave the room, still chuckling over the harsh Demon who was so, so good looking.
Ripping the IV out hurt much worse than she had expected. She felt the blood pooling in her elbow when she folded her arm up from the pain. Thankfully, a roll of gauze was sitting next to her bed. A few quick wraps around her arm and she was ready to go. Checking to make sure the two annoying nurses were gone, she crouched slowly around the door to see what was waiting for her in the hallway.
Two men were standing down the hallway to the left, talking to low for Kagome to understand what they were saying. They were dressed strange to be in a hospital wing. Both were wearing suits, like the Leader wore. They were in charge, so why were they here? When one gestured in her direction, she knew that they must be talking about her. This only gave her more of a reason to get the hell out of here. Something was wrong here, and it had to do with her.
"Where are you, Inuyasha?" she whispered to herself.
She waited for the men to do something, which they finally did as they entered a room somewhere behind them.
That was when she heard louder voices, Inuyasha's included.
Seeing her chance, Kagome made her way down the hall to the open door. The closer she got, the louder the voices got. She could hear Inuyasha, and a female voice. With the two other men that had gone in, she knew there were at least four people in the room. When she reached the open door, she slid as close to it as possible and slid her back against the wall.
"I think you should take her back." A man spat.
"Fuck you, old man." Inuyasha's voice was hostile. Kagome leaned it a little closer. She had already missed out on the greater part of the conversation, but it was easy to tell that Inuyasha had already had enough of it.
"I don't think you can comprehend this situation, Inuyasha. I saw her; I know exactly what is churning in that little brain of yours. She looks just like Ki—"
A snarl cut that man off.
"Inuyasha, please. You have to remember what happened. You know as well as we do that she is a danger to all of us. You saw her tattoo. It marks her as his." A woman spoke softly.
Kagome nearly fell over after that last statement. She absently reached up to run her fingers over her tattoo, the one that marked her as an immune. Were these people crazy? The pain in her elbow made her wince. The blood had soaked through the gauze and it was slipping off.
"What is wrong, Inuyasha?"
Kagome froze. Inuyasha was a Demon. Blood. He could smell her blood.
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, a very livid Demon came rushing from the room she was currently eavesdropping in on and nearly ran her over. His eyes swung wildly around, then down at her, and then to her elbow. She trailed her eyes to the spot also, and wanted to tell him it wasn't as bad as it looked.
She almost missed the man that came running out behind him if Inuyasha hadn't lifted him by his throat and slammed him against the wall. The man wheezed.
"What did you do to her you bastard?" His voice was very low, and unlike anything Kagome had ever heard from him before. She was shocked at the fierceness that showed in his eyes. The man was scratching at Inuyasha's hand weakly.
"Inuyasha…" she whispered. His eyes slid to the side to find her, but he did not drop the poor man.
"I pulled my IV out, it wasn't them." She tried to reason with the boy before he lost control. She pulled the gauze the rest of the way off her arm and held it out to show him. He growled softly before dropping the man into a sprawling heap on the floor. The one woman from the room rushed to his side while the second man seemed like he wanted to say something. He was also glaring daggers at Kagome, like this was somehow her fault.
"Com'on, Kagome. Let's get out of here." He called over his shoulder, already making his exit.
She kept her head low as she wandered past the three humans. She could feel their eyes digging into her skin. She nearly ran to catch up with Inuyasha. He wasn't even going to wait on her. She couldn't wait to get back to the compound. She had a few questions she needed answered. Inuyasha just walked, his back to her, the whole way. When he reached the room they arrived in, he barked at the man who ran the door.
The young man nearly fell from his perch, opening the door. Kagome mouthed a sorry as she passed by. The boy nodded wearily at the leaving two. Behind her, Kagome could hear an older man yelling Inuyasha's name. She looked for any sign that Inuyasha heard. His ears flickered ever so slightly. Kagome looked behind her to see the man that Inuyasha had nearly killed holding his neck and watching them leave. His eyes were on her, and she could see that he was not happy with what he saw. Kagome shuddered and hurried her pace to catch up with Inuyasha. When she finally reached him, he turned and looked at her with a strange expression in his golden eyes.
Kagome stopped when he did. She was worried that he was going to turn on her, like he did that man. The way he had acted back there scared her. She watched his claw tipped hand reach for her. Those claws could rip her in half. Her heart slammed painfully against her chest. His eyes dropped to her shoulder. Kagome's throat suddenly became tight.
She nearly jumped when she felt his warm hand trace the three lines tattooed on her skin at her shoulder. Her skin felt like it was on fire.
"You should keep those covered." He said softly before turning and continuing his mission home. Kagome stood still, shocked, watching Inuyasha as she made his way toward home. She felt the heat rising to her face, and hoped he couldn't smell her embarrassment. For a second, she had thought he was going to either slice her head off, or kiss her. For a second, she had hoped it was the latter. That scared her. What was she doing? What was he doing?
"Inuyasha!" She called his name, hoping that he would stop for her. When he did, she looked away from his still blazing eyes. She toyed with a piece of her hair that had escaped from behind her ear.
"What was that about." She asked quietly, almost afraid of the answer.
