Chapter 4: Second Chances

Disclaimer: None of the Inuyasha characters are mine.. well, of my own creation anyway.

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When Sango finally opened her eyes, it was to see Kagura's face looming a mere twenty feet away.

"Kagura," she snarled, for a moment overtaken by a fierce and uncontrollable anger. "What have you done with Kagome?"

"The girl is safe. For the moment" Shock registered on Sango's face and she couldn't stop herself from directing her gaze down to the ground where she was sure she was going to find Kagome's broken body. Instead, the scene that met her eyes showed her a captured, but very much alive, Kagome trapped in the coils of a large, silver snake. The thrashing of its tail took down whole trees, the source of the crash she had heard earlier.

Although Kagome was squirming like crazy, it didn't appear that she was in any eminent danger, and so Sango forced herself to refocus her attentions on Kagura. Only the wind demon had moved.

"Drop Kirara," she ordered quickly, feeling her stomach plummet as they dropped through the sky. But her feelings of queasiness were second only to the feel of adrenaline pumping through her veins as Kagura's dance of blades flew over the spot the had occupied just a moment before.

Sango turned to look upwards, focusing on Kagura's too close figure. Her boomerang sprang from her grip, thrown deftly by the expertise of a woman who had practices with it all her life. When Kagura's dance of blades knocked it back at her, she smiled, allowing Kirara to swiftly dodge it. Kagura's face was puzzled for a moment until she realized what she had just done, but not fast enough. The boomerang slammed into the snake demon who roared in pain, dropping Kagome as it tried to protect itself against further attack.

Sango's triumph look faded as she watched the snake demon stir, looking menacingly at the girl folded on the ground, believing that she was the source of its pain and agony. Faced with another dance of blades, Sango could do nothing as she maneuvered through the air, trying to protect Kirara, Miroku and herself.

Meanwhile, on the ground, Kagome pushed herself from the ground, watching as the slitted oculars of a menacing thirty foot snake narrowed on her body and began slithering toward her. A quick glance told her that Sango was occupied with distracting Kagura. The snake's mouth opened, revealing fangs as long as one of Miroku's daggers. She backed up, scooting on the forest floor away from it. Its eyes bore into hers, and she barely had time to throw herself out of the way as its tail came crashing down where she had just stood. Her body slammed into stone, and the shoulder that had taken most of the impact exploded in pain. Stars danced in her vision just long enough that she missed its next attack, taking the brunt of it through her middle. The air left her lungs, and she coughed, trying to get oxygen into her aching lungs.

"Inuyasha," she whispered, realizing that he would never get there in time. She reached for her arrows, but her quiver had fallen off during her rapid descent. It was probably a good thing, as she would have speared herself with them, but it seemed that she was destined for death today. It came forward, wrapping her in its coils, its mouth opening.

A scream froze in her throat, and then burst out. Somewhere inside her, magic pulsed, heavy and throbbing. It shoved its way out of her, pouring out of her fingers. She closed her eyes against the blinding flash. The coils around her loosened and fell away. When she opened her eyes again, the snake was in front of her again, but the deadly aura that had surrounded it was gone. Instead, it seemed..almost friendly. Well, as friendly as a demon snake could be. She didn't move, and they just stared at each other for a moment. Then it sank down onto its coils, its gaze lowered from hers.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha's voice finally rang out in the clearing. He came running at her, his nails extended, preparing to slice apart the snake demon.

"Inuyasha, wait!" She cried. He paused a moment. "I think it's friendly".

He looked at her as if she was losing her mind, which she didn't blame him for. The words sounded crazy, but, somewhere deep inside her, she knew that she was speaking truth.

"Something happened when it tried to attack me. I unleashed my magic, and it burned away the evil in it. Just let me have a moment to talk to it". Before Inuyasha could utter another protest, she had moved toward it, hand extended. It just sat there, and when she moved to stroke its head, its eyes closed the way a favorite pet melts to a human's touch.

A few feet away, Kirara landed on the ground.

"Kagome, you're okay". Sango, after carefully placing Miroku securely on Kirara's back, ran over to her friend. Blood ran down Sango's cheek, staining her clothes, but she seemed otherwise unharmed.

"What happened to you?" Kagome exclaimed.

"Kagura," Sango grimaced. "She appeared out of nowhere. It was her windstorm that through you off. I'm so sorry Kagome. I wasn't paying close enough attention".

"It's not your fault," Kagome reassured her. "I'm fine. The snake caught me before I hit the ground". The snake, which seemed to realize it was being talked about, fluffed its facial flaps as if preening. Kagome laughed.

"What are we doing with it?" Sango asked.

"I'm gonna kill it," Inuyasha spoke, flexing his claws warningly.

"You will do no such thing," Kagome commanded firmly. "It's the only reason I'm still alive. You weren't there, remember?"

"I wasn't there? You're the one who forced me to sit" Inuyasha yelled, only to lose some of his anger when he saw the menacing look in Kagome's eyes.

"Don't even get me started on the reasons for that. The snake saved me. Ergo the snake stays. If you touch so much as a scale on its beautiful head, I will toss your jewel shards into the nearest cavern we can find. Do not push me on this." Kagome's voice was fierce and allowed for no argument.

"I will not let it come with us" Inuyasha yelled, slightly softer than before.

"You do not have a choice." Kagome told him, before giving the snake another pat of the head. "I'm going to call you silverstreak. Silver for short."

"Feh. That's a stupid name." Inuyasha muttered.

"Shut up Inuyasa." She told him. "Come on," she told them. We need to find somewhere to set up camp and wait for Miroku to get better. Shippo!" She called out. He popped out of the trees.

"Kagome, you're okay. I'm so sorry. I fell off when you did, and couldn't change myself fast enough to get to you." The young adult fox seemed close to tears.

"Come here, Shippo" He ran to her. She stroked his head, cradling him in her arms, assuring him everything was okay. Finally, he was okay enough to remove himself from her embrace, looking embarrassed that he had lost it. She smiled. He may have grown in the last three years, but there were moments when she could see that child he had once been.

"Let's go" She said, turning to walk. Inuyasha stalked over to her, picking her up onto his back, in her usual position as Sango remounted Kirara, Shippo following close behind. Kagome opened her mouth to say something, but Inuyasha beat her to it.

"Save it. You're not riding anywhere else." He told her, and the intensity in his voice made her anger dissipate slightly, and she merely nodded, grabbing onto him tighter. She thought she could feel his muscles relax when she did that, as if he had been on edge before, but had no time to dwell on it when he sprang forward, his powerful muscles flexing as he raced through the forest. Kirara, and Kagome's new snake friend, Silver, followed swiftly behind.

...

Author's Notes:

I finally finished another chapter :). I hope you all like it. Please, please review. I'm completely redoing this story, and changing a lot of it, and I would really like to know what you think of it. Is it good? Do you like it? Is there anything that doesn't make sense or should be better?

Please let me know, good or bad.

Thanks!