A/N: Hey everybody. This time, laziness is a factor in me not updating for this long. Hehe. I know, bad me, bad for keeping all of you waiting. And then the summer school just got in the way of everything plus all of my classes during the regular school semester, then even more family drama. I tell you, it just never ends. Just so much stuff to do and not enough hours in the day to do them in. But here is the next chapter is being planned and expect some more drama.
Thank You: A special thanks to the following people for reviewing thus far: Seishuku Arashi, phoenixwings37, chica blanca, dark vampire mistress, PrinessKeylolo, Misslover, SessyLover180, Nightlife Maiden, Robin, Emily, Hp, Avelyn LaurenQui, Lola, elendless, Paulina, Ro0tin4Kagome, Megan, Independent.C., Princess Izakyoi, WolfenxPrincess, Mei-Sara , disenchantedxx, katsheswims, mysterychild, IWishIWazKagome, Koniko-chan, Devil's Psychiatrist, copycater, MaNgA-bOy-LoVeR, Meeh-san, Toharu, banxbadxkarma, PInK cuTie KaGomE-micael m, AngelxofxFire16, ShadowStar666, lost-x-angel, KInasha14, XoXPosterGirlXoX, Katsheswims, sillyo0omeeh, Shadows Realm, drop dead lover, PinK cuTie KaGomE-miceal m, moonlite phox, bang bang baby B-A-N-G, yumemiru905, Kitsune Diva, Inu'sHardcoreBitchThatLovesRamen, kaginulover33, not a user , MikoNLove, haunting hanyou, Amarioko, EmeraldoftheFlame, Inudaughter, KhayenRose, kiaya, My Love Inuyasha, fallenangel7191, Hoshi Phoenix, Celestial Enchantress, Sakura-Blossom-Goddess, Neisha, Megan Consoer, Selina, Wolf Girl, Karen, Jen, caliste07, Kiss and Kill, CrazyLikeaFox, angicakesisinuyashasluvr, Lady Yevon, Kawaii-CherryWolf, WasteMyTime, waterangel444, InuFanJinx, Princess Ashes, Eri, Katie, angel-tears-16, Jen, jeeringsmiles, Selina, Wolf Girl, butterflywinds, Megan Consoer, Ivy-Crystal, Karen, Angel-Tears-16, Moongirlz, Vyx, Anne79, Forest Sentry Koneji, Ally Inu, PiperWolfBlossom, Moon-Miko-ashes, Insane-and-Psycho, Eri, Animefanatic1632, Apathy Angel, Raven657, Queen Tatooine, Danyu, marijang69, Jynx, Starr Stealer, Hand off the hanyou, a100rinchhead, Katie, MizuShoubai, Angel of Death 88, KougaDemonAddict, Lulu, Crystal, Sesshouismine, Lizz456, KatanaFox, Hanyou665, She-Demonstriss, none, short-tempered, twigy, ArtemisMoon, Hot Bitch (a.k.a. Celeste), Inuyasha-Is-My-Boyfriend, Crutches the Magic Hippie, Latinachica, Kagomeissosexy, Orlando-Inu-Lover, Hi, Annie, Tarzan, Kenshrix, Kinomoto, Dark Hanyou Lover, Shaq, InuFan4Life, AuronZs10, EarthQueen11492, LinaoftheLight, chickichicki, tomariella222, spotzplaya888, elementalobsession, Black Betty, InnocentDarkSassyCat, Dark Daimon Fate, Innocent Hope, dreamz-of-hope, azn-modern-miko, Lady Dark Angel, GohanzGirl, Schezerade7, Ria-chan, Shokora no Sakuhen, Embury, lyn, inuschopstiks, Silver Rain Drops, kawaii-arula, inu-kaglover45, Malitia, AzaraRubie, dragdr, and Alarnia. Thank you for sticking with me so far especially with my random updates and I sincerely hope that you continue to do so. Your words mean more to me than you -or I- may ever know. If I have forgotten anyone please let me know. I am sorry if I did.
"Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless." -Mother Theresa
Dedication: This fanfiction is dedicated to Ria-chan, my little sister and best friend. She proof read the first two chapters of this story and has given me the inspiration to begin my story anew. But most important of all, she believes in me, which is why I posted this fic and for that I am eternally grateful. She has been my constant anchor when my world seems like it is turning upside down and inside out. She has been there for me and listened to my complaints and I thank every star at night for leading me to her. Thank you, Ria-chan! Love you lots, sweetie!
Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah. I bet that's all you readers hear and read when you see these disclaimers. They're the same every time. Inuyasha and the characters affiliated with him do not, in any way, belong to me. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Viz, Shogakuken, etc.
"Anger is a killing thing: it kills the man who angers, for each rage leaves him less than he had been before - it takes something from him."
Chapter 16: Unleashed
No... No, I do not want to go! Please, help me. I know you can help me, damn you
Kagome pleaded with the being she knew lived inside of her. She knew she was there by the way the stillness had settled into her mind at the single pull she received from Naraku. He could control her so easily it seemed. The thought of being just some puppet on a string frightened her more than anything else.
As the Maiden inside of her stirred, Kagome felt some crack of hope break through her mounting fear. It was penciling in so deeply into her mind. I cannot. You will need to face this on your own, girl. I am merely a shadow now. Your consciousness does not permit me near the battlefield. Kagome could have screamed in frustration if it was any other moment. Her mind chose now to block out the one being that could save her?!
"That is a good girl, Maiden. Just a little closer to me," Naraku purred. His satisfaction made Kagome physically ill. She could not bear the way his gaping gums would smack together with his fangs. He had been handsome before but as the miasma seeped from his wounds, there was no semblance of his beauty left. This was the rotting corpse before her now and this was his true form. Kagome dug her heels into the ground; it only made Naraku laugh that much harder. He quirked his finger a little more and instantly her muscles obeyed. "Do not think to get away from me. If that pathetic excuse for a half demon could not defeat me, you cannot. Not in your state. Not even the full-blooded Sesshomaru could exact what little revenge he had. You are even more useless."
Tears shimmered and fell from Kagome's eyes. There was no one to help her. She was all alone again.
Inuyasha.
He had to save her. He promised he would always protect her. So where the hell was her white knight now?
When she managed to turn glazed orbs in his direction, the beast within him was grappling for air.
The air reeked of miasma and even Kagome was beginning to feel the effects. Maybe it was the poison...? It got into her mind and made her faint. No wonder she was easy to control. Kagome curled her fingers into a fist and cried out softly with the sharp slash of her nails into such sensitive flesh. The pain distracted her for a moment so that Naraku's power was pushed to another level of her mind. Kagome was able to grab at a jagged edge of glass to hide behind her back. If she was going to do this, then she had to make it quick. She had to help Inuyasha. She sensed he was going to die soon if he kept inhaling all of this poisonous gas. This was her chance to buy him some time to get away or at least exact a finishing blow.
Naraku's grin widened nearly from ear to ear. Kagome had given up fighting his energy. It wrapped about her wrists and ankles with an invisible hand and led her down a path straight to him. He would have his weapon. This girl would give him what he had wanted, desired, begged for, for so long. "See, Inuyasha, your woman is far more intelligent than you are. She knows how to be obedient. You should have taught your cur as well, Maiden. It would have saved me these annoying little scratches. It is tiresome to try to heal them," Naraku drawled lazily. His hand reached out to curl around Kagome's waist and she found that the shiver she made brought this man just as much male amusement as if Inuyasha had done it.
He was like other men in his ego. Now to see if he could bleed the same way others did. It worked with Shardul. Why should it not work with this creature as well? Surely he was even more arrogant than the tiger demon had been. Kagome's eyes flickered down, the lashes veiling her expression, the sudden burst of courage. It was what alerted Naraku to what was wrong.
