InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Haunted: Red and Amber ❯ Instincts.1 ( Chapter 1 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer (I'm only doing this once): I don't own anything about Inuyasha (although my hands are fairly itching to get a hold of him...). Unfortunately for me, and probably you, he belongs to Takahashi Rumiko.

I finally jumped on the bandwagon of people posting the same story on multiple sites. But, oh well. I want this story to reach more people because I'm so proud of it. Anyway, this story is not necessarily about "true" love, in reality love is not the governing force of the world. Instincts, lust, and friendship are much stronger, each in their own separate ways. That's what this story is about. So when I mention love in here, more often than not I mean the type of love between friends. However, Kagome's thoughts will be centered around "true" love sometimes. It's pretty fast paced, but that's because I'm concentrating on the relationship rather than everything else that's going on. Please enjoy and let me know how it is! ^.~


"Long lost words whisper slowly to me
Still can't find what keeps me here"


+-Part 1: Instincts-+


His rough hands smoothed over her skin, coaxing her body into a flush of tensed nerves, as his claws lightly raked against her chest and stomach. Goosebumps rose over her body. She looked into his wide amber eyes, looking so innocent and all-knowing at the same time. Slowly, his hands travelled down toward her core. She didn't even know what she was doing as her legs instinctively opened for him. He smirked at that, sensing her confusion and delight all at the same time. His hand drew ever nearer to her...

Kagome shot up in her sleeping bag, unintentionally dislodging poor Shippou. The rudely awakened kitsune soared across the dark camp, piercing the previous silence with his yelp of shock. The girl's chest heaved for air as she mentally groped for some kind of hold on reality. Her eyes had not yet registered anything in the black night, but she was slowly beginning to realize where she was and that she had just been dreaming. Uncomfortably enough, if the perspiration all over her body and the tight, wet feeling in her nether region were any indication, that dream had affected her body as fully as if it had been real.

A rustle of clothing to her left brought Kagome's attention away from her shame and to the new feeling of fear. "Who... who's there?"

"Keh. Don't get all scared. It's just me," Inuyasha replied. He knew she probably couldn't see his face right now through the dark, but he could see hers as clear as day. Fear, embarrassment, guilt. They were written all over her face; and her scent was a delicate map, explaining the reasons for each of those emotions. The youkai inside Inuyasha was intrigued with the impurity of the scent surrounding the miko energy in the air.

Ignoring this knowledge and his own inner feelings, Inuyasha soundlessly went to retrieve the wailing kitsune. "Shippou, shut up. You're fine," he ordered, staying relatively quiet as to not wake Miroku or Sango. How could those two sleep through all the racket? Stupid human senses.

He was about to take the child back to his normal bed next to Kagome when Inuyasha had a rare moment of insight. Knowing how she was feeling at that moment, he figured she would rather be left alone. He may have been a hanyou and an unfeeling jerk most of the time, but she was still his best friend. "Sleep with Sango for the rest of the night, ok?" he suggested to the younger youkai, putting enough force into his voice to get his way without any further argument. Shippou, with eyes just as keen as Inuyasha's own, glanced at Kagome before nodding his agreement. He was too young to understand what was going on, but he, too, could sense Kagome's discomfort and desire to be left alone.

Inuyasha waited until he heard the kitsune lapse into a soft breathing rhythm that indicated sleep before crawling back toward Kagome. He could tell that she wasn't sleeping, just pretending. Baka. As if she would be able to fool his youkai senses. He slowed his breathing as he crept closer, hoping to keep her unaware of his close proximity as he gazed at her soft features and damp hair. The tangy scent of salt hung in the air around her, as did that wet, fleshy aroma. He cocked an eyebrow in thought, wondering what had prompted these dreams. She'd been having them off and on for several weeks now, and every night for the past week. It didn't make any sense, she wasn't in heat. He'd never smelled the blood scent on her before, either, so she wasn't even a full-grown human yet. Yet, here she was, releasing this scent of arousal. Stupid human tendencies.

