"..agome…"
The distant echo of a familiar sound stirred Kagome from her sleep, only to hear the resounding cry of her name repeat itself over. Shaking off the weight of her tiredness, she took in her surroundings with caution, before remembering the details of her night with human Inuyasha in a sudden flood of reoccurring feelings.
Inuyasha! She whipped around and there he was, still asleep, his body curled into itself where hers had vacated moments prior. His arms searched for her in his sleep until he rolled over, tucking them into his clothing in defeat. Her face heated up as she gazed at him. As the sun had yet to rise, the hair that spilled around his shoulders remained black, matching the eyebrows that finally rested instead of drawing in condemnation or sarcastic disapproval. His peaceful expression comforted her until she suddenly remembered how their bodies had wrapped together the night before, and she quickly looked away from the limbs that had held her with such desire. Deciding it best to leave him where he was for fear the approaching voice would discover his secret, Kagome quietly rose to her feet and ran toward Koga, determined to stop him before he found Inuyasha; though, as she ran, a shiver pulsed through her as she was reminded of their intimate first kiss, and she fought to force down her rising blush.
"Koga!" She called in a hushed voice, knowing the wolf demon would pick up the sound with ease. Sure enough, seconds later, Koga arrived at her side, reaching his arms out to surround her. She stepped back and away from him, laughing with good natured patience even while avoiding his attempt. "What is it?"
"What are you doing all the way out here?" He asked suspiciously, letting his arms fall to his sides. Glancing around anxiously, he placed one hand in Kagome's and began to walk back toward the village. "It's dangerous. I came to find you when I realized you were missing; a demon is attacking the village, the slayer and the monk are on it. And where's the damn mutt? I can smell him on you, so he must be close."
Kagome paled, picking up speed, even more desperate now to further Koga from Inuyasha and keep the trail of his hiding place hidden from anyone's suspicion. Furthermore, she thought of poor Shippo waking alone and finding her gone, worrying that something had happened to her as it had to his parents in the wake of another attack.
"Don't worry about Inuyasha, Koga." Kagome chuckled, waving away his suspicions light heartedly. "He can take care of himself."
When they arrived at the village, Shippo bounced out of Kaede's arms and bolted toward Kagome, arms outstretched. The two had been patiently gathered on the porch of Kikyo's hut in wait of Kaede's sister to return from battling with the invader. Koga smiled at the two small beings before him, calling out pleasantly,
"There, see? Kagome is fine."
"Kagome!" Shippo cried, burying himself in Kagome's arms. "I was so worried when I heard that demon crash into one of the huts in the village!"
"It's okay, Shippo," Kagome hugged the little fox demon before setting him back down on the ground beside Kaede, who had also run forward to greet her. "Like Koga said, I'm alright! Now you two had better get back inside and stay there while we go help Miroku and Sango, okay?"
"Oh no, Kagome, you can't go." Shippo wailed tearfully, sniffling as he looked up at the miko he clung to with wide and imploring eyes. "Koga says you need to stay here with us, right Koga?"
Kagome whipped around, pinning Koga with her glare. He frowned, lowering his voice earnestly.
"They're right, Kagome." He didn't take pleasure in saying so, but he closed his eyes and clenched his fists. "If anything were to happen to you because I were so careless as to let you go to battle, I could never forgive myself, and would spend the rest of my days-"
"Koga?"
The wolf demon opened his eyes to note a total absence before him as Kagome made her way down the path toward the sounds of crashing weapons and general din. Koga looked down to Shippo, who shrugged before turning to scurry off toward Kaede's home.
Chasing after her and catching up within moments, Koga met Kagome where Sango and Miroku stood behind Kikyo, weapons raised defensively. The group faced a scattered array of what appeared to be flesh like mounds, fragments Kagome presumed must have once been the sum of an entire demon. The chunks of flesh coloured matter wriggled on the ground with purpose, writhing to snap back with one another in a nauseating display of worm like sentience. Kikyo stood among the pale, boil like creatures, unsure where to aim her arrow next as the beings simply multiplied, only to reconnect afterward.