Kagome's muscles bunched and then stretched as the glass flashed in her hand. She brought it down as swiftly as she could manage but Naraku was swifter. Kagome's gasp caught Inuyasha's attention, the breath wheezing desperately from his lungs, pushing at the cumbersome ribs that housed them. Naraku squeezed enough for pain to splinter as a single bone cracked in Kagome's hand and then another. He forced her to drop the glass, bending her arm backward so that she traveled with it. Fear dried away the moisture in her mouth and she was forced to stare at the glowing crimson eyes of Naraku. His lips curled unnaturally at the corners, making him look more sinister, viler than even the worst nightmare.
"Such a bad girl," he said thoughtfully. His hand passed over her hair, a dry caress. Kagome's back stiffened against him when he touched her that way. She began to struggle quickly, kicking against him with all of her might. She could have been hitting a solid rock for all that she knew.
"Now come. We will leave and you will grant me the Maiden as it has been foretold. Then this pathetic excuse for a kingdom will soon be extinct. Thinking they could defeat me-" Naraku scoffed loudly beneath his breath, all of this a burden upon him. Such incompetence from those that he thought could be rivals. "Soon they will see who they are dealing with. I am no half-demon like your Inuyasha. I am a great ruler and this kingdom is rightfully mine." But it suited him in this plan. He dragged Kagome by the waist toward the portal that had just opened just ahead of them, the depths cold and dark and crackling with pent-up evil. Even though she tried to fight him he did not notice her struggles.
"Let me go, you monster." Kagome screamed as loud as she was able. "Let me go or I swear-" Swear what? What in the world was she going to do to someone so powerful? It did not help that he was laughing at her like she was some little toy to be played with.
Sesshomaru was trying to pick his way to them through the miasma but it thickened and curled and hissed like a serpent ready to strike. Inuyasha was even more helpless. But his eyes peeked through the rising clouds. Kagome... His woman. She was being taken away from him and he had to help her. He refused to lose her. She was his. His, did anyone understand that? Not Naraku and not that damned wolf. But right then, it was this man that was in his way. Once more, the full blood of a demon inked over his eyes and all he could see was a bloody haze. Kagome.
With muscles writhing and twisting in his chest, the uncontrolled demon in him rose up once again. Claws raised, he leaped, looking very much a great mass of power that Naraku caught from the corner of his eyes. Kagome screamed out once again as Inuyasha smashed into Naraku's form as he tried to duck. She rolled to the side, Naraku's voice dying in her mind. She lifted her head and saw through the curtain of her dark hair that they grappled. Naraku seemed to be faltering. Inuyasha was feral and his scent in the air was mingling with the miasma, a much deadlier poison. But he did not even smell it anymore. He just pushed on, lifting Naraku over his head and tossing him. He righted himself and hung suspended in the air, irritation clear on his features. He lifted his hand, palm-side facing Inuyasha as he crouched low. He had no weapon to defend himself other than his claws and fangs.
Kagome pulled herself onto her elbows with some difficulty. Naraku's hold was strong. Even more than Inuyasha's physical grip and that was frightening in itself. Inuyasha's growl filled her ears as he bared his fangs that peeked well past his lips and touched his jaw.
He was... an animal.
Fear slammed more painfully into Kagome's being. What had she gotten herself into? What had possessed her to take this risk with her own life?
Nearly heaving down a sob, Kagome lifted herself to her knees, acting as though the feat was much greater than anything else she had ever done. And it may have very well been. She began a slow crawl to try to make it to Inuyasha, to somehow stop him. She had no idea how but all that she knew was that she had to. Naraku was going to kill him. And if she did not help, she was going to have that on her shoulders. She just couldn't deal with that as well. "Inuyasha," she whispered, hoping he would respond.
