InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Haunted: Red and Amber ❯ Lust.1 ( Chapter 3 )

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

"Watching me, wanting me
I can feel you pull me down"


+-Part 2: Lust-+


She woke to the strangest feelings. The first thing she noticed was the immediate soreness lower on her body, in places she didn't even know could be sore. An itch on her arm demanded her attention next; a slight buzzing sound registered a moment later to indicate that some kind of bug feasting off her was the cause of said itch. Her senses then turned to the scratchy sensation on her stomach and legs, cool yet annoying, which she soon concluded to be the grass she was apparently lying on. Most puzzling of all was the smooth warmth resting against her back. It was so comfortable, though, that Kagome decided it wasn't puzzling enough to merit the energy it would take to figure out what it was.

And so the girl snuggled further into that warmth, subconsciously pulling more of it around her arms and upper torso. In the process, her hands came into contact with another pair of hands, attached to another pair of arms that were seemingly the warmth she'd already felt wrapped tightly around herself. Suddenly images flooded her mind, comprehension dawned, and two very shocked eyes sprung open.

Kagome's eyes darted across her surroundings, trying to verify her suspicions. Yep, she was definitely in the same clearing she'd seen in her mind, which proved those images were in fact memories and not just part of another fantasy.

In all the seven hells, what had they done!?

Oh, for god's sake, she had NOT just had an Inuyasha thought.

All right, she was a rational girl -- most of the time -- she could think through this. But this wasn't just her mistake; it was Inuyasha's, too. She could not possibly deal with the consequences until she knew how he was going to handle this. Turning her head slightly to look over her shoulder, Kagome had to stop herself from letting out a small gasp. The hanyou was still soundly sleeping, a small smile lit upon his lips, with his face pressed intimately against the side of her neck. He looked so peaceful, and content. That thought made her blush fiercely.

Twisting her body around to face him a little, Kagome pushed lightly against his shoulder. "Inuyasha... wake up." He wasn't budging. Since when was he such a heavy sleeper? "Inuyasha!" she called a little louder and put a little more force into her push.

Abruptly his smooth breathing broke only to resume in a more erratic manner. The two white ears atop his head twitched this way and that, whether out of confusion or irritation she wasn't sure. And then those amber eyes slid open.

She wasn't all that sure why it affected her so much, but suddenly the fact that they were amber was very important to Kagome.

"Ne.. Inuyasha?" she spoke again, worry now evident in her voice at his lack of response.

He continued to stare straight into her eyes. She could tell he was working things out in his mind, but his hesitance concerned her. Kagome's heart sped up, waiting for his reaction. She thought she would be prepared for anything, as long as he didn't...

Oh no. Her heart stopped at the intense look of regret and sorrow that took over his eyes. She was glad that he took that moment to drag his gaze away from hers to then scan the naked flesh before him; Kagome didn't think she'd be able to keep her distress from showing if he continued to peer into her eyes like that. Instead, he lazily examined her arm, and then her shoulder, and went onto her neck. She had a hard time following his stare, having to crane around in order to watch him, but she was almost positive she saw anger flash across his face when he looked at her neck. She was even more surprised when he reached his left hand up to lick it and then harshly rub the skin just below her left ear.

Kagome was about to ask what he was doing when those amber eyes returned to hers, and then all she wanted to do was keep herself from bursting into tears. If she could just manage that one feat, she'd be okay. Well, almost. She'd be even more okay if he'd just stop looking at her with such pity and loathing. When Inuyasha gently began to disentangle their limbs, however, Kagome lost the battle and gave in to her sobs. Her weeping stayed quiet, but wracked her body in violent shakes.

Inuyasha was disgusted with himself. He should have been stronger than this; should have been able to keep himself away from her. He'd been having the most delicious dream about holding her warm, soft, naked body tightly against his own. It seemed it hadn't really been a dream, after all. As his senses adjusted to a state of wakefulness, the feel of her skin became real and a scent mixed of blood, Kagome, and himself filled the air. That's when his eyes opened. Inuyasha was still convinced that he was imagining things, though, causing him to drag his eyes over the exposed flesh in front of his face. It was real. She was real. And that was really her nicely curved, little ass pushed up against his groin.

