InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Sealed Fate ❯ Chapter 2

InuYasha was frustrated; no he was pissed. The trip to the village where the demon was terrorizing had not been a bad one- in fact he enjoyed the perks of spending time with the miko alone. He was able to smile more freely, hold her a little longer. In short, it felt good. It lead to one problem however.

It had made him soft. When they reached the border of the fields, the workers momentarily froze. That lasted for only a second as one of the men screamed “DEMON!”

All hell broke loose.

They charged at the hanyou with their farm equipment and InuYasha couldn't help but roll his eyes. This was far from the first time this happened to him. Kagome looked at the scene unfolding and frowned. Here they were ready to help these people and they raised their pitchforks at their savior. Her anger was rising and InuYasha could smell it. He shot her a quick look before speaking.

“Let it go Kagome. It's not worth it.”

“But InuYasha, I can't stand when people do this to you. They just assume your going to hurt them! “

“That's smart of them, it's unusual for demons to rescue humans.”

“But they haven't even given-“

Kagome was grabbed mid-sentence. InuYasha had been so caught up in trying to make her back down that he never would have guessed that they men would have tried to get to Kagome first. He let loose a snarl.

“Let her go.” His voice was deep and commanding. There was venom laced in it with an unspoken promise of pain if his wishes were not heeded. The man's response was to tighten his grip on Kagome. InuYasha bared his fangs.

He silently was debating what to do. His demon blood urged him to run his claws through every man that touched her. His human side interjected that Kagome would be upset at bloodshed. How was he going to get this filth to hand over the miko without killing at least one of them?

“Hey! Get your hands off of me! What do you think you're doing you dirty old man!

“Quiet woman! Know your place. You are lucky we rescued you. How dare you behave this way?”

“Rescue me? I DON'T NEED TO BE RESCUSED! LET ME- OW!”

Hearing her gasp of pain was the deciding factor. His blood begged to kill the scum, but InuYasha knew better. He clenched his fist and brought it to the man's face, effectively bringing him down to the ground, only to lay there unconscious. He even threw the punch.

InuYasha grabbed Kagome and pushed her behind him. He gave her a quick glance from the corner of his eye.

“Are you okay Kagome?”

“Yeah I'll be alright.” Feeling her fist his fire rat, his confidence grew and a slight smirk crawled on his lips.

A man stepped forward, although a little apprehensive. “Woman, you willingly go back to this demon?! You have been in the company of this monster for too long.”

“Don't you talk about him that way! We came here to help!” Kagome shouted as she peeked over said demons shoulder.

The villager almost laughed. “How can a demon be of any help? His kind are what plague us!”

InuYasha snorted. “We KNOW. That's why we're here. We heard a rumor that a demon has been spotted by your village. We came to take care of it for you. But after what you did to Kagome, I'm reconsidering.”

The villager spoke, as if weighing the situation carefully.
“I do not understand why a demon would turn on one of its own to help humans. It does not make sense to me.”

The dog demon turned his noise in the air, smirking as he locked eyes with the villager.

“Well your about to find out. It's coming this way.”

~.~

The fight had lasted longer than he had wanted. Although this demon was not InuYashas fiercest nor most clever opponent, what it lacked in those areas it made up for in sheer strength and stamina. Every time the hanyou seemed to take the thing down it rose again twice as strong!

InuYasha landed the final blow with one quick slice of his sword. When the monstrous body fell to the group in bloody heap, InuYasha panted as Kagome raced towards him. His vision clouded for a moment as allowed his body to feel the wounds the beast ad inflicted. While fighting his body ran on pure adrenaline; there was no room for pain. Now that Kagome was safe, his senses seemed to go into over drive.

And the worst part was that they demon didn't even have a fucking jewel shard.

Kagome tried to ease him to the base of a tree trunk but InuYasha protested. The stink of the demon was making him sick. InuYasha brought his nose to the air and sifted out a stream. Leaning slightly on Kagome, he led her in the direction.

The stream was not far, but removed enough from the village that InuYasha felt safe. Luck seemed to be on their side as they found a cave bordering the water. Kagome helped InuYasha sit down and lean against the wall. Bending down to rest on her knees she looked over the hanyou. His clothing stained from a wound near his ribs; she could tell that there was a gash that ran across his thigh, as his normally loose hakmana was plastered to him. She brought her small nimble hands up to his chest as she began to work his robe off. InuYasha groaned and swatted her away.

“Let me treat your wounds InuYasha.” Her voice was stern. Couldn't he for once make things easy?

“I'm fine wench.”

“Why do you have to be like that? Of course you're not!” She again brought her hands up to his chest, and as before he moved them away.

Kagome narrowed her eyes at the dog demon.

“InuYasha, you WILL let me treat your wounds. While you're at it, take off your clothes. Ill wash them for you.”

He looked at her as if she had three heads. She wanted him to strip?

“Hell no woman!” But something about the way she looked at him left no room for arguments. He turned his head and let out an angry `keh' as the miko began to work.

She washed his chest than bandaged it up. That was nothing new; she often did this after a battle, the difference was that this was the first time in a while that she had done so alone. She couldn't help herself as her fingertips lightly trailed down his skin. It was well toned, hard and still hot from the battle. Her feather light touch made him hiss. Kagome snapped out of it drawing her eyes back. She felt a stab of guilt. Here InuYasha was getting bandaged up and she couldn't keep her paws off of him. Her mindless exploring had not only embarrassed her, but she guessed, caused the hanyou pain from his hiss.