One of his ears did swivel to her but he let out a rasping roar before lunging upward, talons drawn and eyes narrowed upon the man before him. Naraku seemed to wait, bait his time. Sesshomaru's eyes widened at the trick – he had done this with the Maiden as well. "Inuyasha! Stop it, it's a trap!"
But it was already too late. Naraku slid his hand straight into Inuyasha's chest, impaling him deeply. The hanyou's eyes widened, blood spurting from the corner of his lips. He had not even seen Naraku move... He had been there and the next... The clone that Naraku had fashioned vanished, leaving the real one standing behind Inuyasha and slicing through his muscles and bones so easily it frightened Kagome even more. Her hands flew to her lips and she let out a piercing scream. The emotions inside of her ran rampant. Naraku allowed Inuyasha to slide off of his arm and onto the floor so far below them. He bounced with a sickening thud on the broken tile before laying still, utterly and hopelessly still.
"Inuyasha?" Kagome whispered, trying to force herself to crawl to him. She had to get to him before it was too late. Her palm squelched right into the blood running red along the floor with a disgusting sound. She nearly gagged.
Oh God, she was going to die here. She just knew it. She was going to die... And so was Inuyasha.
No.
No, she would not let Naraku kill him. At least he would need to live. They had been counting on her to become the Maiden but she no longer cared about that. She didn't want this job anymore!
"So, filthy half breed, this is the extent of your powers? How pathetic." Naraku slowly lowered himself down to the floor so that he could walk that small distance to Inuyasha's side. His breathing came in labored gasps for breath, for the escaping oxygen from his lungs. "You were very worthless. Even your father put up more of a fight when he was dying at my feet and his blood was covering everything. Half breeds do have such thin blood."
Naraku's foot pressed deeply into the open cavity of Inuyasha's chest. He elicited a deep cry of pain, a wounded animal's shriek. It sent chills racing up and down Kagome's spine as she felt another sob threaten to burst past her trembling lips.
A red haze slowly lulled her mind as well. Soon the scene before her was nothing more than a hazy mess of colors and shapes that she could not identify. But this time, it fueled a much deeper power than Inuyasha's demon blood. It boiled and seethed beneath the surface of her skin as her conscious began to fade back into an ebony abode.
You would give yourself up? Good. Sleep, girl. I will handle this as is my right, the Maiden whispered, more and more insidious as she clawed her way to the reality she saw before her.
Noticing the sudden shift in the air, Naraku glanced up with a slightly narrowed gaze, disappearing and staying close to the walls on the other side of the great hall. The Maiden... She stood with her head held high. It had only taken a sliver of her power to break the hold he had placed over Kagome.
She cast a dispassionate eye to Inuyasha, his breath wheezing through his lungs, a deep chortling sound that rattled his entire person. There was nothing left of Kagome to instill any compassion.
Naraku said nothing and neither did she. They rounded one another, slowly and cautiously, but arrogance existed in both of them until Sesshomaru's teeth were set on edge. He sat helplessly just watching them. The Maiden was just as destructive as Naraku was so who should they place their trust in? The lesser of two evils? She quite possibly could kill them as well. The flash of movement had his attention riveted to the two silvery figures clashing through the air. They seem to be at equal strength.
Sesshomaru dragged himself across the floor. His blood slipped down his back in thick rivulets, coating his moonlit hair, piecing the strands together in one heavy mass that weighed him down. "Come on, brother," he grunted, grabbing onto Inuyasha's hand. The half breed was moaning softly, his eyes opening, slightly hazed by blood loss and pain.
"Wake up, brother, this is no time to pass out. We need to get out of here before the both of them destroy us."
The words finally registered in Inuyasha's mind. He craned his neck to see Kagome's small form. Her wings had opened, six of them curling like a shield around her to protect from Naraku's relentless attack. His energy peeled away each feather, sending them to the ground like bloody snow. His heart skidded to a halt in his chest. Kagome!