When he saw the dried blood on her neck, a new wave of self-loathing spread through him. He hastily licked a hand and rubbed the blood off, effectively getting rid of all visual evidence that there had been any there despite the insistent smell that stayed behind. I hurt Kagome, Inuyasha screamed at himself. I broke her skin and drew out her blood! That thought was the last straw; he had to get his dirty self away from her. Haven't I already done enough damage, damnit!? Carefully but hurriedly, the hanyou proceeded to separate his body from Kagome's. By now his mind had surfaced enough from his thoughts to realize she was crying. The miko tried to hide it, but he could always smell the salt of her tears. Not to mention that her body's shaking made it pretty obvious. So, she was weeping over her lost innocence; well at least she realized what had happened, too. And finally, now she understood how unworthy he was of her. How dangerous he was to her. He couldn't be trusted.

Worthless hanyou, he scolded inside.

Inuyasha roughly pulled on his hakama and tied a messy knot in the front. In one swift movement, he reached down to grab his haori and tossed it at Kagome. He had already seen the remains of her clothes, which would no longer be able to serve their purpose. He'd even screwed up in that.

Without so much as a word, Inuyasha headed back toward the village, giving the girl her time and space to clean up and dress privately. He knew she'd be able to find her way back on her own. And when she got there, Inuyasha fully expected her to say her farewell.

~~~~

Sango and Miroku were comfortably sitting on the dirt path in the village and sorting the herbs they'd gathered for Kaede the previous day when they silently watched Inuyasha enter the village later in the morning. Rather uncharacteristic of himself, he didn't show up until a few hours past daybreak. Upon returning from their errand yesterday, Shippou had hopped into Sango's arms in a state of agitation. Apparently Kouga had stopped by the village to challenge Inuyasha again. In the end, the hanyou had become upset enough to haul Kagome off into the forest. The kit could only assume that Inuyasha had meant to send the miko back through the well where Kouga couldn't get to her. So naturally, Kaede, Sango, and Miroku had taken it for granted that when Inuyasha and Kagome did not return that same night, they would come back in the morning or in a day or so.

Oddly, though, here now was Inuyasha but no Kagome. The taijiya and houshi ignored his dark scowl, each assuming in their own minds that he had stayed the night in Kagome's time and was now pissed because she'd decided to stay there for a while longer. Usually he would stay on the other side of the well with her when that happened, just to make sure that she did indeed come back soon, but seemingly this time Inuyasha was too frustrated to stay around the girl miko. Miroku secretly concluded that probably Kagome had kicked Inuyasha out of her house because he'd been nagging her too much.

Less than fifteen minutes later, a weary and distressed Kagome staggered into the village. While neither Sango nor Miroku had thought twice about Inuyasha's obvious lack of his haori before, both were now noticing the fact that said haori was wrapped around the shaking miko. Miroku was appreciating the fact that Kagome was clearly wearing only the haori when both he and Sango noticed something in the girl's hands.

Green and white fabric. Shredded green and white fabric. Kagome's now destroyed school uniform.

Not having the strength to look her two friends in the eye, Kagome ignored their questioning stares, stiffly stalked past them and up to Kaede's hut where Inuyasha was presently perched, and angrily whipped her ruined garments at his face. The boy easily caught them, though obviously confused, and slowly opened his mouth to voice an inquiry. Finally giving in to her emotions, Kagome let the sorrow and rage show in her facial features as she cut him off. "Take them. I don't want them anymore." Tears threatened to escape her hold, but she refused to appear weak just then. "Let them be a reminder that it was your mistake, too." Choking on her sob, Kagome coldly dismissed the shocked hanyou as she entered the hut.

Sounds of movement came from within the small building, and then a loud shout. "Minna, be ready to go shard hunting again soon. I'm fully healed and I don't want to be here any longer than I have to, so let's get this over with." Still, Inuyasha sat in a state of total shock, unmoving. Sango and Miroku helplessly looked back and forth from the hanyou to the doorway of the hut. Neither knew exactly what to do, although it was now quite apparent what their companions had done.

~~~~

Unaware of a pair of amber eyes watching her every move, Kagome scouted the area around the small pond for any possible dangers before deciding on the best spot to take her bath. Really, cleaning herself wasn't what interested her at the moment, that was just an excuse she gave to the others; what she really wanted was to isolate herself from everything else for a while. Ever since the "incident" six days ago, the group had been steadily traveling back toward where Naraku had last been seen. Those six days had become hell for Kagome. She was sick of Sango's worried glances, Miroku's pitying stares, and Shippou's confused questions. Everybody kept snooping into her thoughts when she just wanted to be left alone. Everybody but Inuyasha, of course. He acted as if everything was just fine and dandy, except for the fact that they weren't on speaking terms and his heated glares in her direction had only become more frequent.