The hanyou bounded into the tree above his friend to watch her some more as he contemplated this new change in her. The youkai also had much to think about.

~~~~

Morning came and went relatively peacefully and without incident. Shippou had only questioned Kagome once about the previous night's occurrence, much to her embarrassment. She stammered through some explanation about a nightmare and thanked her maker that Sango and Miroku were too far ahead to hear the child's inquiry. Shippou seemed appeased, at any rate, and didn't mention it again. This left Kagome alone to her thoughts, which were presently centered on the rigid hanyou leading their small group through the forest.

Why hadn't he bothered her yet about what had happened the last night? Normally he would yell at her for causing so much trouble and almost waking up all the youkai of the surrounding area. Instead he'd just told her to calm down and then went back to his tree. Though, she did have the suspicion that he'd been watching her for quite some time after that. Kagome was curious... did he think the same things about her that she was thinking about him?

She'd known for a while that she was in love with him. First there was the pain she'd suffered when seeing him and Kikyou together. Then later there was the enormous loss she felt after the time disturbance between their eras had closed off the well while Menomaru was back in the past stealing everyone's souls. After all that, how could she not know that she loved him? But that wasn't the point. Love or not, Kagome had never had such dirty thoughts about anyone before this. Sure, her friends talked about guys all the time; and those three probably believed she and Inuyasha had already gone pretty far, being that he was the "two-timing, jealous, badass." But when Kagome joined in those types of conversations with her friends, it was always just in fun; she was only joking.

Reflecting on the abrupt changes her body and mind were now making, Kagome was pretty sure this went way beyond joking. She closed her eyes, hoping to clear her mind of all thoughts so that she could just continue on with her day as if nothing had happened.

...he pulled her knees wide and up, tightly wrapping them high around his waist. She saw a single drop of sweat form on his forehead, just above those intense eyes. The amber orbs gazed at her in determination, triumph, caring. Lust. She forgot everything as she held onto his back and arched her body in response, her own eyes hungrily following the sweat drop as it began a slow descent down toward the tip of his nose. His hands were tender and rough all at the same time, sweetly rubbing against her nub until she thought she would die. Still her eyes remained on the single drop of sweat. Giving into temptation, she quickly leaned up to lick it off before it fell. Unable to control himself after her bold action, he moved his hands to grab onto her hips as he plunged deep into her depths...

Kagome's eyes flew open as her body trembled in need and shock, the vision having only lasted a few short seconds in her mind. What had just happened there? Why was her mind sending her these images? And as always, she felt herself growing moist down there again. Damn it.

The now familiar scent hit Inuyasha's nose like a heat wave. He glanced back for any sign of his human friend, seeing that she was indeed keeping up with their party, although a few meters behind the rest. His eyes hurriedly resumed their scanning of the area ahead for danger while his mind scanned his memories. This was the first time he'd ever sensed Kagome's arousal while she was awake. It was stronger than usual, too. What the hell was she doing? They had Shikon no Tama to complete; there wasn't any time for such fantasies! Pondering over his strange friend, the youkai within Inuyasha decided he should go back and talk to her about this. Or better yet, see if he could fill in any of the blanks in his mind without her realizing what he was doing.

Kagome looked up from the ground with a start when she sensed the hanyou walking beside her. She had no idea how long he'd been keeping her company or why, but she could think of several answers that she hoped were wrong.

"Nani, Inuyasha?" she asked with a bright, fake smile pasted on her face. Maybe he wouldn't see through it.

"You were silent back here. I wondered what you were thinking about," he replied with his usual cranky attitude.

"Oh well, um..." she began, blushing furiously, "I was just concentrating on the area. Trying to feel for any Shikon no Kakera." Kagome had to congratulate herself on that one. Surely any mention of Shikon would make Inuyasha forget whatever he'd been thinking.

"But we're going back to the well, remember? So you can get home in time to study for another one of those fucking tests of yours," he countered, effectively destroying her single good excuse. "We don't have time for the Shikon no Kakera," he sneered, imitating her. Inside he was smirking, amused at how flustered and embarrassed he could see her becoming.

Kagome instantly became indignant. "I never said that! Just because I want to have a life doesn't mean that righting my mistake with the Shikon no Tama isn't important to me!" she argued, voice growing louder by the moment. "You are so selfish! You never consider what's going to happen to me when we complete this mission and I have to return home for good! Return home to a life I screwed up just because I spent too much time here!" she vented, now in a full scream.

Obviously, this was no longer funny to Inuyasha; and he was not going to let her get away with giving him more than he was going to give back. "Oh, sure, SELFISH! You don't care that you ruined my chances at becoming a full youkai. You don't care that it's because of YOU being here that Kikyou is now back from the dead to torment me. I was doing just fine sealed up in that tree without you being here, you bitch!" he hollered back, turning red with rage. And as the anger took over his senses, all sensibility left him.

"Well maybe I should have never come! Maybe I should have left you to rot here!" she cried back, tears squeezing their way past her eyes to pour over her cheeks. Swiftly turning to Miroku and Sango, who were watching the spectacle, Kagome continued in a softer tone, "Sango-chan, can I borrow Kirara again?" Sango only nodded weakly in shock. "Arigatou. I will be back before sunset two days from now."

Before Inuyasha had the chance to stop her, his face plummeted to the ground -- and through several inches of the ground -- in a ferocious "Osuwari!" Kagome climbed atop the transformed Kirara and waved stiffly at the two humans and one small kitsune as she flew away. Inuyasha never got to see her go, the prayer beads keeping him pressed to the ground for several minutes.

