InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Her Own World ❯ Chapter Five ( Chapter 5 )

Her Own World

 

Chapter Five

 

Inuyasha woke up cursing and sneezing violently halfway through the sunrise, starting the waking process of Kagome as well. At first, she was a little disoriented, wondering where she was and why it was so dark, before remembering the events of the past two days. Lying still and hoping that he would just leave her be and leave, Kagome squeezed her eyes shut and kept as still as possible. Unfortunately, fate had decided that nothing was going to go her way that day, and he came over.

 

“Up.” He knocked on the bars. Ears twitching, he listened to her yawn and the rustling of fabric as she stood and slowly came out. “Get the yukata; we didn't give you good clothes for nothin'.” He grunted as he turned to gather the crude washcloth and towel that had been left for her, as well as his own, turning to see that she had done as she was told. Mentally sneering, Inuyasha opened the door to her cell, and motioned for her to follow, grabbing his dirty clothing. Leading her outside, he grabbed the green cloth from her and tossed her over his shoulder, holding everything else in his other arm.

 

Jumping down toward the ground, many were not yet awake. The only ones out were the guards, who were just changing shift. Nodding to them as he carted his cargo down toward the lake, Inuyasha pondered, yet again, what had gotten him into this predicament. He didn't like it. He thought that Rin was the only human he'd have to baby sit, and here he was, carting a human woman around like a sack of potatoes. Grumbling about his poor fate, he set her down on a large rock bordering the water.

 

Kagome completely forgot that she was in the territory of dangerous enemies the moment she was set down. The beauty of the sunrise as it bounced off the glittering surface of the lake took her breath away; the orange light of the sun rippled through the trees, illuminating the freshwater lake and the surrounding clearing beautifully, bathing everything in a warm glow. There was minimal chill to the air as she sat there, her feet barely touching the cool, clear water. She realised that the rock she was sitting on stretched on underwater, forming a part of the lakebed. Blinking, she was reminded of exactly where she was by the hanyou's cursing.

 

“Where the fuck are they? They're late.” He was grumbling. “Finally!” He all but cried, looking back up toward the dens. Cautious, Kagome followed his gaze, landing on the youkai that she had been confronted with last night. Automatically freezing as she saw him, panic began to momentarily well up. Staying stock still as the two conferred, she fisted her hands in the cloth of the yukata that she had dragged over into her lap, refusing to look at them.

 

Lost in her own world once more, she was brought back to her senses by a small, childish voice calling out “Rin will be a good girl for Inuyasha-oji-san!”. Looking up, she spied a small human child standing next to Inuyasha as the youkai walked off. The hanyou was her uncle? Then, perhaps, were there other humans here? She knew that there had to be at least one other human here, for the hanyou looked to be no more than three years her senior, and she was only at fifteen summers. His human parent would likely be living around the nests, she realised. How many other humans had wandered off into the woods and gotten lost, winding up in a demonic clan?

 

“What are you still doing sitting there?” The hanyou barked at her, startling her out of her thoughts once more. “I brought you down here to bathe. You stink of perfumes and oils!” Bristling at his tone, Kagome slowly put a foot in the water, relived to find it cool, but not too cold for so early in the morning. Hearing a splashing to the right, she saw the little girl strip off and all but dive into the water, a small washcloth in her hand. Seeing the two similar cloths next to her, she reached for the newer-looking one, and stepped into the water, wading out until she was knee-deep.

 

“Um…” she managed to get out, seeing his ears twitch to show he heard her, “…you mean out here?” She cringed. “In the open?”

 

“Where else?”

 

Kagome started to not hear the gruff voice of the hanyou answer her, instead being answered by the little girl, who looked to be no older than perhaps four summers. “Rin always bathes out here. There's nothing wrong with the water.”

 

“But…”

 

“No buts.” This time it was the hanyou, as he began to strip off his clothing himself. Kagome squeaked and turned away, her face red as a tomato. She ignored the little girl's giggling at her reaction, in favour of staring off into the trees. “Look, I'm under orders not to let you out of my sight, so you bathe with me an' Rin; got it, girl?” Kagome nodded, going further out into the water with her clothing on.

 

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow as he watched the small woman wade out further into the water with her clothing still on. “Woman, I don't know how the hell you people bathe where you come from, but here you do it in the nude.” He scoffed, half in annoyance, half in amusement, as her face heated up. The timid glare he received in response only served to amuse him more as he waded over to her, completely nude. “I want that horrible smell off you, and that means you are going to scrub every inch of skin, understand?” He growled. “Either you do it on your own, or I will do it for you!”

 

Kagome screamed and backed up. “Stay away!” She cried, holding her arms up to pin her clothing to herself, her eyes squeezed shut. She flinched as his hand took her by the elbow and tugged her back toward shore. Opening her eyes a fraction, she felt him ripping away at her clothing. “W-what are you doing?” She spluttered, slapping him across the face reflexively. Immediately regretting her hasty act as the sound echoed through the still morning, Kagome froze solid, staring at the spot on his cheek where the red handprint was emerging.