Sometimes she really wondered if he cared at all. She knew she'd initially surprised him with her anger. In the past, whenever the two were in an awkward situation, Kagome would always take the blame and crush down her own feelings in order to make things easier for the hanyou. She just couldn't bring herself to do it this time, though. Inuyasha was responsible for his own actions. It certainly wasn't Kagome's fault if he was sorely missing Kikyou and in a haze of passion had mistaken herself for the dead miko. She couldn't confirm her suspicions, but Kagome now believed that Inuyasha must have taken her out of his want for Kikyou. It had been months since Kikyou's disappearance, and surely that fact was affecting Inuyasha.

No matter, Kagome thought to herself with a sigh. What was done, was done. She was doing her best to move on by throwing herself full force into the mission. With any luck, they could complete shikon no tama by the end of the year, and then she could return to school like normal at the start of next semester. With that happy thought, Kagome bent down to set her bathing supplies on a small rock by the edge of the water.

Inuyasha was going crazy watching her prepare for her bath. His emotions had been running wild the past several days, between his anger at himself and frustration with Kagome. Right after their mating, he'd had no recollection of the act due to the fact that he'd been consumed by the youkai during it. However, bits and pieces of that time had slowly been returning to his memory. Inuyasha found himself dreaming about slamming into her soft, little body over and over again, and somehow he just knew what he was seeing was real. Random flashbacks even came to him while he was awake sometimes. To say the least, it was unnerving and highly distracting while he was jumping from tree to tree to suddenly see an image of Kagome's shapely backside as she sweated and panted below him like the bitch she was.

His head of silver hair shook to erase that thought as a look of disgust flitted across his face. He was losing control of his mind and body lately. The youkai had not resurfaced, even partially, since that day; and yet Inuyasha was powerless to stop himself from lusting over the miko. He assumed part of it had to do with Kagome's cycle. Just earlier that same morning, she'd begun to exude a faint scent of heat. He knew she'd be in full heat by tomorrow. The hanyou guessed that the other part of it had to do with the fact that she now carried his scent around with her. Through deed and marking, they were properly mated, and his scent code would forever be imprinted in her skin. To any youkai male, there was nothing more alluring than the scent of himself on his mate. Still gazing at said mate just then, he couldn't help but notice her leaning forward; and again his body betrayed him.

Kagome had no idea what was going on until she felt a hard body pressing in from behind her. She immediately went stiff, not knowing whether she should pray it was Inuyasha or pray it wasn't. Then there was a light scraping of claws across her stomach and she visibly relaxed, exhaling in relief. "What do you want?" she questioned coldly, slowly standing back up. Unhappily, she noticed that he obviously wasn't going to let go of her when the weight against her back didn't recede.

"You," came the husky reply.

Kagome sighed in annoyance and growing rage. "Don't you mean Kikyou, Inuyasha?" There was a moment of silence in which she noticed a slight vibration beginning to run through her from his chest. It took a few more seconds before the growl became audible.

"I don't want Kikyou. Didn't I tell you that months ago? Didn't I say I was going to stop thinking about her?" Inuyasha demanded, transferring his anger at himself to her. When Kagome refused to respond, believing he didn't really even understand what he was saying, Inuyasha turned her around in his arms. The hanyou was careful not to be too rough. His distressed eyes implored hers for some kind of answer, not finding anything within her apathetic depths. Leaning in close to her ear, he breathed against her, "I didn't lie, Kagome. I chose you, not her."

Kagome was skeptical about his true feelings, but her body sure wasn't. Immediately noticing the husky hint come back into his voice, goosebumps rose all over her skin. As irritated as she was with what they had done together, Kagome could not deny how much she'd missed his touch. In between all her moments of rage, there had definitely been a fair share of longing daydreams over the past week.

Inuyasha couldn't help but notice the slight spike in her scent at the feel of his warm breath brushing across her neck. She was becoming aroused already, and it only made him want her more. Pulling back slightly to look in her eyes, Inuyasha silently asked her to allow them what they were both yearning for. Her lips met his before he even had the chance to think twice. Apparently Kagome wanted this more than he'd though, because Inuyasha would have never pegged her as the dominant sort. The hanyou quickly took back control as his hand grabbed the hair at the back of her neck to angle her head for better access.