Sesshomaru saw his intent and caught his shirt and pulled him none-too-gently back to the ground. "Idiot, how the hell are you going to be able to help her?" he demanded, his voice hissing like a brand across Inuyasha's mind. "You're better off letting her handle it. Come on. You have lost too much blood."
"Like I'm going to leave her here! Let go of me, asshole." Sesshomaru bared his fangs at his brother's attitude. His strength surpassed his at the moment now that he was no longer a full-blooded demon. He was too weak to fight.
What did Sesshomaru think he was doing? Taking him away from Kagome. He could not leave her here to fend for herself. He had already failed her so many times before. To just abandon her now? To this demon? "Let me go, Sesshomaru. Someone has to do something or she is going to die." He couldn't let her leave him. Kagome was too important to him, to everything.
"I have a proposition for you, Maiden. We both are at equal power, overshadowing these other puny creatures. Why work on opposing sides when it would just be more beneficial to one another to join on one side. You have seen the kind of servants I have. They are of no use to me and hardly any challenge for you. But you have not been able to defeat me just yet. Join with me," Naraku almost purred. His face held sinister value, a need for cooperation. "I assure you, you will not regret it."
His voice was pure temptation to the Maiden's ears. There was none of Kagome's light to reveal how scratchy and throaty it truly was. How much of a demon seed he truly was. And the others down below were calling to her. Telling her to come back, to not listen to him. She had enough sense to make her own decisions. She was not weak-willed, absent-minded.
Is that all you have to say? Naraku barely held back his gasp and hundreds of hands burst from her body and through his shoulder, through his arms. She was stealing bits and pieces of his soul! He growled out his pain. He pushed himself away but she followed. She knew his every move now.
Damn her to all hells. He grew weaker and weaker while the Maiden opened in strength. Her powerful wings surged backward, propelling her into Naraku's awaiting arms, a sword curling from the blood that was dripping from the wines etched into her skin. She held it with all of the experience of a true fighter and when it swooped down, Inuyasha's heart leapt into his throat.
Naraku dodged it but it nicked across his side. The blood poured forth in another wave of miasma that had Sesshomaru biting back a curse that would have made his brother truly proud. "We are leaving," he snapped. His claws hooked into Inuyasha's ruined shirt, slicing almost to his skin and tugging him across the floor, over the rubble. He no longer put up much of a fight, not that Sesshomaru would not be able to handle him. He was the full demon, after all.
The blood loss made Inuyasha's head ache, pushing jagged glass into his temples. It burned over his skin. He could also swear that he felt it slip over his skin like trickling rivers. It took a full minute before he even realized that was his own blood. And Sesshomaru's blood as well. Gods, this was disgusting. His lip curled as he reached around to tangle his nails into Sesshomaru's skin.
"Let me go," he bit out once again in vain.
Sesshomaru rolled his eyes but seemed relatively unphased by the nagging his brother was doing. "Do shut up, Inuyasha."
Inuyasha spit out a curse that would have made a lesser man cringe but his brother took precautions. He slinked his way along the debris-ridden floor. He was wounded and so was the half-breed. Only a fool would stand here and continue to fight when another being was perfectly capable. He had every intention of living and seeing his child upon birth.
The Maiden's powers escalated with no one able to control him, especially not the small girl to which they were coming from. The vines given to her at her awakening crept along her skin and over her wrists. They gave birth to more power and such energy was fueling her sword, her wrath. Her rage.
Sparks flew from the crashing metal. Somehow Naraku had bought himself enough time to produce a sword of his own. His powers were only equally matched by hers – he had no hope of beating her with them. Brute strength would have to do. He parried her thrust but she was turned as quickly to try to lodge her weapon into his side. Naraku took the only route he knew and pushed all emotion from his thoughts – all of his frustrations and his anger, his compelling urges to take what was his. He became a machine.