He looked off for a moment, before answering her.
"Let's get back, Demons are in this area."
Kagome knew then that something was happening beneath her nose. Inuyasha knew something. The people back there, they knew something, too. It was like a sick joke that she was totally oblivious to. What worried her more was just how Inuyasha was dead set in not letting her in on it. It was big. The people back there, they hated her and she had no idea why.
Kagome absently ran her fingers across the lines that Inuyasha had just touched a minute before.
Kagome sighed, more tired than she ever remembered being. She began moving again, knowing that if she gets attacked by wolf Demons again; Inuyasha will never let her out to see the sunlight ever again.
She nearly caught up with him before they made it back to the enclosure. She was still surprised just how well hid the room was. He waited on her to walk through the door before closing and locking it with a loud 'click'. Kagome wandered over to her couch and fell against it dramatically. She threw her arm over her face and was quiet.
It was almost an hour later, after Inuyasha had went down into her dungeon and she was nearly asleep when she remembered.
Damn. Damn. Damn. She still hadn't got her bath.
The fire was going to give away their position. Sango just knew this was a bad idea.
A worse idea was the one the lecher threw out first, but there was no way in hell she was sharing a sleeping bag with him to stay warm. He had actually been put off by her adamant refusal. He shrugged and began building the small fire with a little less enthusiasm as he had when he unrolled his bag.
Sango shivered and pulled her leather clad legs to her chest. Thankfully, the Exterminator suits were insulated to an extent. Insulation or not, winter was coming fast and tonight was a testament to just how close it really was. The temperature was nearly to freezing. At least the clouds were sparse. The stars were really beautiful at night. It wasn't often that anyone got to see the stars anymore, not when it was so dangerous to be out at night.
Miroku worked the fire, keeping it going while he added more timber. He was glad to have found some dry wood in this area. It was nearly midnight. They had covered as much ground as possible. Sango said they were only three miles from where Kagome's signal had last transmitted from. They both knew they needed rest before they attacked whatever had captured Kagome. She would need them to be strong.
"Do you think she is still alive?" Sango was still looking at the stars.
Miroku stopped stoking the fire for a moment. He took a deep breath and looked over at Sango. His smile did not reach his eyes.
"Of course, Sango. Kagome is the strongest fighter we both know. It would take more than this to take her out."
Sango wanted to agree. She knew the odds. She herself had seen the destructive power of Demons. Her family… they were all dead. Kohaku... It wasn't something she took lightly.
But, she still had hope.
Sango wondered what would await them when they got back. If they made it back. She was certain they they would be punished. They might even get stripped of their Hunting privileges. Sango could not handle that; she needed to kill the Demon enemy after what they took from her. Miroku wouldn't admit it, but he enjoyed it too. Miroku's father had been killed from a fatal wound of a Demon.
Inuyasha wasn't sleeping well again. This time it wasn't a nightmare, it was the girl sleeping above him. What the old geezer said still rung in his head.
"She looks just like Kikyo."
Did they think he was stupid? Of course he had noticed. That was the first thing he noticed when he had his hand wrapped around her neck. The similarity almost made him forget his mission. It almost made him snap her skinny neck.
He was almost thankful that the two humans burst in and gassed him when they did. If they hadn't, who knows what he would have done.
He was angry with himself. How could he have let her get that close without him realizing it? How much of the conversation did she hear before her blood scent drifted to him? He was stupid.
Maybe it was just fate laughing at him. It had been years since Kikyo died. Her death had shaken him up, mostly because she died after she nearly killed him. Her anger came from nowhere, and it wasn't until after she died did he realize that she had been attacked. Four deep gashed ran up her side. They had torn all the way to the bone. Inuyasha had been surprised that she even lived long enough to fire arrows at him. It had hurt. It hurt him more that he could ever explain.
That is why he must keep this girl away. After talking to the old geezer, his plans were back firing. Maybe his mother did not know what to do. Maybe it was too late to stop Naraku.
Inuyasha sighed.
The girl upstairs wasn't what he would call an easy assignment.
From what his mother had told him, Dr. Higurashi was a level headed man. His daughter must have taken after her mother.
As soon as Kagome realized she didn't get her bath, she brought down hell upon his head. His ears were still ringing from her high pitch screams. It wasn't like it was his fault she passed out. Hell, he should have let her head crack on the floor—maybe it would have knocked some sense into her.
Inuyasha thought back to that moment. Kagome's eye dilated and her breathing labored as she looked up at the people on the second floor. Her heart nearly beat out of her chest. What had scared her so? The old man was ugly, but still that shouldn't have been enough to drop her cold like that.
The biggest issue Inuyasha was having was the three marks on her arm. Those tattoos would seal her fate if another demon came across her. Inuyasha didn't know what they meant, only that it meant that Naraku chose her for something. If Naraku had a hand in her training, that meant she was dangerous.
Inuyasha knew exactly what kind of control Naraku had. He hung back, away from his deeds and watched. Inuyasha wouldn't doubt that Naraku knew exactly where Kagome was this very moment. She must have been something to him, or else why would she be so specially trained. Even when he didn't know who she was, seeing her out in the open alone told him she was special. That particular group of humans didn't come out from under the ground often.