She moaned her pleasure into his mouth as their tongues battled relentlessly. Her hands snuck up to his ears without her even thinking it and began to caress the soft fur there. Obviously he liked that, judging by the new burst of eagerness that came from his mouth. The hanyou's tongue roughly rubbed against her own, occasionally teasing her by flitting it against the outer edges of hers. Excited over his reactions, Kagome continued to play with the little white appendages. Soon enough, Inuyasha's hands sought to pay her back by traveling down her back to grab her butt. Growling in ecstasy, he pushed her closer onto his lower half. The miko replied with her enthusiastic grinding against his growing bulge and hopped onto his body to gain closer contact.

Just as the girl was wrapping her legs around Inuyasha's well-muscled figure to keep her grip on his body, the hanyou lost his balance from her added weight. The two fell backwards onto the sandy shore by the pond with Kagome on the top. The impact with the ground only served to knock their mouths apart while forcing their groins harder against each other. Both took a moment to gasp for air. Kagome was in shock, unable to believe how wanton she was acting. Even though she was no longer a virgin, she'd never expected to behave so boldly.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha was fighting back the youkai. He'd been lucky that it had stayed away for the last several days, but seemingly his luck was out. Kagome's rising arousal had awakened the sleeping beast. Despite the chances, at this point Inuyasha was unwilling to stop what they had started. His body was screaming for hers, and he knew that she was just as ready for him. Still choking on air, the two hazarded a glance in each other's eyes and were immediately lost once again. Inuyasha roughly pulled her head down to his to continue the contact with their lips. Pushing to go faster now, Kagome aggressively ground her hips against his. The friction between her legs was so exquisite and yet unbearable all at the same time. She desperately wanted to feel him inside her, but she wasn't sure how to get from where they were to where she wanted to be. Last time, the youkai had taken the initiative to undress them. Kagome didn't think she could take control like that.

The inu hanyou seemed to know what she wanted, though, when he began to fumble with the zipper on the side of her pleated skirt. Somehow his claws found the small metal contraption and impatiently yanked it downward. Being careful not to let go of her mouth, Inuyasha shifted her legs until she was stretched out on top rather than straddling him. Then, he hurriedly pushed both her skirt and panties down over her backside, unable to keep himself from raking his claws on her smooth cheeks in the process. Kagome regained enough of her mind to kick the fabric the rest of the way off her legs. In their haste, both of them reached for his clothing at the same time: him going for his hakama tie and her grabbing at his haori and yukata. Immediately they set to work getting the knots undone and the garments pushed off.

Inuyasha broke his mouth away from hers in his struggle to hold onto his own mind. The youkai was dangerously close to taking over. Kagome opened her eyes to peer into his, wondering what the problem was. She recognized the streaks of scarlet that flashed throughout her hanyou's eyes, but was not completely disheartened. It was obvious to her that Inuyasha was fighting to keep his youkai side contained. She wasn't even afraid of that side of him now, knowing that it wanted her as its mate and not to kill her, but she would rather share this moment with the hanyou she knew. With the amber eyes.

A growl escaped his throat during the battle, and apparently the hanyou won out since the amber stayed the dominant shade. With renewed frustration, Inuyasha rolled Kagome onto her back and harshly pushed his cock against her waiting opening. The miko grabbed onto his shoulders and threw her head back with a cry of pleasure, begging him without words to continue with that feeling. Smirking in animal satisfaction, he complied by rubbing his tip back and forth against her. In joy and frustration, she drug her nails down his back and clamped them onto his butt in an effort to draw him closer. Inuyasha snarled back, and more spots of red bled into his vision. She was driving him wild, and pretty soon he was going to let go.

Kagome sure hoped he'd let loose soon, because she was sure she'd die if he didn't. Urging him on, she arched her back and lifted her body to sensually rub it against his lower region. It was the final straw for Inuyasha's control, and the hanyou aggressively plunged himself into her wet slit. Both howled out their joy then, shaking from the sudden heightening of every sensation already coursing through their blood. Bringing his eyes down onto her face, Inuyasha's mind took a moment to memorize this vision of her glazed, chocolate eyes and swollen, panting lips. It was all for him, a thought that then turned his eyes to the small area of scar tissue just below her left ear. Aroused further by seeing the proof of his claim on her, the hanyou attached his mouth to her neck and began to suck on the skin there.