The Maiden and Naraku landed upon the ground. Energy flew about them in great arcs. Sesshomaru forced Inuyasha to the ground as they drilled past his head. All that they left was a clean hole in the wall above his cranium. He stared at it for a few moments before a resounding sigh fell from his lips. It seemed that he was destined to stay here. He crawled forward again. He, Sesshomaru, was forced to crawl through bloodied chunks of flesh. How far he had fallen... But all sarcasm aside, the demon pushed Inuyasha before him – who was not to his brother's relief, drifting back and forth through consciousness.
At least he would be quiet through this ordeal. But Sesshomaru's eyes gave way to worry. There was too much blood here...
Naraku leapt back. He was looking for a way to penetrate this woman's defenses. She was his equal in powers but brutality? He was far stronger in musculature. "Come now, Maiden, why is it you fight to defend this brood of demons? They could not equal you in anything. If you come with me, whatever you see before you can easily be within your reach."
'Everything is already within my reach. You forget yourself.' The Maiden circled him much like a raptor, sharp eyes taking in each bunching of muscle. He was ready to strike at her but she was more prepared for his antics. She knew them very well now. He had shown her all that she needed to know with just the way he moved. 'What could you possibly give to me that I cannot just reach for? This kingdom is mine – this place is mine as well. If I wished I could turn all of this into dust. So you see, you have nothing, Naraku.'
"You sound incredibly assured of yourself - especially when you would never do such a thing." Naraku let his sword slide to his side. It tapped against his thigh. "You see, my dear Maiden, you might be as powerful as you think you are but there is something holding you back." He paused to watch the play of confusion and then sudden realization. He could not help the toothy grin that he flashed at her. It was irresistible to watch her as she looked back to the Inuyasha's weakened form.
Inuyasha...
A thread of something began inside of her. No doubt it was from her host's body.
"I can give you the absolute freedom, Maiden. It will be so simple to join with me. With that... half-breed in your way, the girl will not allow you to kill him." Naraku began to study her cold features. No one could say she was not stunning – even one as rotten as he.
"You cannot deny that as long as that girl you take control of is still around that you will continue to feel these insipid emotions."
That was true. The raging woman was temporary leashed and she slowly faded back, her sword fell to her side. The tap was light and barely there. This man was... interesting to say the least. She thought it might be wise to hear him out. If she could be rid of the conscience that lurked and bubbled near the surface, she had every chance of ridding this world of those that were fueling her suffering.
And she suffered now. Her vision swam, caught between Kagome rising to dominate her once more. She held a hand to her head. It unknowingly revealed some small vulnerability.
'Continue.'
So Naraku did. He had to find his advantage with her. He was bleeding and his wounds refused to heal. Damn her for this. The woman was injured as well but she did not falter, nor did she cringe. Her blood flowed freely, bright red and tinged in silver. "There is a way to eliminate the girl. Once I do, you will be free."
Free... The Maiden did not have time to consider the notion. A soft, almost inaudible whisper came through.
Naraku looked bored. His hand lifted and caught the bulge of power. As soon as it touched his hand, another came in succession. They came raining down in a faint circle in the ground. The inscriptions were hastening to begin while Okinamaru came walking out from the shadows. He muttered a soft chance beneath his breath. Light danced and took the form of nameless figures around Naraku. He shielded his eyes from the brightness.
At his snarl, the hunched over man was satisfied. His voice rose in trembling fervor.
Naraku was forced to step back. The skin of his arms peeled back like shredding paper. Like thin confetti it fell to the ground around his feet. Miasma swirled around him abruptly, haphazardly. It forced Oki to step back. When he opened his eyes against the clouds, the demon had gone.
There was nothing left of him except his flesh. Okinamaru growled softly. He could not believe that Naraku had found them all so quickly. He had been hoping to train Kagome before such an outburst could come. He turned weary eyes to the struggling being. She was weakening from the mixture of stress and miasma.