"Kikyo!" Kagome called, rushing forth with her arrow brandished. "What can I do to help?"
"Stay back, Kagome!" Kikyo cried, just as one boiling mass launched forth, aiming itself at Kagome as she ran toward the priestess.
Shrieking, Kagome fell back in time for Koga to dive in front of her and dismember the soaring flesh with a swipe of his claws. The pieces fell to the ground and immediately began to twist and turn back together.
"What is this shit?" He growled, furiously swiping at the pieces.
"That won't help." Kikyo called to the wolf, aiming her arrow at the main mound of the corpse. "Kagome," She called, and Kagome nodded, waiting for instruction. "Do you see the glowing portion of this body?"
Observing the emaciated husk that shivered with active wounds, Kagome forced her eyes to wash over the bloodied frame until she spotted an area that glowed, if only faintly, with a pulsating presence.
"I see it." She shrilled, feeling sick to her stomach at the battlefield before her. Holding herself to remain standing, she gripped her bow and reminded herself why she was here, how she had promised to be strong. Feeling the power in her stance, she allowed her feet to root her into stability.
"Aim for it and shoot at the same time as I." Kikyo drew her bow and began to count.
On three, both miko's released, and the two glimmering arrows met in an exponential reunification that blazed through the air and brightened the night, so it appeared as day. Squinting in the brilliance of the arrows combined, Sango and Miroku watched as they voyaged in a purified spiral toward the body that continued to regenerate, until washed over with the light and pinned by the dual priestess' seal. The remaining mutilated parts independent of their origin dissolved with the last rays of the arrows, and the near-corpse, as Kagome could now see it still shuddered with some level of life, decreased until a darkened shard of the jewel popped from its new wound, dropping into the miasma that spilled to surround the now dying demon.
Kagome watched the shard fall and rushed forth to gather it, dipping her fingers without thought into the darkened puddle. As her fingers made contact, the miasma became purified, turning clear in a rippling reaction to her touch. The black in the shard began to evaporate, and she held it out to show Kikyo before pressing it back into the half that swung from her neck, which absorbed it gratefully an in instant.
"A waste on Naraku's part." Koga grumbled, watching Kagome purify the shard with incredulity.
"You purified the shard instantly, Kagome!" Miroku congratulated as he jogged up to his friend, Sango by his side. "Your powers have certainly been growing with all your efforts."
"We'd better get this demon to talk while there's still breath in his lungs." Sango bowed before excusing herself to do just that, dragging the rest of what was left to a seated position so she could begin the inquisition. As she did so, the first rays of sun began to shoot up over the hills, and Kagome gave a stretch, lowering her bow.
This was the first fight she had taken on without running, without debilitating fear, and she had won. She turned to Kikyo smiling, but Kikyo was already on her way back to the hut where Kaede waited. Turning to catch up with her, Kagome began to follow, before a sardonic voice rose with the last of the sun's rays, disturbing her before she could begin.
"Just used me and left, huh?" Kagome whirled around to see Inuyasha headed toward her, returned to his full hanyou state, silver-white hair, golden eyes and all. As he approached, she noted that his fangs and claws had come back as well, and her heart pounded with an eccentric happiness at the sight.
"Would you be quiet?" Kagome hushed him, rushing forward to silence him before someone heard his bold declaration and got the wrong idea. The last thing she needed was one fight right after the other. Luckily, no one interrupted them, and she could move on to the subject she was most excited to discuss. "Did you see me join Kikyo on the battlefield, evade that flesh slug and purify the jewel shard?"
"I saw you purify the jewel shard." Inuyasha laughed, then poked her side. "I also saw you almost get a flesh slug to the face, great warrior. You're lucky this was just a puny demon of no real threat."
Kagome blanched, glaring down at her shoes with a pout. Couldn't he just give her a compliment?