~~~~

Kagome climbed out of the well, cursing the stupid hanyou and even swearing at the well house roof for making it impossible to see in the dark. Ever since her abduction by the centipede youkai many months ago, she'd always felt uncomfortable being alone in the well house. Which made her wish Inuyasha were there with her, which only served to further anger her. It was an endless cycle.

She replayed their last argument over in her head as she passed through the shelter's sliding door, wondering how it had ever escalated into this. First Inuyasha was seemingly being kind and taking an interest in her feelings, the next moment they were wishing they'd never met and she was introducing his face to the dirt. Well, that had been rather gratifying; but in the end, it didn't get them anywhere. Although, she had to admit it did allow her to return home guilt free for a few days. That was always nice. Okay, so she was feeling guilty. There was no reason she should have let her temper get so out of hand. By now, she was used to Inuyasha's thoughtless comments and could have easily ignored them if she'd wanted to. So why hadn't she?

Kagome growled at herself. Why, she wanted to know? Maybe it was those dreams she'd been having about him recently. Maybe it was the way she wanted to jump on him so badly that she felt she had to get him pissed in order to stave off embarrassment. Maybe it was the cramps in her stomach that were really starting to annoy her. Her racing thoughts stopped on that last one. A sinking realization urged Kagome into a run that took her through her house doors, up the stairs, and into the bathroom. It was only a matter of seconds before a scream of frustration and exasperation rang through the Higurashi home.

So, it had finally happened, and about time, too. God damnit.

Inuyasha's thoughts were pretty much running along the same lines as he dejectedly followed behind Miroku and Sango back to Kaede's village. Damn her! he shouted in his head. He'd been graciously returning her to the well so she could go home -- imagine that, he was HELPING her leave him this time! -- and she still sat him! What pissed him off more, though, was the reaction he'd had to her. Impatient, illogical, stubborn, and irrational he may be -- although he'd never admit it aloud -- but normally he would never let her words affect him so deeply. His superficial emotions were always much more dramatic than how he really felt. Until now.