Her hand was pressed over her roiling stomach. The Maiden, Kagome, struggled. She gasped, labored for breath. Gulped it in. There was not enough.
"Kagome?" Her head snapped to the side. Her eyes found his and they were empty, searching for some sort of memory that she could not quite place. She knew this small man. A logical side of her brain told her such but her mind refused to supply a name to go with his withered face. The haze in front of her eyes wavered for a second, letting the oceanic gaze find Oki's. A breath of relief slipped through his lips. Kagome was still there in this raging demon.
His cool hand pressed along her forehead and touched her temples. Kagome flinched away. Okinamau's hand followed her and his touch broke away defense. It dipped into her conscious and drew out the girl that he had been searching for. He found her huddled in a small corner of her mind – she was just a little light now that he beckoned forward.
"There now," he said strongly to break her reverie, "you have returned to us at last. I leave you with Inuyasha for a few days and this is what happens."
Inuyasha?
Kagome gasped out a breath of air as though she had been holding it that entire time. Her body trembled, then collapsed, curling into the debris like a child. She never wanted to experience such helplessness again.
When she craned her neck, she was able to see Sesshomaru's silvery hair. It was unmistakable. And next to him was another body that she could only assume was Inuyasha's. As she tried to rise, every muscle and pure instinct screaming against her, she found the doors on the other side of the room were flung open. Selena came, as did Sango. The Tetusaiga was held in Miroku's hand.
Oki raised an eyebrow as he rose to his feet. "A little late, do you not think?" he wondered. He sounded so calm, as though none of this had ever happened.
The others were grim as they faced the carnage. They had never seen such debris and blood spatter. The entire hall that had once been beautiful reeked of death. Miroku was the one that answered.
"Do not the humans have a saying – better late than never?
"You are no woman, do you know that?!" Inuyasha demanded, his hands pushing hers away when she tried to draw a damp cloth over his scrapes. He had had enough of people taking care of him but it was Kagome that had taken over this time. Despite the fact that her touch was far more pleasurable than any other woman's, he had definitely had enough of being pampered.
This was it. This was the end. He sat bandaged like some old man. He was not feeble! He struggled to get up, using his claws to dig into the sheets around him that had been immaculate while he slept. Kagome had been about to say he looked like a boy when he slept.
She swiftly changed her mind.
Kagome sat at his right, her knees tucked to her chest and he was thankful to see no wounds upon her small form. She had a few bruises but they were small. She would heal. But there was no blood. Nothing substantial.
"Out of all the times to say something so stupid-!" Kagome sputtered. Despite Inuyasha's open wounds and the bandages, she grabbed a tight hold of his cute ear.
Inuyasha leaned that Kagome's brand of justice and outrage was similar, and even more instantaneous. She did not spare time, nor dawdle over words. She merely acted and right then, her act was causing little sparks to curl from his lips. "I am absolutely a woman, macho man, and don't you dare to forget it when you are licking your wounds. I saved you today and I'm kindly taking care of your wounds when you were too stupid to run like your brother told you to. So now you owe me once again."
Inuyasha growled at her. His hands caught her wrist in a firm grip. But it was not bruising. In fact, he tugged and Kagome tumbled over him. Instantly, she tried to scramble off in fear of aggravating his wounds. What sort of idiot did she have on her hands anyway? She should have stayed asleep like Sango had tried to make her do. But she had foolishly worried over this big oaf. What a waste of her needed energy.
"I do not want to save you anymore."
His words were so bland and without embellishment, Kagome's heart dropped with an unexplainable lurch. He... didn't want to save her anymore? Her fingers curled into tight fists in his hair as it spread over her arms. He was lifting his battered body up but she did not notice anymore.
Inuyasha felt her initial start of surprise; he knew Kagome was confused and hurt. He could feel it. No one was expected to say something like that. Her anger burned him very neatly and with no thought to the risk he was placing himself in, he crushed her against him. Her hands crushed the silken tumble of her hair. "I never want to have to be placed in that position again. I do not want to have you in danger, Kagome," he whispered in her ear in a rare moment of vulnerability. "I need you to be safe."