The girl almost came then, trembling from all the different pressure points on her body he was hitting. Instead, she once again wrapped her legs around his waist and latched her fingers onto his ears. Never releasing her from his mouth, Inuyasha pulled one of her legs around from his hips and stretched it out and up until he could maneuver it over his shoulder. Placing both hands on her shoulders, he started giving short, hard thrusts into her and twisted his hips at the same time.

Shudders ran through her in reaction to the feel of his thick cock in her body stroking her clit in circular motions. Even after last time, she'd never imagined such pleasure. Kagome cried out with each thrust he gave, clenching him with both her thigh muscles and those muscles from within. Inuyasha reciprocated that wonderful feeling by relentlessly sucking harder on her neck and increasing the speed of his hips. Still holding his clawed hands on her shoulders, he used them to push her down onto him as he then slammed up into her. Their enthusiastic movements soon had Kagome being roughly scooted across the sanded ground. Subconsciously, she registered the pain of his claws in her shoulders and the pebbles scraping small gashes into her back, but the pain was nothing compared to the ache rapidly growing inside.

Inuyasha took one hand away from her shoulder to grab onto the backside of the knee hanging over his shoulder so he could bend her leg harder against her chest, offering him the ability to embed himself even deeper into her. Still thrusting hard enough to shove Kagome several inches on the ground with each movement of his hips, Inuyasha realized he was about to come. So was she, judging from the quivers running up and down her vaginal walls around him. He gathered his energy for one final thrust and knocked both of them over the edge of bliss. His amber and red-streaked eyes widened in wonder as he climaxed. A snarl ripped from his lips as he removed them from her neck.

