DISCLAIMER: All Inuyasha goodness belongs to the amazing Takahashi-san!

Empty Threats

By MissKatt

Demons?

"Miss. Kagome!" The Sheriff called, worry in his voice as he approached her once she descended the stairs.

She blinked up at him as his fierce cobalt blue eyes stared down at her, assessing her form as he looked it over. "Y-yes, Sheriff Kouga? Is everythin' alright?"

"I was goin' to ask yah that," He stated with a furrowed brow. "Are yah okay?"

She lifted a brow at him. "Why wouldn't I be?" Was it possible that Kouga had heard the short fight upstairs? There was no way! Sesshoumaru had been quiet except for maybe when Hakudoushi hit the ground. But still…

His nostrils flared for a second before his eyes fell on her gloved hand. He lifted it to his face and looked at the crimson stain on her middle finger. "Yah be hurt. What happened?"

She blinked before she pulled her hand back from him. How had he known there was blood there? She stiffened a little as Sesshoumaru's words once again replayed in her mind. Was Kouga also evil? But he was the Sheriff! "N-nothin' happened."

"Did that man hurt yah? Where is he? I'll arrest him right now and throw him behind bars; just say the word, Miss. Kagome!"

"I don't know what yah be talkin' about, I dun said nothin' happened," Kagome replied sternly, her nerves on end with distrust and suspicion. "I'm fine."

Kouga frowned and looked at the stairs behind her. "If yah be fine, then where be Mr. Hakudoushi? Why didn't he come down after yah, or before yah?"

She panicked a little at how he caught on so quickly. "Uh, he already left."

He scoffed. "There is no way he got past me. I was lookin' for yah since yah went up there. Don't yah lie to me, Miss. Kagome."

"He went out the window…?" Even to her it sounded pathetic, despite it technically being the truth.

He wasn't buying it. "I said don't lie to-"

"Mr. Hakudoushi dun left from the window," Sango supplied for her friend, fixing her already perfect hair as she reached the bottom step. At Kouga's skeptical glare, she continued. "My patron had me bent ova' the windowsill, so I dun saw Mr. Hakudoushi myself."

"And why would he go and do that? Why not leave through the bar?" He growled, not liking the intrusion on their conversation.

Kagome fumbled for an answer before she thought of something. "Ah, well, he be too embarrassed to come down 'ere." Yes, she could play this off right if Kouga really did have feelings for her.

"What yah mean?"

"Well, Sheriff, unlike yerself, he just wasn't a suitable man," She commented with a forced chuckle and placed her hand on Kouga's forearm. She lifted her other gloved hand and pressed it to the side of her mouth as she whispered to him. "His manhood wasn't up for the task, if yah get what I'm hintin' at."

Kouga flushed before he barked out a laugh. "I dun hear yah. Shoot, yah should have just said that. But then again, yah don't go out of yer way to embarrass folks, do yah Miss. Kagome?" He grinned and dipped his head towards Kagome's ear. "And I promise yah that I would never have that problem with a fine woman like yerself, Miss. Kagome. I would please yah all night."

She made herself giggle a little and swatted at his arm. "Sheriff! Yah naughty man!" When he grinned again at her, she smiled shyly before forcing a look of regret on her face. "Ah, sorry Sheriff, I best be gettin' to work before the Boss gets mad."

He nodded in understanding. "I best be gettin' home anyways. Gotta get up bright and early to hunt down those criminals. Good evenin', Miss. Kagome." He bowed his head.

She curtsied to him. "Good evenin', Sheriff." She replied and then watched as he walked out of the saloon, his two officers following in tow. Once they were gone, she turned to Sango and released a relieved sigh. "Thank yah, Sango."

Her friend shook her head before looking her friend over. "Yah be okay? Did yer mystery come and save yah in time?"

Kagome blinked. "H-how did yah know?"

She smiled. "I was his excuse to go upstairs. He be intimidatin', Kagome, but a decent man. I didn't know what to expect from a Moon Bandit."

She blushed as she looked down. "He is, but I don't think he fancies me."

"Yah think any man would do what he dun did for yah tonight?" At her friend's silence, she continued. "Exactly. And, I dun told him yah were gonna get punished tonight, so maybe he will come back."

"He dun said he would," She breathed in a response. She was glad he was coming back to see her tonight, but still very confused. "I don't know what to think," She admitted. "But we should get back to work."

Sango, taking her tone as that she didn't want to talk about it anymore, simply nodded and picked up her tray to go and take orders.

*~~~Empty Threats~~~*

After removing her saloon dress and placing it back in her trunk next to the others, Kagome stepped into her white night slip and sat in front of her old, wooden vanity. She unpinned her hair and let it fall down the length of her back. She lifted her comb from the rough surface and brushed out the tangles in her hair as she watched herself in the dusty, worn mirror. In the mirror, she let her eyes fall on the empty space of her floor where Sesshoumaru and Hakudoushi had wrestled.

She frowned as she remembered the fire that had sprung from Hakudoushi's hands and then bright green light that had appeared on Sesshoumaru's. Setting down her brush, she stood from her stool and made her way over to the area. Her eyes scanned the wood, but she could see no trace of what had occurred. But, had she really expected to? No, but she wanted some reassurance that her eyes had not played tricks on her. She pursed her lips as she thought about what happened again.

"Come along, Miss. Kagome," Hakudoushi commanded, his tone that of a twisted promise. "Don't yah keep me waitin'."

