Disclaimer: InuYasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. This is a not for profit fan work.
Chapter 7The drive to her new release point took hours. She was in the back of a windowless van with an armed guard sitting across from her. They had made a number of turns along the way, enough, she supposed, that they had hoped to diorient her and disguise which direction they were traveling in. She supposed they hadn't taken into account the fact that driving towards the sun at this hour would be a dead giveaway. Maybe they thought she wouldn't see it. The section she was in was contained, but there was a small opening into the cab that could slide open. The guard slid it open every now and then to talk to the driver and confirm their progress. When she did, Kagome caught flashes of the rising sun.
They had kept her overnight in the same kind of cell she had been in previously. First, though, she had been forced to shower in cold water. She had been looking forward to a nice, long, hot shower for weeks that the cold one felt all the worse for it. She felt clean, yes, but it was a sad kind of clean. She had been given a meager meal, partly because she was a prisoner and partly because the doctor that looked her over suggested as much. Broth and rice and a few vegetables. She had lost weight, but, they said, it didn't seem she was malnourished.
The bed in the cell had been hard, just a thin foam mattress over a metal frame. She woke up sore, missing the comfort of the furs she had lain her sleeping bag over in InuYasha's cave. Worst, though, was when one of the guards woke her up in the middle of the night.
She had been confused, at first, and then she realized his intention. If she could whore herself to a demon, she could certainly do it for a 'real man'. She screamed and kicked him squarely in groin and stomach, drawing other guards. When the first claimed she had attacked him for no reason, she was worried they would do something to punish her. It wasn't until a woman arrived and asked what the guard had been doing in the room at all that the matter resolved itself.
Kagome recognized the woman as Sango, the one who had told her to go north before she had left the first time. The other guards seemed uneasy around her, but, they filed out without complaint. She wondered what sort of punishment, if any, the guard would get.
Sango sat on the bed next to Kagome, smiling awkwardly. When Kagome didn't respond, Sango apologized and asked how she was. When Kagome began to tremble with barely contained tears, Sango wrapped her arms around her and hugged her. This compassion was too much for Kagome. After the roller coaster that had been this day, she accepted Sango's compassion and cried in her arms until the tears stopped. Then, with the promise that a female guard would be outside the rest of the night, Sango had left to let Kagome get what little sleep she could.
Standing on the Wall for the third time, Kagome felt an odd kind of peace. The first time, she had been so scared and sad, the second hopeful. This time, she was angry. Where the first time she had been lowered down into the shadow of the Wall, she lad looked up with a smile at her family, this time, she glared at General Muso the entire time. When she reached the bottom, she hefted the much lighter bag onto her shoulders. They hadn't refilled it with provisions. Besides the newly laundered clothes they had given her, they hadn't given her anything to replace the supplies she had left with InuYasha as a thank you for his hospitality.
Of course, other things were different now, too. Her boots were broken in, so there would be no more blisters. She could set better traps and identify more edible plants, so, she wouldn't have to worry as much about starving. She could even sense the auras of demons, so she could do her best to avoid them as she made her way back west, back towards InuYasha's territory. The thought of his anger when she showed up again was almost amusing. She almost looked forward to being called wench.
The first thing she did once she reached the treeline was fashion a weapon. It was only a walking stick with one end sharpened to a point with her knife, but it would be better than nothing Even this could make some of the smaller demons change their mind about attacking her.
Then, she set about orienting herself. With the Wall behind her marking south and the sun still low in the eastern sky, it wasn't particularly difficult to find northwest. It would be more difficult to find her way once she was out of sight of them, but the book had a large section on how to do just that. She was glad she had kept the book, at least. InuYasha hadn't needed it, of course. He knew how to survive, after all. It was as natural as breathing for him.
She didn't waste time meandering. She knew that demons tended to avoid the area closest to the wall, but there was also less game and less chance of finding proper shelter. Last time, she hadn't known any of that. Now, she had a destination in mind and she would do whatever it took to get there.
On the third day, she climbed a tall tree, hoping to get a better sense of the geography. The Wall was barely there, a mere hint on the southern horizon. She concentrated on the guiding mountains, trying to decide if they were closer or further away than they had been from InuYasha's den. She wasn't sure, so, she decided to turn a little more north than west instead.
On the fifth day, she felt a demonic aura.
The sun was nearly set and Kagome was looking for a spot to camp for the night. She shifted her hold on the walking stick and concentrated on her breathing, trying to bring up what little of her spiritual powers she could control and channel it into the stick. She wasn't sure if it worked at all.