Kagome screamed her throat hoarse as she endured wave after wave of ecstasy. Even as she came down, she felt her walls contracting around Inuyasha. Weak with exhaustion, her hands released his ears only to have her arms wrap around his shoulders in pure heaven. The two lovers fell asleep clutching one another.

~~~~

Once again, Kagome felt herself waking to the delicious feeling of Inuyasha's body curled around her own, only this time she wasn't surprised. Yawning slightly as she groggily rubbed her eyes with one hand, she began to stretch around a little bit underneath the motionless hanyou. The twitch in her lower regions got her attention, and Kagome then realized they both must have fallen asleep with Inuyasha still inside of her. The thought undeniably aroused her, but she knew she needed to stop this game of sex they both had started. Being as careful as she could, the miko slowly rolled their two bodies over until she was on top. Now for the hard part, she thought ruefully. Gingerly, Kagome lifted herself off of his steadily hardening cock. It took every ounce of her restraint to not react to the ripples of pleasure that feeling sent through her. Once they were separated, Kagome sighed in relief that Inuyasha had apparently not woken yet.

She pulled off her top, which they'd never bothered to remove during their love-making, and examined the tears and dried blood it sported over the shoulders and all along the back. Resigned to the fact that Inuyasha had ruined another one of her shirts and there was nothing she could do to fix it, Kagome tossed the blouse to the ground along with her bra before entering the water. The girl quickly rinsed off her body, stepped out of the pond to dry swiftly with the towel she'd had the foresight to bring, and redressed. There was nothing for it, she'd have to put the torn shirt back on. It would only gain her some unwanted questions from the others back at camp, but the alternative of appearing before them topless was much worse.

Shaking her head, Kagome grabbed her unused bathing supplies and wrapped them in the damp towel. On her way past the hanyou, her step faltered and her eyes landed on the sleeping boy. Not sure why, she gently laid his haori over his naked flesh and smoothed down his unruly bangs before leaving the area. As her back was turned, one small, furry ear twitched and a disappointed sigh escaped the dejected Inuyasha.

Kagome made it back into the small clearing where camp had been set up in no time at all. Sango was silently polishing Hiraikotsu, a dark expression on her face. In Kagome's time gone, Miroku had put himself to use by making their evening stew. His ever pensive appearance was in place, and while Sango obviously refused to meet her eyes, Miroku glanced up to welcome Kagome as soon as she was in sight. Before he ever had the chance to speak, though, Shippou beat him to the punch.

"Kagomeee! You were gone a long time!" The kit hopped into her arm out of nowhere, forcing the miko to drop the towel holding her other possessions. She immediately smiled down at her adopted son, soothing his ruffled fur with a few strokes. "Inuyasha left soon after you did to go find dinner, but he never returned and Sango caught some rabbits instead. Are you okay?" he wondered when she had no response.

"Hai, Shippou. Daijoubu," she answered, angered thoughts about Inuyasha and warm feelings toward the kitsune warring in her mind for dominance.

The little boy sniffed the air slightly. "You were bleeding!" he suddenly exclaimed and then scuttled over her shoulder to examine the marks left on her back through the gaping rips in the shirt. Kagome waited in still silence for Shippou's next shout of alarm. Her eyes roamed back and forth between Miroku and Sango, who were both now watching the scene between girl and kit. Shippou said nothing as he carefully pivoted to jump back onto the ground in front of Kagome.

The baby kitsune looked over his own shoulder at the miko, comprehension unnervingly shining in his teal eyes. "I'm not going to ask, because you'll deny it. So will he. I did live with my parents before they were killed, though. I know what's going on." With that, Shippou crawled over to her yet rolled up sleeping bag and leaned against it. To all appearances, he shut his eyes and went to sleep.

Kagome only stared at the little boy, shock in her eyes. Everyone knew. They all saw it in her. How dirty she must look to them. Pleading eyes lifted to Sango, begging for understanding and forgiveness. The older taijiya smiled through her tears, overwhelmingly relieved that Kagome had stopped shutting her out. In so much of a hurry that she knocked her weapon none too gently out of her lap, Sango rushed over to her friend. The two embraced without words. Quiet tears streaked down their cheeks. Miroku nodded approval as he returned his attention to their dinner. Kagome was ready to open up. Now it was the houshi's job to make Inuyasha do the same.

Said hanyou was sitting at the edge of the pond, staring at his reflection. He knew Kagome didn't believe him; she still thought he was with her because of Kikyou. All those months ago when he'd swore to her that Kikyou would never come before her in his mind again, he should have made himself more clear. It wasn't just that Kagome was more important to the mission, she was more important to him. Her safety was all that kept him sane. When he'd thought she was going to die by the tree falling on her, his heart nearly stopped. How could he ever go on if his miko were gone? She was now and would always be his best friend; his everything.

His mate. At first, he'd thought he could ignore her and the mark. It was his own fault he'd not been disciplined enough to stop the youkai from claiming her, and there was no way Inuyasha was going to have her suffer for his mistake. So he'd pushed himself away from her. Kagome was a smart girl, she'd figure out what his game was; and surely she was glad to stay away from him, too. Only, her scent constantly reminded him that she was his, and worse, that she wanted him. Even staying away from each other in disgust, she still desired his touch. It had simply been the last straw when he saw her leaning forward at this very pond earlier that day, and the hanyou decided to quite denying his own lust.

