A/N: I would really appreciate feedback from this chapter. There's just something about it I'm not happy with.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Inuyasha characters, manga, anime, movies, etc. They belong by copyright laws to Rumiko, Takahashi et. al.
Her Knight
Ch. 1
Dusk was settling in around the village where Inuyasha and his friends made their home while waiting for Kagome. A light breeze blew, the soft warmth soothing to both human and youkai. There was nothing to indicate anything might be wrong. The kitsune had gone to bed without complaint. He was currently curled up near Kirara, waiting for Sango to settle down for the night so he could sleep in her arms. He often did when Kagome was not available. The slayer and monk were talking quietly with Lady Kaede over cups of tea. There were no youkai within his scent range and his ability to sense youki extended even farther, showing only a few minor demons that never approached the human settlement.
Shifting uneasily, Inuyasha stood up from his seated position on Kaede's roof and jumped to the ground. Deciding to take a patrol just in case, the half demon started on a wide circular route around the village. He made sure to pass every hut and check on each of its inhabitants without intruding on their privacy. When the patrol turned up nothing odd, he went to the shrine and the well. Nothing there spoke to him either and he was left feeling discontent. Still edgy he wandered to the Goshinboku and was startled to discover the uneasiness increase tenfold. Was something happening to Kagome?
It would not be the first time he had sensed when she was in trouble through the connection they shared. During the fight with Menomaru they had spoken through the Sacred Tree and found a way to bring Kagome back to him. Instinct told him he shouldn't discount the feeling. Quickly returning to the hut, Inuyasha pushed his way in without greeting.
"Oi, babaa, I'm going to check on Kagome. Something ain't right."
"Kagome will not appreciate you coming to get her so early," Miroku tried to warn his friend. Upon closer inspection the hanyou did seem tense.
"Wasn't going to. I said she could have until tomorrow afternoon and I meant it. There's just something… I can't explain it. I'm just going to see if everything is all right. Her mother should be in the kitchen alone by this time. I'll just speak to her, Kagome won't even know I've been there."
"Aye, Inuyasha, go. If instinct tells you something is wrong, then it's better to find out what." The group watched him take off at a run.
"Do you think he really thinks something is wrong, Miroku?" Sango asked.
"Yes, Sango, I do. His youki is disturbed for some reason. You know how connected they are despite being centuries apart. I would wager our friend would rather be wrong about his feeling and be 'sat' then find out Kagome had been hurt."
Small kitsune ears listened to the conversation but gave no indication he had heard. Kirara purred, trying to sooth the kit but Shippou became afraid anyway. Inuyasha and Kagome might not be official mates but the feelings were there and that's all that matter in the demon world. If a female was in trouble, her mate sensed it no matter where he was. If distance didn't matter, he doubted Time would either. Not when it involved the miko and half-demon.
Dusk had darkened to twilight by the time Inuyasha passed through the well. He could see various lights on in the house but the one room that interested him was dark. Kagome had either gone to bed early (unlikely with all the homework she had) or she was not home. Her scent led to the shrine steps and it was hours old. It was as if she had gone to school that morning but hadn't returned. Knowing that was unlike her, his unease turned into a simmering panic.
"Inuyasha, is that you, dear?" Whipping his head around, he found Mrs. Higurashi standing beneath Goshinboku. How had he missed her presence?
"Yeah, everything all right?" He barely got out the question before she had clasped his hands.
"Dear, would you very much mind going to look for her? I'm afraid to leave the shrine in case she calls. She went to dinner with her friends and she should have been back an hour ago."
"I knew something was wrong." Inuyasha turned towards the steps, his name being shouted in the distance. The sound only stopped him in his tracks for a brief moment before he took off at a run.
"Wait, you don't know where she is…" Mrs. Higurashi watched as her daughter's "boyfriend" took off at an unbelievably fast pace down to street level. She had seen his ears perk at something only he could hear and the slight hesitation before his amazing dash forward. Since Kagome hadn't gone very far from home for dinner, perhaps he could hear wherever she was.
Inuyasha followed the scent of his miko from the street level. He knew where her school was and he could use that as a reference point should he have to back track but Kagome's scent was getting stronger and the minute he turned the first corner, he could hear the whimper come from her then silence. At an alley in between a bakery and a newsstand he found several men surrounding Kagome. Each had all ready hit her in some way for her blood was on the weapons they carried and on their flesh. One bandit stood off to the side, the obvious leader.
Feeling his blood beast rise to the surface, he had to take a moment to clutch Tetsusaiga so that he wouldn't transform. If he did, he might very well become a danger to Kagome as well. "The little miko wasn't so tough, boss."
"For all her bravado, she couldn't defend herself very well, could she?"
"Che, she doesn't need to. I protect my miko." Inuyasha's sudden appearance surprised the men and they moved back from Kagome's unconscious form. They stared at his face and form, noticing the differences in his lineage. "Didn't you know? This priestess has a demon on her side."
"D-D-Demon?" He allowed them to see his claws and fangs, wanting to scare them as much possible. As much as he would have liked to kill the bastards who had hurt his Kagome, he couldn't.
The leader straightened his posture, removing his hands from his pockets. "Now things get interesting. Have fun with this one, boys. He thinks he's a demon." The underlings charged and with swift punches and kicks, Inuyasha neutralized them. It was only when he was going to Kagome that he noticed the odd weapon the leader had. It smelled of gunpowder and he only had time to shield Kagome's body before three rapid fires signaled the bullets now entering his body. The sharp retorts of the gun stung his ears but he ignored the temporary deafness to attack the leader.
Leaning over the prone form, Inuyasha made sure to get as close as he could to the other man. His eyes glowed with an otherworldly light as he snarled. "I am a demon. For what you've done to my mate I should kill you."
"Why are you still alive?" the gang member whispered brokenly. At least half of his ribs were broken and one lung had collapsed.
"I told you, I'm a demon."
Turning his back on the now incapacitated criminal, Inuyasha relaxed enough to begin feeling the pain radiating throughout his body from the gunshots. He knew he would pass out soon because of blood loss but he prayed it wouldn't be until he could get Kagome home. Kneeling by her prone form, he gently touched her face, hoping to rouse her. "Kagome."
"Inuyasha…?"
"Hang on, wench, I'm taking you home." He stood with her in his arms, stumbling under the pressure to his injured leg.
"You came; but I thought you were with the others."
"Of course I came; you needed me."
"My knight," she whispered, resting her head against his shoulder. She felt the blood soaking his Fire Rat haori even as his sharp intake of breath told her he'd been injured. "You're hurt."
"Nothing to worry about."
"Liar," she said affectionately. "Go to the bakery. We both need medical attention quickly. The owner of the shop is youkai."
"Really?" he staggered to the bakery door and pounded heavily on the locked entrance. "Kagome, just so you know, you're not coming home again without me." She didn't get to reply because he collapsed just as the baker opened the door.
