"InuYasha! Are you alright? What happened? Say something! Is it a demon? Hey, InuYasha!"
The questions and demands had been raining on him for a while now, but he couldn't have cared less to explain. He didn't even bother to protest when they shock, pinched or dragged him. Not when this scent was all he had been searching for, but not thought possible to smell so soon.
The strawberry scent, from that bathing utensil she used while bathing, where really weak but the sweet scent – her real scent – of her warmth and the smell of his home, his forest, was filling and tickling his nose as he breathed. The only thing amiss was the underlying tone of terror and blood.
But how could this be? When did Kagome get out, and how did she do it? Moreover, was she badly hurt?
He took another hesitating sniff and relief flooded him; she was hurt, but not badly so. The scent of blood, her blood, was far too weak. Then he narrowed his eyes as he glared accusingly at the corpse; the scent from the dead man was far too much to be able to scent more of Kagome, which was making it crawl over his skin with anger.
Silent shock dulled him – when had she crossed ways with this man?
Suddenly he was jolted back to reality as a cackling voice filled with malice sounded in the clearing.
"InuYasha." The deep baritone made the hanyou's skin crawl. "How amusing it is to see you sitting on the ground, lowering your head to me. Are you finally ready to meet your fate at my claws?"
InuYasha shot up, Tetsusaiga drawn and stared at the person to whom the voice belonged to. Dark, tangled hair on a head whose face, which would have been considered handsome if it had not held a taunting smile and eyes which glinted red. The baboon pelt that pooled around his shoulders completed the look of pure evil.
"Naraku, you bastard!" InuYasha flew at the demon, lifting his sword high to strike down at the foe. "Today is the day you'll die!"
Another surprise came when Naraku lifted his hands in defeat, and shrunk back in a hunched pose, all the while shaking his head. His eyes were enormous but instead of red they were green.
"InuYasha!" Naraku screamed, the high-pitched squeal scratching his insides. Disgusting. "Stop it! It's me!"
InuYasha swiped the sword down, but growled with frustration as Naraku jumped out of the way, letting the mighty fang implanting itself in the earth. Naraku screamed all the while as he ran to hide behind Sango.
"Your antics don't work on me, Naraku," he snarled darkly, snatched his sword to his side. "I know it's you alright; don't you think that's why I'm trying to kill you?" InuYasha held his father's fang out in front of him and was about to jump at Naraku when he suddenly got knocked down. Grass and earth filled his mouth as his fangs got smacked deep into the ground.
"Oh, how I wished for Kagome-sama's 'sit'-technique right now," Miroku sighed sadly, giving InuYasha one last push down in the dirt with his staff.
"What did you do that for?" the hanyou sputtered, spitting out bits of grass and earth.
Miroku sighed again, and motioned for Naraku to come to his side. Naraku hesitated at first but then quickly ran over, only to hide behind Miroku, peeking over the monk's shoulder at InuYasha.
"As you can see, my foolish and ignorant friend," Miroku started before giving Naraku a light hit on his skull, "this is so not the person – or demon – known as Naraku. This is merely an illusion."
"Yeah! That was what I was about to say before 'Yasha got all crazy and tried to kill me!" High-pitched Naraku screeched. If looks could kill, InuYasha would have been a puddle on the ground right about now. All mushy and bubbling, alright. A bright red and white bubbling puddle.
"How the hell would I have known?" He glared daggers at the males as he rose to sit on his soles. It only occurred to him then that Naraku's scent – the smell of decomposing and wet substances – didn't smell like Naraku. With a loud poff Naraku transformed to a very upset Shippo.
"By my scent, you idiot!"
"Not my fault that you smell like that bastard!"
"What? I do not!"
"Do to!"
"Do not!"
"Do TO!"
A sigh was the only warning they got as the holy monk's staff once more gave their heads a gentle smack. Ignoring the curses from InuYasha and the shrieks from Shippo, he shot a glare at the hanyou that shut him up completely.
"Mind telling us your sudden flat-on-you-rump session? Because you should know by now," Miroku leaned closer, causing the hanyou to recoil a little," that I don't like you having secrets from us. Especially where the real Naraku is concerned."