But Kagome was still trying to deny herself. He could tell by the way she'd left him to lie alone. Mates were supposed to stay with each other, not rut and then go about their separate ways. Probably she didn't even realize they were mated, which meant he'd have to tell her eventually. Even if they didn't remain together, for her own safety she needed to know that his scent was forever imprinted on her. Inuyasha dreaded that conversation and the osuwari's that were bound to accompany it. Sighing for the umpteenth time since he'd sat down by the water, Inuyasha picked up a small stone to skip it across the surface. It would be better to tell her sooner than later, so he figured tonight was as good a time as any.

A roar from the direction of their camp caught his attention just then, though, erasing all previous thoughts from the hanyou's mind. Dashing to his feet and sniffing the air for any clues, Inuyasha ran back toward Kagome. She had to be all right. As he came closer and closer, the scent of youkai grew until Inuyasha's growls began to drown out all other sound to him. Barging into the small clearing, his vision blurred with red. The inu hanyou struggled for control over his own mind, determined to take down the danger before he only added to it. The crimson receded some, allowing Inuyasha to survey the problem.

A bear youkai the color of midnight had jumped into the middle of the clearing, destroying the makeshift camp and growling for shikon no kakera. This kind of youkai was never particularly smart, but they were some of the strongest beasts to be feared. This youkai in particular looked fierce, standing well over ten feet tall with claws on both its hind and fore legs that were each at least six inches in length. However, the worst part about bear youkai was their thick fur covering. As Sango had most likely already discovered, judging by the fact that Hiraikotsu was laying uselessly on the ground behind the creature, a bear youkai's fur was impenetrable by most means. Even other youkai attacks were usually not enough to do any damage to that defense.

Aside from being sufficiently shaken, everyone at camp appeared fine. Sango was trying to protect Kagome, now that she could no longer fight without her main weapon. Shippou was cuddled in the miko's arms, obviously frightened. Miroku was standing farther away from the girls, unleashing kazaana on the youkai to gain its attention. The wind tunnel was not nearly powerful enough to pull in the bear, being that the enemy had its claws dug into the earth and muscles hunched in resistance. Knowing this was the perfect time to enter the fight, Inuyasha leapt forward.

Kagome worriedly watched Miroku, knowing he couldn't hold out much longer with his kazaana. There seemed to be nothing any of them could do against the youkai to fight it, all they could do was stall it. Oh, how she wished Inuyasha were there. Just as the miko began to wonder where the hanyou was, a streak of red and white flashed across the clearing. Inuyasha's momentum had kept him from being pulled in by kazaana, and his sudden attack startled the beast off balance. Realizing what was happening, Miroku quickly covered his curse with the prayer beads, gasping and panting for breath as jolts of pain and exertion rushed through his body. Inuyasha noticed nothing but the bear youkai, though. His mind was for once completely concentrated on one thing: kill.

Inuyasha slashed relentlessly at the youkai with Tetsusaiga, but it was no use. The barrier of fur was too much even for the great fang. That thought gave the hanyou an idea, though. Jumping back out of range of the swiping bear claws, Inuyasha lowered his katana to a battle stance. He centered all his energy and thoughts into the weapon and watched on as it began to glow scarlet. The moment the sword further transformed, the youkai from within the hanyou began to struggle for dominance. It had been patient until then to let the hanyou fight, but the youki of the bear combined with the new youki of the barrier youkai within Tetsusaiga was taunting it, teasing it. It wanted out. Inuyasha could feel the stirrings from inside himself, but the battle to save his friends was more important just then.

Lunging forward, Inuyasha brought the crimson Tetsusaiga down on the chest of the bear youkai. The power of the hanyou and sword combined were enough to force a tear in the beast's fur and flesh, however it was not greatly wounded. In a roar of agony and outrage, the youkai swung one arm around to knock the hanyou onto his backside.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed, worried for her friend as she watched him fly backwards in the air.

His blood boiled at the sound of her fear. Kagome, he thought. Her name ran on repeat through his brain. The stunned hanyou shook his head to get the hair out of his face and hauled himself to his feet, still clutching Tetsusaiga. The red had been bled out of the katana during the impact of the fall, though, leaving it once again the normal silver-white shade of a fang. Inuyasha could feel that he was out of the strength and time required to power up his sword again. At least, now he had wounded the bear youkai; that would have to be enough for him to finish this fight. Taking a small breath and spitting out the trickle of blood that had started in his mouth, Inuyasha smirked.

Without any warning, the hanyou attacked the bear youkai's head dead on. His speed was so great the human eye could not follow him as he dashed from one spot in the clearing to another. Claws ripped into flesh as Inuyasha scratched at the skull in abandon and the youkai swiped its only claws in response. The deadly, long spikes were proving more of a danger to the hanyou than his own attempts were for his foe, and Kagome watched in horror as the bear tore further and further into her love's stomach. Dark blood was seeping all over the two, and the spectators could do nothing. Inuyasha himself seemed unaware of the damage being done to his body and continued to recklessly attack the larger youkai. The sticky, crimson fluid leaking out of the inu hanyou's wounds soon covered more of the bear than did visible black fur. In a frenzy of panic, Kagome shoved past Sango and shrieked out her anguish.