"Thanks, mom. You have no idea what kind of a fucking mess you threw me into." He said out loud. Sure talking to his dead mother was insane, but not nearly as insane as talking to the fuming girl upstairs. Inuyasha knew he would have to explain everything to her from the beginning. Maybe she would listen, or maybe she wouldn't believe him.
Either way, this had to get done. He had to solve him mother's riddle. Everything depended on it.
A wicked thought scurried across his mind. Maybe if he kissed her ass a little (not that he wanted to kiss her ass) she would be more willing to help. Inuyasha leaped from his bed and walked down the hallway to one of the rooms. He flicked a light on and looked around. Yes, this was the room and maybe if he fiddled around with the pipes he could get her what she wanted…
Yes. This would work perfectly!
Kagome worked herself into a huff that would not allow her to sleep. She was sure it was nearly three in the morning, but after smashing her watch in an overly displayed amount of anger… she had no way to tell the time. It was so boring, and she had nothing to do but sit around all day. She was used to a daily workout that tired her out enough that she was in bed asleep by 10. Now, she was up nearly all night…
Then the banging started. Kagome sat up and looked around, searching for the source of the noise. It was a few bangs into her search that she realized that it was coming from downstairs. Inuyasha was doing something that was causing a hell of a lot of noise.
How did he expect her to sleep in these conditions!
One loud bang was followed by a rushing sound. This was followed immediately by a sting of curses that Kagome had never heard before. She listen intently for another few seconds before deciding that Inuyasha had gotten into something that he couldn't handle. She knew he didn't want her down there, but dammit—he was in trouble!
Kagome sneaked down the stairs slowly, looking for the mean Demon. She couldn't see much except for a light coming from one open door down a dark hallway. Even from here, she could see water leaking out. Oh no, what in the hell was he doing?
Kagome crept along the hallway, hoping that Inuyasha wouldn't jump out at her and scare the hell out of her. She didn't like sudden surprises…
She rounded the corner, and stopped cold at what she saw.
Inuyasha had noticed her intrusion of his sacred basement; he was just preoccupied to stop her.
Kagome tired to hold it in, really she did.
Inuyasha's ears flattened on his head when she her laugh.
Inuyasha was currently standing in about a foot of water in what Kagome guessed had once been a shower. He was soaked. His hair hung in wet stings down his body and was stuck to his face and neck. His ears were waterlogged, as well as his cloths. He looked like a drowned rat. His face was the most amusing. He was scowling at her and his look promised death if she continued to laugh at his expense. He was holding a pipe above his head with all his might. It was clamped shut, but water was still leaking. So, he had burst a pipe.
"Inuyasha, please tell me you know what you are doing?" Kagome said in between giggles.
His snarl told her all she needed to know. Inuyasha's face was priceless and Kagome wished she had a camera.
Smiling like the devil, Kagome tip toed through the water puddle on the floor. It was a good thing this room was specially built for a shower and was dropped a few inches or this whole floor would be covered in water.
Inuyasha was watching her and glaring all the same.
"What are you doing…" he ground out.
"Saving you the trouble." She said and found what she was looking for. A red lever stuck out from the pipe on the wall. Kagome wrapped her hands around it and pulled. Instantly the water stopped dripping on Inuyasha's head.
Kagome had to shut the water off more than once back in the shower rooms of The Well. It was actually very simple if you knew what you were doing, and it was painfully obvious Inuyasha had no idea. How he managed to break that pipe was beyond her.
Kagome turned back to the furious, and wet, Dog. He was standing in the same spot, but no his arms were crossed over his chest and he was glaring daggers.
"How did you know how to do that?"
"This isn't my first rodeo." Kagome was still smiling from his predicament.
"Whatever, see if I try to be nice again."
Then it dawned on her. Inuyasha was trying to fix this shower… for her. She felt bad instantly.
"I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I hear you banging around down here and I thought you might need some help…"
"Well I didn't need your help."
He didn't?
"Whatever, have fun with it then." Kagome waved her hand at him as she walked out of the room. Inuyasha was still standing in the water stuttering at her dismissal.
Kagome started giggling as soon as she hit the stairs and continued to as she lay back on her couch.
Inuyasha may act all big and bad, but when he was caught in an embarrassing moment like this, he was just a normal person—Demon or no. Kagome snuggled closer to the back of the couch and pulled her thick blanket around her like a cocoon.
Inuyasha standing in the water wasn't something that she was going to shake from her thoughts anytime soon. His cloths had been soaked though and clung to him all over. She could see straight through his white top. He defiantly wasn't a sorry sight. It made Kagome blush just thinking about it. She was almost eighteen; she could have naughty thoughts about a man. A very, very, very well muscled wet man. Oh, she needed to stop those thoughts right now.
Kagome eventually drifted off to sleep, thinking of a soaking wet Inuyasha…
Inuyasha eventually drifted off, wishing that he had shoved Kagome in the water to show her who is boss.
A/N: So, it has been awhile.
Anyways, thanks for the comments—and the few who asked for updates. I'm glad someone out there likes my stories! Like always, let me know what you think!