 

Inuyasha didn't know whether to laugh or kill her, settling for growling out “I told you; if you don't do it, I will.” He paused as she desperately held her strange garments up, preventing them from falling off her person. “Now, will you do it on your own?” He asked in a low, gravely voice. Nodding frantically, she felt her arm be released and immediately stripped down, mortified as she felt the eyes of both the hanyou and the little girl on her. Her face red enough to fry an egg, she crouched down into the water as soon as she was in deep enough, and hugged her knees to her chest to conceal her nudity as she scrubbed at her body with the washcloth in her free hand. “Hair too.” He reminded her, smelling the foul odours coming from her on the breeze.

 

Laughing inwardly as he set back to bathing himself, Inuyasha periodically stole glances at her out of the corner of his eye, to ensure that she wasn't doing anything she wasn't supposed to be doing, and alternated between cleaning himself and watching Rin as she swam out a little ways. Calling out to her not to go too far out, and receiving an affirmative in response, he waded back to shore to collect his soiled clothing.

 

He was quick to scrub them as Kagome went out a little further to wash her hair. Unfortunately, without soap, she could only do so much - the washcloth had rinsed all the foul smells from her body, but the water could do no such thing to her hair. Scowling as he finished cleaning his clothing, he sloshed over to her and grabbed her arm. Smelling her fear, he sighed and dropped her arm into the water, calling Rin over. “Wash her hair out, will you?” He asked the child as he wrinkled his nose. “It stinks.” He looked down at the naked woman, not embarrassed in the slightest, and grumbled “We're leaving as soon as you're done and dressed.”

 

Letting the little girl scrub her head, Kagome's tears returned. Savagely wiping them away, Kagome took comfort in the fact that she was virtually unharmed. Aside from a small ache where she was knocked unconscious - which had disappeared while she slept the previous night - she had not been abused or mistreated too badly. She was given food and clothing, though she had chosen not to eat, and was being given the opportunity to bathe. Her bedding was surprisingly comfortable and warm, and she was not left to freeze or swelter to death. So no, it did not look like they were planning on hurting her… yet. She just hoped that they weren't.

 

“Up and out!”

 

Sighing, Kagome crawled over to the shore, keeping everything besides her bare behind out of the hanyou's sight, snatching the thick cloth that served for a towel from the rock and turning around before she stood, wrapping it around herself. Tucking it up so that it would stay up on it's own, she squeezed as much water as she could out of her dripping hair, raking her fingers through it to try to get rid of some of the tangles. Upon giving up that venture, she turned to dress, finding the hanyou helping the little girl squeeze out her own laundry, his being set on the rock already done. Taking advantage of his distraction, she dressed herself quickly in the yukata, tying the obi moments before he turned around to bark at her again.

 

Seeing her stand on the edge of the water, dressed in the ankle-length yukata, he inwardly approved that she'd decided to make things as easy as possible for herself. Motioning her to come nearer, she padded over softly as he jerked his head toward the little girl. Rin, seeing this, took Kagome's hand and tugged her along, as Inuyasha followed. Sitting down on a fallen mossy log, Rin tugged Kagome to sit next to her while Inuyasha busied himself with stringing out his and Rin's garments. Kagome's ruined corset and petticoat were dumped on the ground and kicked to the side with the other clothing that had been destroyed beyond repair.

 

Wandering up to the two females, Inuyasha handed Rin a rather large apple, offering another to Kagome. Peering at it, she slowly took it from him with both hands, running her fingers over the smooth green skin. Looking up at him as he sat a few feet away on the grass, munching on his own apple, she sighed and took a bite. She figured that, if he were going to hurt her, he would have done so already. She'd recognised the necessity of the bath, and he'd given her food. She even let the fact that he had been attempting to forcibly remove her clothing go, realising that it was her own fault. She knew that youkai were not as bashful about nudity as humans, and were less likely to think twice about bathing with each other.

 

After a few moments of chewing on the crisp fruit, Kagome spread her legs out in front of her. She was not as confident as to get up and walk around, but he felt as if she could maybe make a few cautious comments now and again, until she had gauged what the reactions were. Deciding to test the waters, she cautiously asked, “Are there any other humans here?”

 

Inuyasha had to double take at the sound of the human alpha's soft voice. Her scent reeked of nerves, as though she feared that she had done something wrong by speaking. “Nope.” He shook his head. “Sesshoumaru adopted Rin a few years back. She's the only one.” He left it at that. Sensing that perhaps that particular topic was sensitive, Kagome wondered if he wasn't perhaps much older than he looked, realising that youkai aged rather slowly once they hit physical maturity. Surely, she realised, and hanyou would have a similar aging pattern, though they were only half youkai.

 

Instead of speaking again, she took a second bite of the apple. It was rather sour, as she had come to associate with the green fruit, but she was so hungry that she was not complaining. She had not had more than a bite to eat for over a day, she realised, and her belly had begun to ache. She was silent as she ate her apple, staring at the ground absently. Inuyasha was inwardly glad that the scent of fear had somewhat receded, being only faint now. He figured that she was intelligent and had realised that no harm would likely befall her, knowing that the female of the species, according to his mother, had a tendency to pick up on things quickly.