Instead, his voice turned stern.
"I woke up and you were gone. You can't imagine how terrified that made me, especially when I heard the commotion in the village." He stopped in his path and reached out to stop her as well, tugging her back to him and gazing down with solemn eyes. "I was lucky the sun was coming up. This is just another reason I can't stand being a half-demon. When I turn… well, the way you saw me, I can't even protect myself. If something had have happened to you, there would have been nothing I could do."
"I don't think that's true." Kagome cheerily smiled his way, making him break from his sombre reverie and regard her with a cocked head, confused how she could be so off handed about the subject that terrified him the most. "I'm human, and look! I'm getting stronger every day. Surely you're already stronger in your human form than most humans are already. You always look at things with such an empty cup, Inuyasha."
"Empty cup?" He blinked, unaware of the term, but Kagome only laughed and tugged on his hand while explaining the concept. He listened, but only halfway, as the other half of him buzzed with concern all the way back to the hut where Kikyo, Sango, Miroku and Koga were waiting, some more irritated than others by their slow arrival.
"About time." Koga snapped, noting the way that Inuyasha held Kagome's hand in his, or perhaps, he distinguished, the other way around. Neither made a move to drop their clutch when situated with the group, causing a low rumble to begin sounding in the well of his chest. He suddenly regretted sprinting back to the village to assess the initial damage.
"Enough, Koga." Kikyo all but rolled her eyes at the hormonal maelstrom emitting from the wolf. Facing the rest of her companions, she informed them of what had been learned. "The demon was a part of Naraku, sent with the shard as protection in his mission to capture me. A weak plan, and a weaker motive, the only sensible part of this plot being the aura-masking barrier this demon was capable of. Simple enough magic to acquire, for a price. Naraku must be terrified, knowing there are two of me. Well, Kagome," She chuckled and met eyes with the novice miko, who nervously responded with her complexion paling at the revelations, "You will have to live up to that expectation. His castaway caved, and we can now confirm, Naraku hides behind a barrier in a hidden castle, cleverly placed among the clouds. How we could have ever known while searching on land…"
"The clouds?" Kagome dizzily acknowledged this as the words rung in her mind; they had found where Naraku was waiting, and this meant that they would soon have to face the terrifying demon once more. The thought made her shiver, a motion Inuyasha caught, only to let go of her hand and wrap his arm comfortingly around her shoulders.
"With all of us working together, we're sure to finish him." Sango reassured, warmly catching her friend's eye so the two could share a smile. Nodding, Kagome felt gratitude for Sango, and how she had somehow become so close that she had learned exactly when Kagome needed her.
"I suppose this means… I won't be going home." Kagome mumbled, more to herself than the group, but feeling embarrassed when she realized her words were more than audible. "I-I don't mean to be selfish. It's just if anything is to happen…"
"It won't." Inuyasha's firm promise did little to mollify her as she thought of how close she had come to returning to her family. "Besides, you know I would prefer if you do return, so if that's truly what you choose-"
"No." Kagome shook her head, even as her mind screamed in protest, though her heart beat willingly along with her decision. "You know what I choose."
Kikyo nodded sharply, hoisting her bow. "Then we should prepare ourselves to move out. Everyone, gather your strength and your weapons. We should leave as soon as possible. Naraku will not stay in one place for long." With that, the company dispersed, no further instruction needed.
A/N: Hello all! I'm posting chapters early this week as I'm going away for a couple days starting tomorrow, so there's going to be an early start on all updates ^_^ As always thank you so much for reading and commenting, I'm glad you're enjoying it! So, this fic is one of my first and the first one I actually finished. It's not going to be *much longer, I didn't stretch it where I could have with the goal of delivering a good story and completing it, and I think I achieved that with what I did write. I've been contemplating adding more or fleshing out the next six chapters, but having read it over a few times, I think for what it is, it flows well and does what it needs to do. I hope you all look forward to it and the Fics I have coming; until next time!