When she had begun yelling at him, he'd readily and happily jumped to the challenge. As if he yearned to hurt her, longed to hurt himself; to keep them apart. But he loved Kagome. She meant more to him than anyone else in the world, even Kikyou, although that revelation was something he rarely confronted with his mind. Once they had made it back to near the village, Inuyasha jumped to the top of Goshinboku without even bothering to enlighten the others as to his whereabouts. He told himself that it just didn't make sense for him to try to push away someone who was that important to him. His youkai side was laughing at him, mocking him for the delusions he was stubbornly grasping. The youkai wanted her; was intrigued by her power and her rage and her passion. It wanted to possess all those sides of her. And that was the real reason why he had pushed her away.

~~~~

The hanyou paced through the trees with his dog-ears twitching this way and that, obviously impatient and very irritated. His large, red haori swished back and forth among his legs, annoying him. Whenever he looked towards the well, nothing had changed. Why wasn't she there yet? She'd promised to be back before sunset, but here it was already dark. Knowing the dangers of the forest, he'd forced Miroku and Sango to go back to the village with Shippou. The little kitsune had fought the whole time since he'd wanted to see Kagome so badly, but of course the houshi and taijiya were too strong for him.

The sudden sound of something or someone hitting the side of the well had the boy spinning on his foot to face her. Joy and excitement flashed across his face until a decided look of stubborn determination settled there. A familiar voice let out a very unladylike expletive from deep within the old pit.

Kagome rubbed her stinging knee with her hand, wincing at the pain there. Maybe being in a hurry wasn't a good idea, but she couldn't help it. She should have been back hours ago and she knew Inuyasha wasn't going to understand her reasoning for being late, but sometimes women just had more pressing matters to attend to. She could just imagine how angry he would be when she got back to the village. Of course, he deserved it after the way he'd treated her before she left, but she wasn't really even that upset with him anymore. Letting go of the scraped knee, she once again began the climb to the top of the well. It was so uncomfortable, wearing the pad. Her mom had shown her the tampon, saying that it was actually much more practical than using a pad. Kagome had balked: that thing wasn't going up HER! It was too intimate... and too gross.

Throwing one leg over the side of the well and proceeding to haul herself over it, Kagome looked around to make sure it was safe to come out. Night in the forest of Inuyasha was not somewhere she wanted to be without Inuyasha himself. As it was, she would just have to be alert on her way to the village. Speaking of being alert, Kagome suddenly had the suspicion that she was being watched. Peering into the darkness between the trees, she realized that two amber eyes were staring back at her. Knowing immediately who it was, Kagome hopped off the side of the well and smiled at her hidden friend. "Konbanwa, Inuyasha! Gomen ne.." she began in a cheerful voice until he came closer and she saw the look on his face.

The silver-haired boy came striding toward her with irritation written all over his features and his ears pinned back in anger. "Teme! You should have been back a long time ago! How many times do I have to tell you that we need to find the last shards of Shikon no Tama!?" he started the rant. After taking a short breath, Inuyasha continued, "When you said you'd be back before sunset, I expected you to back before sunset! What were you doing-" but then he abruptly stopped his yelling. Kagome, who had been flinching at each harshly spoken word, now looked up to find the hanyou standing several feet away from her with an expression of ultimate shock on his face. His ears sat atop his head, perked forward in interest, and she could see even across the distance that his nose was twitching in excitement as he sniffed at the air. Slowly, Inuyasha crept closer and closer to walk circles around her, repeatedly taking in deep breaths.

"Inuyasha? Nani o?" Kagome asked, not sure if he was smelling her or something else.

"You're bleeding," he stated simply, still behind her in his rounds. His voice sounded strange, hoarse and almost strained.

"Oh, that? I just hit my knee on the well. It's nothing really; I can clean it up once we get to the village," Kagome assured him. She'd bled before in his presence, so why was he acting so weird now?

"Iie, not that," he whispered, now standing in front of her. Kagome looked at him warily, wondering why he was wearing such an odd expression. Like he was excited, hungry, and afraid all at once. That look reminded her so much of the eyes she saw in her dreams, though it was still very different all at the same time. Inuyasha suddenly grabbed her right arm and began to drag her toward the village, erasing every thought from her mind for a few moments as she tried to understand what was going on.

"Mou, Inuyasha! What's gotten into you? I can walk just fine on my own!" she protested, now becoming highly agitated with the whole situation.

"Keh, baka! You're vulnerable out here. I need to get you to Kaede-baba, now," he argued softly. Kagome still hadn't a clue what he was talking about, but then it hit her. Maybe he hadn't been talking about her knee when he'd said she was bleeding. Maybe.... but no! Could he really smell her period on her?! Just the thought of it disgusted her. Kagome didn't want anyone to be able to smell that! But if he could smell her blood, could he also smell her dreams? Her face erupted in flames at the thought. If only she'd been able to see the red now seeping into his amber eyes, her fear would have overridden any disgust and embarrassment she felt. Probably she was lucky to be unaware. The scent of her fear would only have further excited the youkai.

It surprisingly didn't take very long for the two of them to emerge from the forest. The edge of the village was close by, and Kaede's hut wasn't that far away either. Inuyasha picked up the pace, determined to get Kagome to safety as fast as possible, and that meant getting her out of HIS care. Right now, he just didn't trust himself. Bursting through the door of the priestess's home, the boy shoved Kagome toward the shocked older woman and busted out of there as fast as he could. And he kept running until he could no longer smell her fresh scent.

Inuyasha huffed repeatedly among the forest trees, each time blowing the air out through his nose, but it was no use. A hint of Kagome's condition lingered in his nostrils, and there was no way he could fight it. If he didn't do something about his reaction to her new state, though, he would lose control. He'd been fine around her these past weeks despite her arousal repeatedly disturbing his senses, but now that her body had matured...? Attempting to rid his mind of these thoughts, Inuyasha resumed his earlier pacing with his hands clenching into fists every so often. Somewhere inside him, his youkai half was screaming to be released. Sexually, it had remained dormant even after the few occasions when it had surfaced to fight; but now it wanted nothing more than to tear back toward that hut, throw the old woman out, and have its way with Kagome. Hell, throwing the hag out first wasn't really even required. All that mattered was feeling the young female flesh writhing underneath him... around him...

A low growl of frustration escaped Inuyasha's throat. He had to stop doing this to himself. If he kept imagining such things, he'd never be able to resist her, and the last thing he wanted was to hurt Kagome. As he'd forced himself to admit before, she was his best friend. It was almost an exact repeat of his situation with Kikyou fifty years ago. At first he felt only hate; then it grew to grudging respect and need; and then his youkai self awakened to the miko power. Only, last time, his humanity had convinced him to wait until he was human to be with Kikyou. This time, that wasn't going to fool the youkai; it longed to defile the purity and innocence within Kagome. Unfortunately, his body wholeheartedly agreed. Inuyasha looked down to the mokkori* building in his pants: THAT had never happened with Kikyou. So now he wasn't just fighting the youkai within, but also the hanyou body without.

Inuyasha sat down, pressing his back against the trunk of a nearby tree and bringing his knees up, to curl his arms around his legs and rest his head against them. For the time being at least, his human self was in control. As long as that lasted, he would just have to force himself to ride this out alone.