"Well, well, well, it seems the rumors are true."
It was suddenly in front of her, just hidden among the trees. A creature, white and furry with an odd leathery face. It took her a moment to realize it wasn't a creature, but a pelt draped over a vaguely human shape.
"Rumours?" She asked, still holding the stick defensively. It wasn't attacking. That didn't mean it wouldn't. His aura felt so wrong, yet almost familiar.
"About a human female wandering the woods. I must say, it's been a long time since I last saw a human woman, let alone one so lovely."
He was gross, she decided. Absolutely gross. Her skin crawled just being near him.
"What do you want?" She asked, her voice barely shaking at all.
"Many things, my dear," he said, and she felt rather than saw his smile. "Oh, the things I would do to you if I didn't need you."
Super gross. She wanted to smack him over the head and run, but she didn't think she could actually outrun him. He was faster than he looked. She knew it instinctively. Faster, stronger, evil. Even the centipede demon hadn't seemed evil.
"The half breed's territory is that way," he pointed with a human hand. "You'll stumble into it sometime tomorrow."
"Alright," she said, not wanting to thank him. She wanted nothing to do with him.
He smiled again, and this time, he looked up enough that she could see his mouth. It, too, looked almost human, but it was twisted into the most disturbing grin she had ever seen.
"Until next we meet, Kagome."
And then, he was gone. Disappeared. There was no sign of him ever being there and his aura was just gone. She decided that, despite the fatigue, she was going to walk on a few more hours. She wanted to put as much space between her and that creature she could.
She looked the way he had pointed and frowned. As much as she didn't trust him, his advice was all she had to go by. She shifted the weight of the stick in her hands and set off.
Xxxxxxxx
He ran. He had been running for hours, now, in ever growing arcs around his territory and beyond. She was smart enough to know that she would be safest if she tried to get back to his territory, and that he'd find her easily enough if she got there, but he had no idea where she was coming from. If the humans had wanted to keep her from him, then they would have let her go far away from where they had dropped her off. He wasn't sure how long she had stayed with them, or how far away they had put her, which made this all the more difficult.
His muscles were burning, but he didn't care. He was looking for some kind of sign of her, a scent, a track, a firepit, anything.
Sesshoumaru told him about the encounter with the general at the Wall. It was lucky that Sesshoumaru had more respect for the treaty than the humans did. If not, the General would have been dead and things would be a lot less contained than they were. Sesshoumaru had told him, as well, that the girl was now under the protection of their clan, and that he, InuYasha, was being tasked with her guardianship for the time being. Sesshoumaru had to consult with the other clans and spread the word so everyone would know not to bother with the human girl, or else. InuYasha wondered if they would end up at war with the humans over this situation. For the time being, at least, it wasn't his concern.
He paused on the top of a hill, scenting the air in hopes of picking up some hint of her. Nothing. He could see the mountains ahead. He wondered if they had dropped her off on the other side of them. There was no way she would be able to make it through them. As he recalled from the old maps of his childhood, though, they went on for miles and miles. It would take the humans with their odd devices longer to pass through them than they would be willing to go, wouldn't it? He wondered if he should search them, too, but hesitated. They were wolf territory. InuYasha didn't get along so well with the wolves, and he didn't want to strain things further by going in without cause. He wondered if the humans knew that, if they would try to use that fact to their advantage.
They wanted her dead, after all.
The thought came to him suddenly, causing him to shiver. Kill her over something like this? If she were dead, no matter what Sesshoumaru decided to do, Inuyasha would go over to the Wall and disembowel General Muso for doing it.
He was about to leave the hill when the wind shifted, bringing a hint of her scent with it. He felt himself relax, the concern melting. She was alright, and not injured. He looked ahead, towards the mountains in the distance and frowned as he caught sight of a plume of smoke. She didn't know it, but she was headed right into wolf country. He could only hope she had decided not to go into the mountains.
XXXXXXXX
InuYasha didn't live this close to the mountains. Kagome stared into the fire she had made and sighed. That odd demon had steered her wrong. A full day of walking had led her closer to the base of the mountains than she had expected. She had probably overshot and gone further west than she had planned on going. She'd double back east the next day.