It suddenly occurred to InuYasha that Miroku was angry, no, furious was a better word. A fire was practically burning behind those eyes of black marble, a fire that threatened to burn anything that dared stand in his way to revenge. The eyes and the hard set on his jaw was the only things that showed it though.
"Well…" InuYasha hesitated. Should he really tell them what he knew? Was it wise to let them know that Kagome had been here, along with this man? He frowned at the thought. Would he dare to say it out loud? What would them, and he, think when they heard the words he so dreaded to say?
"InuYasha!" the monk growled. "Tell it now or I swear I will use my Wind Tunnel on you."
Hanyou and monk had a staring contest, silently urging the other one to dare the first step. Finally InuYasha broke it.
"Fine. It's-"
Kouga stared out at nothingness. The woman he loved, had loved or maybe never knew, sat between him and Sesshomaru who still held her small wrists in an iron grip with his remaining hand. The girl herself seemed pretty content with the attention from them; she looked at each of them in turn from under her lashes and tilted her head now and then, squirming as she did. When she locked eyes with one of them she would smile mischievous before dismissing that person for the other male.
It was quite unsettling for him, especially since he had always wanted Kagome to have such a look for him one day. However, the thought bleached a little when he took in the details of her not being herself and that she was giving Sesshomaru the same looks.
Unsettling, indeed. He frowned deeply and bit into his knuckle as he thought. Just then she returned her attention to him. She lowered her head until she could see his face.
"Eh? Kouga-kun? Worried for something? Tell me, I'm good at secrets. Though," she peered at the demon lord, who completely ignored her for a moment," I doubt 'this Sesshomaru' wouldn't listen in. Eavesdropper there."
Sesshomaru returned his attention and stared icily at her, but she only beamed at him and winked. Sesshomaru looked completely taken aback at the sight; he recoiled a little and stared at her with a nonplussed expression on his face – mouth slightly open and wide golden eyes.
Kouga would have laughed, if it hadn't been for the fact that it was his woman that smiled at his ally and moreover winked at the male! He started unconsciously to growl.
"Oh, hush, bad wolf." Kagome stared at him now, a slight pout on her mouth as she shushed at him.
"Care to tell what you're doing outside your prison, miko?" Sesshomaru had found his voice again it seemed, even if it sounded to Kouga as if the Ice Lord wasn't quite safe in his baritone. It shook slightly as he talked to the girl.
That we have to take action against, his beast growled angrily. It shook inside of him with barely contained anger at the dominant male who was so close to its mate.
Silence, you fool, Kouga barked at it. Can't you see with our eyes that he's simply holding her so she won't flee?
He's too close for our taste! And why would she try to flee? It is our mate!
May be so, but it is not the Kagome we knew…
"Heh, Kouga-kun are making funny faces! What's he doing, Sesshomaru-san?" Kagome giggled, and smiled her new predatory grin.
Woman called us -san? Sesshomaru's beast was highly displeased, and so was its owner.
"Answer my question, woman." He growled. He could feel how his eyes turned red for a moment. Sesshomaru-san…
The girl sighed and leaned into Sesshomaru, giggling lightly as she felt him stiffen. "My name's Kagome. It's not miko, woman, wench, girl, witch, bitch, babe, lady or sweetheart." She bit into her lip, as if in deep thought. "Hey, haven't we had this conversation before? Hmm…"
Woman is making fun of us?
Probably.
"Kagome. How did you get out?" Kouga leaned forward on his soles to stare the girl deeply into her blue orbs.
"Hmm, here is a boy with good manners, calling me by name," she said and nodded wisely. "They are so rare, you know? At home it's just 'Higurashi-san, Higurashi-san'. Boring!" Kagome fell silent for a moment and both males could see her frown. "But that is a good question; how did I get out? Seems like that experience slipped my mind, but then again the bracelets will lead me home again."
"Bracelets?"
She looked up at Sesshomaru and smiled toothily. "Why, yes. They are quite adorable, but when hold like this," she motioned with a nod to her hands behind her back," it's certainly uncomfortable to have them on."