When she would have said something, Inuyasha swallowed her words with a bruising kiss. There was no tenderness in him, only a blinding need to taste her breath slip into his lungs. She was safe! At first, Kagome refused to give in to him. Even when his tongue danced over the seam of her lips to gain entry, she remained unyielding. She would not be swayed by those sorts of words. Especially when they were the most unorthodox, pig-headed and...
The trails of thoughts were lost to her. Inuyasha's heart drummed against hers in a perfect rhythm that her own could not help but follow. How did he do that? His fingertips sank into the nape of her neck and Kagome's mouth dropped open in a small gasp. That sweet pressure... Little points of light dragged before her eyes, nearly blinding her. Her eyes fell closed then beneath the sweep of his tongue. It shoved all reason and anger aside but Kagome's anger was sweet and spicy all at once.
Inuyasha dragged drugging kisses out of her, coaxed her mouth to sway along side of his. He would never get enough.
Her head swam in thick fog like she could never surface from it.
Kagome's lungs screamed for air but she refused to let go. Her fingers feathered through Inuyasha's locks. They slid over the heavy muscles of his chest before he finally broke them apart – reluctantly. With a great feeling of being bereft. His breath shifted in a muttered curse. She was touching him so innocently but to all hells, it was sexy as well. He groaned when he felt his body stir to life, even injured as it was. Damn her for doing this to him. He couldn't take it.
Trembling breaths mingled they were so close and Inuyasha could see the faint violet ring about Kagome's eyes that he had always thought was blue. She took each breath against his own as he slowly drew his fingers through her hair.
The heavy fall tumbled over her shoulders in a disarray he was beginning to like, to crave to see. Like her eyes. Her lips...
Then there was the matter of their taste.
Inuyasha dipped his head to steal another brush because he just could. Kagome was his woman. No one else was going to make her feel this way; no one else would give her such swollen lips with kisses. He would tear them all apart.
"You're no woman," Inuyasha muttered and felt her stiffen against him.
Not this again! He had ruined their moment – the first one they had had in the hours she had waited for him to awaken. It had been hell to think he would be lying there so injured. Inuyasha had always appeared indestructible to her. It was a foolish notion really but not something easily shaken when he was always grinning or defending her. That was her half-demon... Hers. That notion was even more foolish.
Inuyasha planted small taps of his lips against her delicate jaw line. Whatever she was thinking of caused a little frown to appear between her brows. That slight pout made him smile. "You, my sweetling, are a hellcat."
Even more bewildered, Kagome just stared at him, locked in his arms, forgetting about his wounds and whether or not her weight would give him pain. Now she eyed him quite suspiciously. Her eyes turned into narrowed, glittering slits.
"What?"
Kagome shrugged her shoulders. "I was just thinking you had better say something to make up for that earlier remark." Then she smiled at him in so much joy, Inuyasha felt the answering call rush through his own veins. His own grin was extremely arrogant as he leaned back into the pillows. He was tired.
"I sort of figured," Inuyasha began, closing his eyes to rest them for just a moment, "that you would abuse me some more if I didn't."
Kagome's heart melted as she felt his hands slip slightly but never really lose their grip. He did intimate little things like that. She could never figure out a way to respond to them. She figured she would have to find out how to soon or he would wrap himself deeper around her heart. "Sleep, wild man," she said, laying her cheek against his shoulder. "I'm just glad to hear you insult me for once.
A/N: There is Chapter 16 after nine months of waiting and maybe some threats from awaiting fans. xD Hehe. But I'm glad you guys care enough to keep me going through all of this time. It makes me happy to know you will want to read. Thanks very much to all of you! Now, hit that button and review, darn it. I'm starved for comments!