In the meantime, she had camped by a small river and had done some fishing. As she had walked the last few days, she had been gathering what plants she could to supplement her otherwise monotonous diet of field rations. She was starting to run low, as well. When she had come across this stream mid afternoon, she had decided it was worth losing some daylight to catch and cook some food. The fire would have to be out by sundown so that it wouldn't draw any prying eyes, but, she told herself, during the day it would be fine so long as she caught some actual fish.
And she had. Three, in fact. Enough for two this evening and one for breakfast. Enough that she wouldn't feel the rumble in her stomach so badly the next day. She had been careful with her rations so far, even if it meant she was a little hungrier than she was used to. Hunger was far from the worst thing she had to worry about.
There were demons around here. She could feel them, all around, though not near. She was getting better at judging distances and, while her feelings were certainly more vague than she would have liked, she knew, instinctively, that if any of the demons were close enough to be a danger, she would know.
Still, she looked at the mountain, it would be better if she moved along before nightfall. There was something up there she didn't want to run into. She wondered if this was the same stream that flowed near inuYasha's den. If it was, then following it down river would lead her back.
The fish cooked, she set about covering up the fire. She waited until it was almost out before she got up and began walking down stream, munching on the fish as she went. If this was the right stream, maybe it would only be a few hours before she reached the den. Maybe she could reach it the next day.
She walked until the sun was low in the sky. She wanted to have a secured spot to sleep in, so she veered away from the stream to find a more secure spot away from the water and among the trees. She had barely taken a few steps when she heard wolves howling. It was enough to make her decide to sleep in a tree that evening.
She found an appropriate tree before too long. She pulled the length of rope from her bag and tied it around the bag's handle. Tying the other end around her belt, she climbed the tree to the point in the trunk where it split off in a large 'y'. Once there, she pulled the bag up behind her and pulled out the sleeping bag.
She had seen it described in the book a few times, how sleeping in a tree could keep you safe, so, she pulled out the book and reviewed how it was best done. She didn't have all the safety equipment they recommended, but it was easy enough to use the rope as a makeshift harness. She tied it to the branch above her and leaned back against the trunk. She didn't expect to sleep much, if at all, that evening, but, at least she would feel safer from the wolves up here than on the ground.
The evening wasn't that cold, but she still brought out the sleeping bag. She had learnt that even if it wasn't that cold when she went to bed, it was better to be too warm than to wake up in the middle of the night shivering.
The wolves howled again, and she tried to figure out if they were closer than before. A second set of howls replied to the first, these ones were definitely closer. Kagome stopped breathing, fear gripping her again as she realized the demonic aura she had been sensing was coming closer too.
Was it a wolf demon? She hadn't thought about the wolves as anything but the mundane kind. But then, if there could be demon dogs and demon centipedes, then, demon wolves were certainly possible. Was she safe in the tree? Could they climb? Should she have just run?
"Well, well, well, what have we here?"
She looked down and saw him. He looked human, with blue eyes and long dark hair tied back in a ponytail, but he had a tail and he was dressed in furs. She hadn't realized he had gotten so close. There was a few wolves bunched at his feet, looking up and sniffing the air curiously.
"A human, huh? Been a while since my pack had some human flesh."
"Go away," she called down, gripping her staff. She was high enough that it wouldn't reach them, but she remembered how InuYasha had jumped up the wall. Maybe this demon could do the same thing. "You don't want to mess with me. I'm under Lord Sesshoumaru's protection!"
It wasn't a lie, right? She had been under his protection before and there was no doubt that he would be interested in knowing what had happened.
The wolf, though, laughed for a long time. "Sesshoumaru? Really? That's the story you want to go with?" He laughed some more and his wolves joined in with playful yips.
"It's true!" She said. "He and InuYasha took me in, and-"
"Look, human," he said, and even in the dim light she caught the flashes of his fangs. "You don't have their scents on you. If you did, I wouldn't bother. You don't, so, you're free game. Those human lovers can't protect you. Now, are you going to come down from there, or do I need to go up?"
Neither, if she had her way. "What are you going to do if I come down?"
He paused, as if he hadn't really thought about it himself. "The wolves are pretty hungry. Been a while since they last had human flesh."
Well, that made her feel better. She took a deep breath in, shifting the weight of her walking stick in her hands. He was looking at her as if she were mad to even think about resisting. She was having none of that.
"I'll come down," she said after a moment. Being stuck in this tree wasn't going to make things easier. "Give me some space."
He smirked, confident and cocky. "Can do. You heard her, a bit of space." The wolves pushed back, leaving a small circle near the base of the tree clear for her to climb down.