"Inuyasha! Let go, onegai! Let go! Yamete!!" she screamed again and again, praying the boy would hear her. He seemed deaf to everything around him but the need to slash and destroy. Giving another growl of frustration and pain, the dark youkai pulled back one paw to bring it around in one hard smack against the hanyou that flung the smaller one once again to the ground in a pool of his own blood. "Inuyashaaa!!!!"

The youkai inside Inuyasha tried to take its chance then to claim the body, excited over its soon to be victory. Before it ever had the chance to act, though, a pure, violet glow flashed through the clearing. Blinding light engulfed everyone, causing an overwhelming calm to settle on the hanyou. The youkai inside was soothed in the warmth, and it contentedly escaped back into the depths of Inuyasha's mind. The warm power also seeped into Miroku, Sango, and Shippou, sending vibrations of serenity and peace through their beings. The three relaxed, Miroku and Sango no longer feeling the need to struggle for their breath. All pain in the houshi's arm and hand was gone.

The bear youkai froze in confusion. Unlike the others, this bright light only unsettled its *youki. Growling and tossing its head back and forth, the youkai backed up warily. It could feel some presence approaching it, but could see nothing. Kagome slowly appeared through the light and walked up to the beast, eyes emotionless but burning violet. The bear was about to pound her with one of its paws when she gently rested one hand on each of its arms. Strong energy flowed from her fingertips into the youkai's body, immobilizing all movement for the creature. "You will never harm anyone again," she softly spoke. The vibrations of her voice sent shivers through the bear, and that was the last sensation it ever felt. Miko energy abruptly blasted into the youkai's arms, up their lengths, and into its torso from where it travelled all throughout the rest of the body. The youkai disintegrated in a great spark of violet that illuminated the surrounding forest for less than a second before everything returned to normal.

Miroku blinked his eyes in the sudden darkness, willing them to adjust so that he could see what was going. He'd recognized Kagome's power as it calmed him and again as it exploded in the middle of the campsite, though the light had been too much to see anything. Slowly his vision returned, and his eyes were immediately drawn to his Sango, who was tending to the shaking kit. That last blast had shocked the poor Shippou. The next movement he noticed came from Kagome herself. The girl looked exhausted, and yet still blazing with energy, as she made her way over to the fallen hanyou. He could tell that violet still radiated from her eyes and felt the waves of pure power coming off her being. Stiffly, the miko fell to her knees to kneel next to the bloody Inuyasha and gently placed her glowing fingertips on his stomach.

Kagome choked on her silent sobs as she examined the damage done to the boy. His ragged breathing was uneven and constantly slowing with each gasp he took. In her mind she could feel his heart slowing, as well. At that moment, she decided that it didn't matter what his reasons were for being with her. He could see Kikyou for all she cared as long as he was with her, because Kagome knew that she could never live without him. Reaching her hands to the most grievous wounds on his midsection, she closed her eyes to concentrate everything she had left on one thought: heal. She didn't know how she knew what to do, but she wasn't going to question herself anymore. Or him. Kagome would do anything for Inuyasha's life and happiness. Ignoring the feel of her tears pouring down her face and landing on her hands, the miko continued to steadily push her energy into the hanyou. Unseen to her closed eyes, the tears that landed in the open wounds began to steam and start a violet glow to match the one emanating from her hands. Soon, both bodies were lit from within.

Inuyasha began to regain consciousness, his mind waking to the wonder of feeling Kagome's aura all around him. It was the most amazing sensation he'd ever had, and one he would never forget. Though he could sense no pain, his mind suddenly knew that there were life-threatening gashes in his stomach. The hanyou could also feel as each tear began to grow smaller and smaller as it healed. Suddenly, the feel of one of Kagome's hands on his skin left him only to reappear on his forehead. Softly, her hand pushed back his sweaty, silver bangs and stroked the bloodstained brow underneath. Fighting the impending sleep he could feel coming on, Inuyasha forced open his eyelids, determined to see her face.

A joyous smile looked down upon him, and love shined in her still glowing eyes. She whispered one word to him that sounded like a caress and an apology and a declaration all at once. "Inuyasha."

~~~~

*yarou - Little Birdie asked about this for the last post; it translates as "bastard."

*yamete - puppiescute asked about this from the last part; generally translates as "stop it!"

*daijobu/daijoubu - can mean "Are you okay?" or "Don't worry" or "I'm fine" or "It's fine," and so on and so forth. In this case, it means "Don't worry."

*youki - the power/energy of youkai, each being unique to every individual.

I think I only used other terms that are pretty commonly known, but if there is anything in here you don't know, don't hesitate to ask! Sorry for the wait, I've been hoping to get more of the next chapter done before I posted this one, but I gave in anyway. And, obviously, the story is definitely not over yet. I said I wanted this story to deal with the real feelings and problems people encounter in relationships, and there's still the issues of Kouga and Kagome's miko powers to deal with, as well. I hope you guys like the story so far, this one means a lot to me. Please review and let me know what you think, and until next time! Ja ne!

- BurningBritelyOne