Sesshomaru turned her around roughly, not letting her small hands out of his grasp as he took a closer look. Then two pair of hands covered his sight, the hands moving towards the girls.
He growled lightly at the interruption – this is my track! – but the look in the wolf's eyes silently told him to trust him.
Kouga, who had two hands and therefore was better of holding the strange-Kagome, took over the hold. Taking each arm in a firm grip under her elbows he separated them from the earlier position and glanced at her wrists.
There on each were identical bracelets; they looked like bleached black stone to Kouga's eyes. The only thing that made them different from each other was the stones imbedded in them; a bright red on her left wrist and a clouded white on her right.
"Hn." Sesshomaru rumbled as he stared with disgust at the bracelets. Those again. Terrific.
Kouga glanced at him, but knew the lord wouldn't share anything if he did not want to. Instead he lowered her arms and turned her around so he could face her again.
"I hope, wolf-boy, that it was only those adorable things you were checking out," she said with a broad grin.
"What are these… things?" he asked her sternly, not falling for her pout.
"Someone is bo-ring!" she sing-sang. "But to tell the truth, wolf and dog-boy, I haven't got the single clue."
Kouga coughed. "Dog-boy?" He glanced at the stoned expression on the demon lord's face. Priceless, but still scary that Kagome could be so blunt with everything.
"Well, he is a dog demon after all, isn't he? And in human years I think he would be around… eighteen?" she squinted at the demon lord, who sneered back at her. She grinned. "And at home, an eighteen year old is still considered a child. I find it quite strange that-"
"Kagome!" a child voice hollered and a sudden rush of red fur threw itself at the girl. Kouga and Sesshomaru turned to the direction from where the child had come from, and could see the remaining InuGang standing there. With the expectation of a crying Shippo and a rushing InuYasha.
"Kagome!" he barked when he landed in front of her. She grinned her now normal smile at him.
"InuYasha! You're late, idiot!" She smiled big at him, and the hanyou recoiled a little. His amber eyes were huge as they took in her appearance, those orbs almost bulging out of their eye sockets. Kouga felt his beast growl deep in his soul.
Too close, too close!
Calm down!
"K-Kagome? Is that you?" The hanyou asked while he sniffed the air around her.
"Oh! Another boy who knows his manners! How interesting, the Feudal Era is simply amazing! Though, I'm surprised that you would call me anything other than wench," she pouted at him. "Oh, well – I shouldn't complain, I guess."
Kouga peeked at the hanyou's face. The half-breed had his mouth slightly open, his eyes were stormy with confusion and anger. But in the depths of those pools of gold the wolf could see the pain and helplessness the hanyou was feeling. Kouga huffed quietly to himself; the half-bred hadn't looked like that before, not even when Kouga had first met Kagome. Could this reaction be because he knew exactly how hurt or damaged the girl really was?
"Little brother. What is the meaning of your coming here? Though I'm not surprised that you did, stubborn half-bred." The older brother looked exceptionally bored as he glared down his nose at the hanyou. Though, Kouga couldn't more than agree.
"Yeah, mutt. What do you know about all of this? Why is she in these – these – belly dancer clothes and what's the deal with the bracelets?"
The half demon snorted, glaring accusingly at the full blooded demons. "So these clothes aren't your doing then, mangy wolf? I guessed this was more to your taste."
"What?" The wolf sputtered, his cheeks coloring in anger and embarrassment. "Sure, I like it, but why would I want you damn males get a look at her too? It should be for my eyes only!"
"Hah? So you can molest her alone, is that it?" InuYasha was growing red in his face too, mostly from locked up anger but also from the accusation of looking at Kagome in those clothes. "Besides, this is way too much skin showing! Even though she ran around in that silly uniform of hers that showed so much leg, this is just too much!"
Kouga opened his mouth to retort but something at the corner of his eye caught his attention. Head turned and eyes ogling he stared with open mouth at the two by his side.
Hello y'all! Another chapter and this weeks news! Or something like that... hmm...
well, doesn't seem to be any news from here other than it has finally stopped snowing and the sun is shining, making the snow glitter as little jewels. It's... irritating.
Please Review!