InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Against All Odds ❯ Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )

Against All Odds:

With only one shard in their possession they knew the odds were against them. They just didn’t expect it. It all went horribly wrong.  

Chapter One

Kagome felt the warm glow of the fire on her cool skin as she lay there, staring at the flames. She wasn’t sure what time it wasn’t but by the look in the sky it had to be well past Midnight. Not that anyone here would know the meaning of time. Honestly, she didn’t care. She dropped her head onto her arm and laid there, her mind thinking over everything. The odds were against them. With only one shard in their possession and the rest in Naraku’s hands, they were going into a battle that could very well kill them. They were all that stood between a twisted, sadistic demon and the continuation of man and demon-kind alike.

Humans would be the first to go if they lost, unless Naraku had a ‘turn-around’ plan for them. A reverse of when Demons were the hated species—if Naraku ruled, humans would be Hated. Next would be the Demons. He would kill the weak ones and, she didn’t doubt, half demons. With the Jewel, he would have no rival so no Demon would be a match for him.

They couldn’t lose. She curled her fingers around the Jewel shard attached to the chain around her neck. This was the last shard. The last piece of hope that the Feudal Era had. She was surprised that she was so calm. It was scary. She lifted her head as she heard a slight sound, a small thump. Beyond the fire she could see Inuyasha. He was walking away, nothing in his gait to show any of the sorrow she knew he had to be feeling. Even she was hurting, but she was hurting for him. She sighed and rose up on one arm, contemplating, before she pushed herself to her feet. She knew if Inuyasha didn’t want to talk, he wouldn’t; there was no way she could sneak up on him.

Sometimes, walking up on him like she was now, she would just imagine that he didn’t know she was coming so she could catch him unawares. She was almost within arms distance when she finally reached out her hand.

“Go home, Kagome.”

She paused, her hand in mid-air. His voice was low, almost emotionless. “Inuyasha…”

“Please.”

Please. Her heart turned over at that one word. She swore her heart was breaking all over again. Inuyasha wasn’t demanding and he wasn’t asking her to go home. He was begging. She closed the distance between them and slid her hand over his shoulder. “I can’t. You know that.”

“Yes, you can.” Inuyasha muttered. His shoulder was tense beneath her hand, the warmth from his body seeping through.

No, she couldn’t. Kagome was not going to leave until this was finished. She wasn’t. “I started this, Inuyasha. I’m not leaving until it’s finished. We’ll win.” His hand covered hers, much larger than her smaller, delicate one. He closed his fingers around hers and just held them there.

“Kagome…” When had she become so stubborn? He shook his head at that. That was a foolish question. Kagome was stubborn intensified. He needed Kagome gone because if something happened to her when they reached Naraku…He had come a long way, he wouldn’t deny that. He was stronger. Tessaiga was stronger. But so was Naraku. He cursed the bastard for that. Why couldn’t he just stay down? The odds were even further against their path with Naraku in possession of the other shards. Inuyasha knew that all it would take is a slip on their part and Naraku would have that Jewel and then they were dead. But he could protect Kagome from that.

She just had to go home.

His ears flicked as she took a deep breath. “Inuyasha, I’m sorr—“

He lifted his head and closed his eyes, cutting her off. “Don’t say it.” He didn’t want to hear it. Anything but that. He didn’t want her pity. He could lie and say everything was alright and that he hadn’t felt a thing when Naraku had killed Kikyo before his very eyes. And that for just the sheer joy of revenge, vengeance and the thrill of being able to kill her. But he had felt something. He’d felt lost and angry. But his heart hadn’t broken. No, he’d stopped loving Kikyo a long time ago. That didn’t mean that she hadn’t taken a piece of him with her though. She had been his first love and he would always remember her. She hadn’t deserved to die at Naraku’s hands—not again.

“Don’t.” He shook his head and turned, sensing she was going to say something. He didn’t know what to say so he just said it all. “I stopped loving her a long time ago.” He inhaled and her soft, sweet scent drifted up. “But she didn’t deserve to die like that. The bastard…” He hated the expression that crossed her eyes at his words. Pity and hope. He hated the pity because she pitied him for the wrong reasons—Kikyo was a loss but he would survive. He hated the hope even more because, Gods, he knew Kagome loved him. She’d made that clear over and over in her actions. He didn’t know what he felt for her. He cared about her, there was no denying that, but he just didn’t…He didn’t know. He wanted to squash that hope because Kagome was more than likely hoping for the inevitable—considering the battle that was to come, there might not be any hope for anyone.

He wasn’t stupid. Naraku was one powerful bastard right now…but they still had a chance. As long as there was hope, they had a chance.

Inuyasha let out a sigh and then without a word wrapped his arms around her slender body and pulled her up against him. He had to hold her. He felt her stiffen a moment, maybe in shock, before she went slack against him, her arms circling his waist. “Stupid wench.” He murmured into her hair. “You’d be safer if you just went home.”

“I know.” Kagome whispered against his chest, her cheek pressed over the gentle beat of his heart.

“You never were smart.” He felt her chuckle against his chest and tightened his arms around her. “I promised I’d protect you.” He finally said at last. And he would.

Because tomorrow they weren’t going into a battle. They were going to War.


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