~~~~

Kagome was rubbing her elbow with a sour expression on her face. Inuyasha could be irrational and a little rough, everyone knew that, but there was no excuse for the harsh way he'd shoved her against the floor. Stupid dog boy. She now sported a scraped elbow along with her already-bloody knee. How lovely.

"-very upset ever since you left, Kagome. But I'm sure he never meant to be so-"

She wasn't really paying attention to the old woman, not that she meant to be rude or anything. She did realize that Inuyasha had been so uncaring out of his haste and not because he was angry, but now she was angry from his carelessness! Why had he been so concerned about her period? And why the hell hadn't he explained to her the reason behind his reaction? If she'd know he would act this way, she would have stayed at home until it was over. Granted, he'd be really pissed since that would have meant her lying, but better a pissed Inuyasha than a confusing one. At least when he was angry he never hesitated to tell you why!

Kagome sighed, deciding that she would never be able to figure this situation out on her own, so she might as well drop it for now. Looking back up from her thoughts, Kagome noticed Kaede watching her with a strange expression.

"Are you all right, Kagome?" the elder asked.

"Hai, I think so. Just confused," was all she answered. Kaede looked as if she was about to speak again when Kagome cut her off. "Kaede-baa-chan, do you have anything here I can use to mask my scent?"

Kaede was taken off guard by the question but answered to the best of her ability. "The strongest smells I could give you will still not be as strong as those soaps you bring from your home."

Kagome looked down in disappointment, but just then an idea hit her. "My soaps are used for making me clean, along with leaving a scent on me. What about dirt? Would getting really dirty hide my own smell?" Not that being perpetually dirty was exactly something she looked forward to.

"The scent of earth is very strong. It would hide all but the strongest of smells about you. Kagome... may I ask why?" Kaede wondered, obviously disturbed.