She undid the rope and draped the sleeping bag over the branch. She was just out of reach of the demon, but when he tries to reach up and grab her ankle, she smacked his hand with the stick. He pulled back, chuckling, his grin getting larger. She could almost see how eager he was, how much he was enjoying this game he was sure to win.
She jumped the last few feet, holding the staff with two hands. A wolf made a move towards her and she smacked it upside its head. The demon chuckled.
"Well, well, seems she's got some spunk after all," he said. "It's not often I play with my dinner, but I think I'll make an exception for you."
"How generous," she shot back, stepping away from him. The circle of wolves gave her some space, letting their master have his fun.
"I'm just that kind of guy," he said. "Now, why don't you put that stick down and we go about this nicely. I promise I'll do it fast so it doesn't hurt."
She frowned. "I don't know about you, but I don't want to die."
He smirked. "You've got guts, I'll give you that, but we both know how this is going to end."
He was in striking range, now, his guard was down. After all, what could a stick do to a demon?
Kagome took a deep breath, focusing as much as she could. She felt something, and the stick took on the slightest pink glow. It would have to be enough.
The demon didn't even try to dodge the pointed end of the spear, so it struck his right shoulder. The glow intensified, briefly, and he cried out. She didn't wait to see if he fell, or how much damage she had done. She just turned and ran, gripping the stick tightly.
She had done it. She had controlled her spiritual powers. The bit of pride was overshadowed by the unsettling sound of the demon howling. She heard him call out, ordering the wolves after her. The sound of dozens of feet tearing up the ground behind her forced her one, faster than she had ever run in her life.
They were gaining ground. From their snarls, there was no more promise of a painless death. The wolves would rip her apart.
And then, she saw him. A flash of red, at least, a familiar aura brushing against her own. She ran on a little as the sound of wolves crying out hit her ears. Whimpers, growls.
She looked back and saw InuYasha's back to her, the red of his clothes, the white of his hair. A half dozen wolves were on the ground around him, some whimpering, some nosing their fallen companions. There was blood, but most of them were moving.
And then the demon walked up.
"Huh, so the bitch wasn't lying about you looking out for her."
She frowned at the name he called her, but let it go. The anger on his face was terrifying.
"So, she told you, and you still tried to kill her. Not very smart."
"Come on, mutt, she doesn't have a hint of your scent anywhere on her. I figured she was lying."
InuYasha grunted, as if that made sense. Maybe, to a demon it did.
"What happened to your arm?"
The demon's right arm was hanging limply at his side, and his shoulder looked burnt, though no evidence of the stabbing remained. The demon frowned. "The bitch tried to purify me" he replied, as if expecting some kind of sympathy. "I'm just lucky she's so weak it didn't do much."
InuYasha scoffed. "It's your own damn fault, wolf."
The demon frowned, narrowing his eyes at InuYasha before turning back to her. The look in his eyes shifted from angry, to thoughtful. He grinned in an almost charming manner. "She's got guts, I'll give you that. Trying to take me and my wolves on." He took a step towards her, though InuYasha stepped in front of him to keep him from her. "I'm going to make you my woman."
She stared at him. His woman?
"She's mine, wolf," growled InuYasha, his hand going to the wolf's throat. "Sesshoumaru made me her guardian, and I am not letting her within a hundred feet of you again after this."
The wolf frowned, but stepped back. "Fine, but just you wait. I'll make you regret those words!"
He turned around and checked on the downed wolves. None of them seemed to be hurt that badly, and soon they were all heading off into the night. She stood, watching them disappear into the forest, for a long while as her mind began to process everything that had just happened.
"You ok, wench?."
She jumped at the sound of InuYasha's voice, feeling very foolish. "I," she began, "I thought I was going to die."
He nodded, looking away awkwardly for a moment. "Well, you won't have to worry about that wolf anymore. He likes to play tough, but he's really a big wimp. H-hey, what are you doing?!" He sounded panicked, confused.
She didn't reply, sobbing quietly instead. She had been so scared! InuYasha stared down at her, unsure of what to do. Eventually, he knelt down next to her. He put a hand on her shoulder, and she grabbed onto his suikan and leaned into his chest, the tears falling faster.
After a long few minutes, InuYasha finally put his arms around her and let her cry.
Xxxxxx
So, two more characters introduced. I hadn't planned on bringing Kouga out so soon, but, I'm kinda glad I did. He was really fun to write.