Nothing could have been farther from the truth. He had had his eyes closed as Kagome used her ointments and wraps. But something seemed to be taking longer. He cracked an eye open only to have the breath catch in his throat. She was looking at his chest with hunger. When she reached out to touch, he couldn't contain the satisfaction that escaped his lips. He cursed mentally; who knows how much more she would have done if he hadn't woken her from her thoughts?

He shook his head slightly. He was seriously spending too much time around the monk.

~.~

Once Kagome was done tending to InuYasha she set him up comfortably with her sleeping bag, water and an energy bar. To say he was unhappy was an understatement.

“Oi wench, I aint a pup! I'm fine. I'm getting up to get the fire wood.”

The look Kagome shot him sent him back under the covers. Slinging her bow and quiver over her shoulder she looked at him sternly.

“I won't be gone too long. IM going to get the firewood. You need to rest.” InuYasha gave her a dirty look before turning his head, closing his eyes and letting out a dignified `keh'. His heart skipped a beat as he felt her draw near. Too afraid to open his eyes he listened intently to make a mental picture. Nothing prepared him for the feel of her soft lips on his cheek. His eyes few open to look at her grey. A pink blush spread across her face.

“I'll be back soon.” With that, she exited the cave leaving a very confused, now aroused hanyou behind her. Once again, he thanked the gods Kagome didn't have his sense of smell.

~.~

As Kagome gathered firewood, InuYasha was left alone to his thoughts. He wasn't just pissed that the demon did NOT have a shard; it wasn't just that he was been injured; it was that the villagers took one look at the pair and immediately assumed that she was there against her will. That he had taken her and was holding her hostage. That he was corrupting her. It served as a reminder that he was not good enough for her. She made him put his guard down. At times, it seemed like it would not matter if hanyou mated a human. That was taboo enough. Kagome was different. She was a priestess. She was from the future. She was a forbidden fruit.

He knew that he shouldn't allow her to be around him, yet he couldn't find the strength to make her go. Hell, he couldn't even get the words to leave his lips. It felt like his heart was being torn in two. InuYasha had realized pretty early on that he needed her by his side. She gave him a reason to live, a reason to fight. The few times that he thought she had left for good had almost been the death of him.

Sure, he was charged to complete the shikon and defeat Naraku for the many wrongs he had done to himself and Kikyou. However, revenge is not enough to feed the soul. If that was all that the hanyou had, he would have been killed in battle long ago. At some point, he began to live to hear Kagomes laugh, to have her scent tease his senses, to watch her genuine smile warm those around her. He dreamed of the times when she would lean on him, when she would clamp her legs tightly around his waist as they lept through the air, the times he saw her lingering gaze… At some point, he had fallen in love with her.

It was a daily battle with his demon not to claim her. It cried for its mate when he open his eyes until the moment he shut them. For now, he had laid a scent claim strong enough that it was over whelming, but it was still not enough. His demon blood demanded to be set free and take what was his. But it was not the right time; there were too many loose ends. Naraku still hung over their heads and Kikyou still roamed the Earth.

Kikyou had been the first person to show interest in InuYasha since his mother had passed, the first to show him compassion and extend friendship. When she expressed her desire to love as husband and wife, he didn't care about the cost. To be loved and touched by another was more than he could have ever hoped for, more than he dared. He was determined to pay its price if he could experience love.

He thought it was anyway. At the time he had been so eager to be acknowledged by a hand that didn't mean to hurt that he jumped at the only opportunity. Had the plan succeeded, he would have lived the rest of his life thinking that that was love. Who knew, perhaps in time he would have actually fallen for her.

It wasn't until he met Kagome that the stark contrast was shown. Her scent called to him from the minute they made contact. He was angry and disgusted with everyone, human or otherwise. They were all out for themselves, he had learned that the hard way. When he let his guard down, a sacred arrow lodged him into a tree sealing him for 50 years. Yet, this girl tore them down brick by brick.

She easily gave her affections. She touched him without reservation, regardless of who was watching. She never looked at him as beneath her, in fact she viewed him in awe. She offered him warm smiles and hugs, good natured joking and silent understanding. When she reached for his hand, she laced her fingers with his and stroked his claws, never afraid that he would turn them on her. Her trust, her belief that he would save her was unyielding.

Yes, it wasn't until he met Kagome that he understood that he had never loved Kikyou in a romantic sense. He lusted for her body and for her acceptance. Had she taken a human mate, he would have been upset, that was a given. Yet he would let her move on. If Kagome took a mate…

His blood boiled just thinking about it. He would kill whoever dared. She was his. InuYasha did not just lust for her body he ached for it. His soul begged to claim hers. His demon blood never sang for Kikyou; it howled for Kagome. It was the most overwhelming feeling. The pull of it was so strong he was often short tempered and gave the brunt of it to Kagome.

InuYasha sighed. Something was going to have to happen soon or he was going to go crazy, especially if things continued the way they were over this journey. Exploring the width of Kagomes sleeping bag, he smirked.

`I guess the wench is just going to have to sleep with me in here.'

He eagerly awaited Kagome return.

~.~

Kagome began to make her way back to the cave, the bundle of firewood cradled in her arms. She tried to stay on alert, as she was alone in the forest, but she couldn't help as her thoughts wandered elsewhere- like to InuYashas firm chest. Come to think of it, when she got back she should probably change his bandages…

Her thoughts were abruptly cut off as she watched the soul catcher's race ahead of her to the cave.