"Oh... it's Inuyasha. I think I... irritate his nose." She kept the explanation as short as possible. Kaede simply nodded, knowing there was more to it but also knowing that Kagome didn't want to discuss it.

~~~~

The sun was high overhead of the group five days later as they traveled once again northeast toward the whisperings of Naraku. They were making fairly good time what with Kagome and Inuyasha avoiding each other as much as possible, so there was no fighting. At least not between the hanyou and miko.

Slap!

Sango readjusted Hiraikotsu over her shoulder and continued on her way, with only the twitch in her eye betraying her state of mind. A resigned and rather disappointed-looking monk followed several feet behind her now, gingerly rubbing a hand over the red handprint on his cheek. Shippou watched the entire exchange from Kagome's shoulder with interest as Kagome herself merely sighed at Miroku's antics. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, mentally wishing the baka bouzu would keep his fucking hands to himself. One would think that Miroku would learn after enough slaps, but no. Hell, Hachi -- a tanuki! -- had had better luck with the ladies when he was impersonating the monk. When a raccoon has less trouble with women than a grown man, that's got to tell you something.

In all honesty, though, Inuyasha really didn't care all that much. As long as Miroku kept his hands away from Kagome, he could grope wherever he pleased. His amber eyes narrowed as he imagined the consequences of a foolish monk. No one was allowed to touch her. Of course, Inuyasha wouldn't even let himself touch her, so why should he let Miroku? And thinking of which, why did HE even want to touch Kagome? They were friends... nothing more. Given, she was attractive although he would never admit that to her, and he did feel safe around her. But why should he suddenly go haywire now that her body was mature? Why hadn't he ever wanted her this way before?

Unbeknownst to the hanyou, the youkai inside was smirking. Waiting.

He'd noticed when he went back to the village several nights ago that her blood scent wasn't as strong as he'd first smelled it. Upon getting closer to her, he realized why: she was filthy. It had looked as if she'd found a huge pile of loose dirt and rolled in it for hours. For all he knew, she could have. She also hadn't bathed again until the blood scent left her. That's when he'd figured out her reasons behind the grunge look, and silently thanked her for it. However, it was embarrassing to know that she had indeed figured out what it was about her that had bothered him. Hopefully she still didn't know exactly WHY it bothered him.

A day after that they had resumed their journey to find Naraku. That bastard was going to pay soon, Inuyasha could just feel it. They'd been fighting for this too long; the end had to be near. He could practically feel that shithead's presence just thinking about it.

Wait.

"Kagome, get down!" he cried out, realizing Naraku was, in fact, near them and coming from Kagome's other side.

Kagome dropped to the ground, turning her head to watch the area that Inuyasha's eyes were glued to. In the background, she heard Sango ripping off her outer clothes to reveal the warrior armor that made it much easier to maneuver around along with the sounds of Kirara's transformation. Shippou scurried toward the opposite side of the path to watch from behind a tree, and Miroku was waiting in a battle stance with his staff outstretched and prayer beads at the ready, if it came to that.

Inuyasha took a deep breath as he slipped Tetsusaiga out of its scabbard, calming his mind into battle mode. The great fang, now transformed, held ready in front. Suddenly, the winds picked up around them, rattling the trees and blowing dirt in their faces. Inuyasha wasn't sure if he was relieved or disappointed that it was Kagura instead of Naraku that he had sensed, for the wind could only be from Naraku's detachment. Slowly the wind began to center in on Kagome with a funnel forming over her head. Inuyasha felt his blood boil at her screams of shock and... outrage? Kagome was angry?

Kagome was struggling to keep her skirt down around her hips even as her hair whipped around her face in harsh strands. Damn wind wouldn't let up, either. By now, Kagome too had figured out that it must be Kagura coming toward them, only she couldn't quite see what the point of staying hidden was. They obviously knew the youkai was there, why not show herself? Rage streamed through her veins as she continued in vain to retain some form of modesty. Her dark brown eyes squinted in the direction of the trees mere meters from her, searching for her adversary. Two wicked red eyes sparkled back at her, accompanied by an amused snicker.

That was it, Kagome had had enough. She screamed her fury, finally giving up on the skirt and dragging her harassed body to its feet. Not even thinking about what she was doing, Kagome called on her power, using it to dissipate the tunnel of wind around her. Violet light spread from her fingertips as she waved away the wind currents with ease. Her eyes seemed lit from within by an ethereal purple glow. "Kagura! Come out here!" she commanded.