She furrowed her brows in anxiety as he grabbed her wrist tightly and pulled her up the stairs. She couldn't help but steal a glance over her shoulder at Sesshoumaru. She felt her heart clench when she saw him standing from his chair, his body turned towards his father as they spoke. She couldn't shake the need to push off the bank teller and run to the bandit, to beg him to save her and take her away from that retched place.

"Come!" He snarled as he pulled her up the last few stairs, not caring that she tripped over them.

She winced and felt her eyes sting with tears as his grip became inhumanly tight. "O-ow! Yah be hurtin' me, Mr. Hakudoushi!" She cried, trying to pull her wrist from him, but he held firm.

"Hush!" He hissed and opened her bedroom door before jerking her inside.

How did he know which room was hers? She caught her footing as she was thrown into the room and felt her stomach drop when he slammed the door shut behind them, latching the door before turning to her. "S-say, don't yah want some more ale? We could have a lil' party up 'ere by ourselves."

"Shut up with your useless words, Whore."

Her eyes widened when he started pronouncing his words like Sesshoumaru. She took a step back when his hair suddenly turned ash white, his eyes now violet and glaring hard at her. She swallowed in fear and took another step back. So, Hakudoushi was also concealing his true looks. How many others were like him and the Moon Bandits?

"What is the matter, Miss. Kagome? Are you scared by what you see? Or are you used to it after seeing that mutt in a similar fashion?" He asked coldly.

She gasped when he was suddenly in front of her, holding her neck tightly. "M-mutt? What are yah takin' about?" She breathed.

"Do not play dumb! You know about the existence of demons!" He tightened his hold on her neck causing her to cry out as he restricted her airflow.

'Demons?' She thought as her vision began to spot from her lack of air flow. 'Is that what Mr. Sesshoumaru is?'

That was the last thing she remembered before she woke up to Sesshoumaru's touch on her face. Soon after was when the two males had started fighting in the small space, the fire and green poison lighting up her dark room.

She pursed her lips together as she walked over to her bed and sat down on the edge of it. How could any of that have possibly happened? It was like magic, but men couldn't be witches, could they? Were they something else? Were they demons like Hakudoushi said?

They both looked so different when they showed their true faces. Sesshoumaru was even more painstakingly beautiful to her, his looks so exotic and unique with silver hair, amber eyes, and vibrant markings. His beauty was inhuman, she agreed, but to be a demon? He did say there were evil things in the world. So, he was one of them?

She raised her hand to rub her temples as her head began to ache. She then jumped and stood up when her door was roughly pushed open, the short round male that was her boss stepping into her room. She paled a little as the reminder of her punishment was presented before her. "B-Boss…"

"I hope yah be ready, Kagome," He said, cutting straight to the point. He uncoiled the whip in his hand and stepped closer to her. "Turn around; now remove yer dress from yer back and get on your knees."

The saloon girl did as told and gathered her hair in her hand to pull over one shoulder so it was not in the way. She kept her head high and stared at the wall by her bed. She heard her boss wheeze with the effort of drawing his arm back before the oh-so familiar bite ripped across her skin. She inhaled sharply and threw her arms out in front of her to stop herself from falling forward.

Though he would have preferred that she cry out in pain, he would not strike her again. She was too well liked in the saloon to damage further. "Let this be a lesson to yah, Wench. Yah know the rules. Yah have no freedom until yah dun paid off yer family's debt." Knowing a response would never come, he left the room and shut the door behind him.

She struggled to breathe normally, the pain raking her body and making the easy task extremely difficult at that time. She felt the warm liquid of her blood slowly slide and drip down her back to the floor, but did not care. She couldn't bring herself to stand so she crawled her way over to her bed. She let out a soft wail as she hoisted herself up onto her bed to lie down on her stomach, her face buried in her pillow as tears burned her eyes.

As soon as Sesshoumaru pushed open her bedroom window, he knew he had been too late. The scent of her blood hit him hard and he had to clench his jaw to stop the growl that wanted to escape him. He made his way over to her still form on the bed and felt his lip lift in a snarl as he saw the long gash that marred her already scarred flesh. Her once white skin was covered in her blood, some fresh and the rest dried.

His eyes scanned the room and he saw a small pail of water sitting by her vanity. He walked over to it and inspected it make sure it was clean. He then set his hat down next to the rag on vanity that had the traces of her washed off makeup and set his coat on her stool, leaving him in his white button up shirt and suspenders. He carried the pail to her bedside and kneeled down next to it. He rolled up his sleeves to his elbows and removed the bandana around his neck before dipping it into the water. He rung out the thin fabric of the excess water before gently dabbing it against her bloodied flesh.

He frowned when she whimpered and shifted. He watched her carefully as she turned her head towards him, her red eyes softening as she saw him. For a few moments they sat there and stared at each other, both of their eyes speaking volumes, until he decided to voice his failure. "I did not come in time." He admitted softly.

A weak smile graced her lips. "Yah came though."

Did she think he would not? "I do not lie; my word is my honor." He replied and gently placed the bandana back on her back as he resumed his task.

She winced slightly and closed her eyes again. "Would that be a demon trait?"

He stilled is hand, his whole body tensing at what she had said. How did she know? How had she figured it out? There was no way. Surely she would have thought he was a witch before a demon; that was the most logical conclusion. Instead, she went straight to demon? How?

His eyes went to her face again, but he found no fear or resentment.

Just who was this woman?