Inuyasha's jaw fell to the ground. Soft, innocent, weak little Kagome was ordering the enemy about. What's more, she took his line! She was scary and awe-inspiring all at once with her power emanating from her skin like that. Damn alluring, too. He shook his head of that thought, needing his mind to be in the battle for this one. Time to get to work.

"Kagura, get your ass out here, you coward!" he shouted, mentally congratulating himself for making it sound like he hadn't just repeated his human companion. He lowered Tetsusaiga menacingly, wondering how exactly she'd enter. But contrary to what his strained nerves expected, she flew in on her feather rather peacefully. Naraku's henchman looked calm and bored even, although a tad bit amused, as she flicked her wrist to stop the winds that were still raging around the group. What really irked him was that she wasn't even giving him a moment's notice; her eyes were glued on Kagome.

"What's wrong, little girl? Didn't want your male friends to see what you've got underneath that flap of cloth? I'm sure they've seen it all before," the youkai drawled out, goading Kagome even further into her anger.

Inuyasha's vision went red as he listened to the taunt. Before he even had the chance to react, however, Kagome's right arm was reaching around her shoulder to grab a hold of one of the arrows as her other arm readied her bow. The miko arrow was brought to the bow and pulled back with ease. She had gotten so used to this method of fighting that she didn't even need to check the fletching. She knew it was in perfect position for flight. Kagome's emotions fueled her power, with violet light spurting from the tip of the arrow even before she loosed it. "Don't test me, Kagura! I'm not a little girl like you think!" she spoke back in a deceptively mild voice.

Kagura's eyes flicked to Inuyasha, noticing how upset he was becoming, before settling back on the human girl. "Probably not. I wondered how long Inuyasha would be able to keep himself away from you. He's matured, too, you know; and he isn't just looking for friendship in a bitch like you," she mocked, growing excited over the flashes of anger across all the faces in the group.

Once again Inuyasha was ready to chop her head off for the disgrace to Kagome's name when the girl's reply rang out clearly in the now still air. "And I'm sure Naraku isn't just looking for someone to do his dirty work in a bitch like you." That finally got through to Kagura, and her face screwed up in a look of intense dislike before she charged at Kagome. The miko was faster, though, with her arrow already set; and she let it fly with a blinding light toward the wind youkai. While Kagura's power was not strong enough to stop the arrow, she was able to use her wind to throw it off course long enough to get out of firing range.

"Nice try, girl. I was going to play with you some more, but I think I'll leave you and your friends to my youkai. Sayonara," she called out, the last word barely reaching Kagome and the others as Kagura had already turned to retreat. Before she fully disappeared, hoards of youkai began rushing at the group from all angles. Battle quickly ensued.

"Hiraikotsu!" Sango hollered, throwing the enormous boomerang with ease. It sliced through a dozen weak youkai before returning to her grip. The force of its inertia was enough to slide her back several feet, but she immediately regained her composure to loop it in a circle over her head before releasing it in the opposite direction. More screams of dying youkai accompanied the bone weapon's whistle through the air. Ever careful of her mistress's boomerang, Kirara flew above the battle, slashing at bellies here and biting through skulls there. Seeing Sango launch Hiraikotsu at a close youkai, Kirara pounced on an unsuspecting lizard creature in order to get out of the way as soon as possible. Just as the crack of bone slicing through bone rang out, the sizzle of the lizard's charred flesh sang like music to the neko youkai's ears. Kirara gave what might be called a smirk as her hindsight reminded her of her flaming paws. Oh well.

Miroku's first response to the enemy was to nail several youkai with his staff and infuse some more with his houriki. A stealthy serpent youkai slithered through the air at his dear Sango, obviously unnoticed by the female warrior. Twirling the staff in a wide arc several rotations, Miroku sliced through the youkai's midsection and finished the job with a blessing of Buddha. The last of the serpent disintegrated. Now that he actually had a moment to breath, the monk glanced around him to be sure that none of his companions were in the way before releasing the prayer beads. "Kazaana!"

Shippou watched the battle from his hiding place. He'd been shocked by Kagome's early outburst, but his attention had soon been reassigned to the battle at hand. Sango and Miroku seemed to be working well around each other, Kagome was shooting at any youkai she could get her sight on, and Inuyasha was slicing through beast after beast with Tetsusaiga. No one really seemed to need Shippou's help, but he hated feeling useless. Pulling out several leaves, he flung them toward the battle and transformed them into duplicates of his warrior friends out there. Maybe they would help keep some of the youkai busy. Done with that, he whispered "Kitsune-bi!" hoping to keep his presence known while still singing some of the weaker youkai with his blue fire. He smirked at their cries of pain, baby fangs glinting in the fire's glow.

Inuyasha cut through two more youkai at once as Tetsusaiga flared with life. Not even pausing, he spun around on one foot to chop through a third beast, this one resembling an imaginary creature more than any specific kind of youkai he was familiar with. Now throwing his arms over his head, the tip of the fang sunk into a fourth unlucky youkai's skull. As Inuyasha turned to check on Kagome's safety, Tetsusaiga flung away the youkai still attached to its tip. The now lifeless body, spewing forth poisonous blood, crashed down on a whole other group of youkai, effectively taking them out of the fight. For less than a second -- though it seemed like hours to the youkai side of the hanyou -- Inuyasha studied Kagome's combat style. She loosed an arrow surging with her miko power at a swarm of flying youkai coming at her; the purple energy enveloped the creatures before they even came close to her and purified them into nothingness. The boy watched her change angles to begin firing at other threats, catching a glimpse of her shining eyes: they showed only determination and strength. No fear. Inuyasha's youkai half liked that. Damn, he wanted her. Still heavy into the battle, Kagome waved her arm that held the bow at one youkai that had come dangerously close to her. The same reflector spell she'd used on the black miko Tsubaki flashed forward to blast the beast back, and then Kagome pulled forth her next arrow and resumed her firing as if she hadn't just performed a spell she'd only ever been able to do once before without any trouble.

Inuyasha smirked and pulled Tetsusaiga around to slice through the next youkai. The fight continued.

Kagome was beginning to worry. She didn't have that many arrows left; she hadn't even had that many to begin with. If she didn't start conserving arrows by using her miko powers in other ways more often then she wouldn't have an arrow left when she really needed it. Quickly hiding her thoughts and pivoting on her feet, she lashed out with her bow arm at the next beast coming her way. It was a reaction to the danger more than conscious thought since she wouldn't have had enough time to draw her next arrow anyway. Kagome felt her body pulse as power centered on the bow in her hand and shot out at the youkai mere inches from reaching her. The reflector spell: she'd used it without even meaning to again. This revelation sped through her mind before she dismissed it and once again focused on the next group of youkai coming at her. There wasn't time to think on it now, so she grabbed the next arrow and notched it to her bow with all due haste before making the creatures no more.

"You guys, watch out!" she heard Inuyasha yell out. Glancing over her shoulder, Kagome saw the hanyou's stance and realized he was getting ready to send Tetsusaiga at Kaze no Kizu. Knowing what that meant, the girl slashed the closest youkai with the arrow still in her hand before running as fast as she could toward the tree she'd seen Shippou jump behind.

She held out her hand, shouting "Shippou-chan!" as she flew past the tree. An orange blur leaped toward her, afterwards revealing a small kitsune boy latched onto her arm. Kagome continued on her path around the battle area, occasionally swiping aside youkai with her bow, hoping she could make it to Kirara in time. Shippou saw ahead, noticing the distance between them and the others atop Kirara's back. In the same moment, he looked back to see that Inuyasha was too busy with the remaining youkai to realize this.

"Kaze no KIZU!!!" Inuyasha screamed, bring down Tetsusaiga to release the attack. Five yellow slashes of youki shrieked out from the sword. Not even looking behind her, Kagome dodged to the side behind another tree. Logic told her that a simple tree would not be enough to save her from Tetsusaiga, but the need to protect herself shouted at her to take cover. Less than a second after Kagome had taken cover, Kaze no Kizu decimated Kagura's youkai.

Just as Inuyasha's youki hit the tree the wood began to creak and crack everywhere. Bark splintered and fell on her head. Shippou quickly pulled out a leaf and took on his balloon transformation. The large pink sphere served to cushion the force of the falling tree as to not crush Kagome. However, the two were still left trapped under the staggering weight of the old tree. As soon as Inuyasha had caught a glimpse of Shippou's transformation, Kagome's scent of fear hit his nose in unpleasant waves. Immediately realizing what he'd done, the hanyou ran for the tree with one thought in his head.

"Kagome!!"

Fueled by fear and adrenaline, Inuyasha took a rough hold of the tree trunk and tossed it into a deeper part of the forest. Shippou automatically popped back into his normal form, coughing and panting from exhaustion. He wisely hopped out of Inuyasha's way though, giving the older boy his space with Kagome. "Kagome! Kagome, wake up!" he demanded, seemingly torn between anger and sorrow. Hauling her still body into his arms, Inuyasha spared one look toward Sango and Miroku before bounding off into the forest.

~~~~

*mokkori - the tent that forms in a male's pants because of his erection. I read that one and knew I had to use it somewhere. ^_^ I think I only used other terms that are pretty commonly known, but if there is another term in here you don't know, don't hesitate to let me know! Hoping to update in a week or sooner.

- BurningBritelyOne