 

“Come on.” He grunted, standing up when she'd finished eating. Blinking for a moment, Kagome slowly stood, the little girl beside her already on her feet. Motioning for them to follow him, Inuyasha started off down a well-worn track. Rin grabbed Kagome's hand and led her after him. “I want you to stay with Aika today.” He said to Rin. “Your Otou and I will be inside, but we'll be busy; got it runt?” He smiled a little, ruffling the giggling girl's hair. “And you're to stay with her, too.” He looked up at a bewildered Kagome. “Got it?”

 

“Rin will make sure the lady stays with Aika!” The girl chirped brightly, Taking Kagome's hand. “Come on, Rin will take you to her and the pups! They are not far ahead!” She laughed, tugging the utterly bewildered human woman along with her. Inwardly laughing at Rin's enthusiasm, Inuyasha turned the moment Rin had presented Kagome to the inuyoukai bitch, and went inside. He and his brother were likely to be having a very long morning. Afterwards, he would be obliged to take guard duty and then fish in the lake before cleaning and skinning the day's hunting party's kills. He was in for a rough day.

 

OoOoOoOoOoO

 

“Are you sure it's out this way?”

 

“Yes, Houshi-sama!” Sango huffed, cutting away at the dense foliage with her katana. “Chichi-ue's men told me that there is most definitely a youkai fortress two days east of the village.”

 

“If you are sure.” Miroku sighed, adjusting his stuffy robes. They had been marching eastward for half a day already; the sun was high in the sky, bathing the Earth in the summer heat. The thick shade of the forest did little to stifle the heat of the afternoon, the rich humidity of the forest wearing the heavily clad monk down. Wiping the sweat off his brow, Miroku sighed and trooped after her. “Are you positive that they are the youkai we seek?”

 

“They are canine in nature; of that, Osamu-san assured me.” Sango huffed as she cut away another low bramble. “Witnesses described the noises that the youkai were making sounded as if they were from the throats of dogs. Since the inuyoukai, I am informed, were hunted to extinction upon human settlement, it only follows that we investigate an alleged ookamiyoukai den. Ookamiyoukai are the closest thing to inuyoukai on this land mass, beside the smaller kitsuneyoukai.”

 

Miroku struggled to free his robes, which had become caught on a low branch. Biting his tongue to refrain from cursing, the lecherous monk finally succeeded in freeing himself, stumbling to catch up to his lovely companion. The woman in question had been under extreme stress for the past few days, being the subject of inquiry and probation. Miroku had been the subject of such investigations as well, as he and Sango were the ones in charge of the Princess' protection that day. The fact that they had failed in their duties was forever to be a mark against them; they would only be able to completely clear their names if they were to find her, unharmed, and bring the culprits to justice.

 

Kohaku, a mere boy of eleven, had been spared the worst of the inquiry - he was young and inexperienced. His father had taken most of the blame for him, stating that he had been foolish to put him in charge of someone as estimable as the Princess, but had been confident in his abilities. He begged that his son not be punished for his foolhardy mistakes. He had taken no such blame for Sango, stating that his daughter was an experienced enough taijiya to have known of the youkai behaviour - he did not mention that she was new to the land and a stranger to the behaviours of the indigenous populus.

 

“My dear Sango, may we rest a bit?” He panted, clutching his side. “I appreciate that you are mush more fit than myself, and I do feel a slight wooziness in my head.” He complained. “I am not as able as yourself to travel long distances in this extreme heat.”

 

“You cannot make another quarter day?” Sango shot back over her shoulder, sounding weary and drained herself. “If we stop now, it will be another extra half day before we reach the nests. I do not think we can afford to lose that time.”

 

Miroku sighed, tumbling over a tree root. “I fear that I am about to fall, my dear.” He panted, leaning against a tree to steady himself. “I swear I cannot make another step, else I fall to my knees and faint.”

 

“Very well.” Sango sighed, sitting down on a small rocky protrusion. Breaking out the canteen of water that they carried with them, she took a swig, passing it to Miroku. “We shall have a light meal, rest a bit, and then be on our way. Do you agree, Houshi-sama?”

 

“That is perfectly fine.” He plopped down next to her, taking a swig of the water. He was so exhausted that he even forgot how to be lecherous.

 

OoOoOoOoOoO

 

Kagome had a small smile as she watched the inuyoukai pups play with the smaller kitsune cub. Shippou had barrelled right into Kagome, hugging her as tightly as he could, upon reaching Aika, spouting about how he'd been asking for her only to be told `soon'. Kagome was touched to know that he'd worried so over her, promising that she was just fine.

 

The fact that she had adopted the kitsune had, apparently, shocked Aika, who had stared at their exchange, asking Shippou about it soon after. Smiling at what she had been told, she had then ushered Kagome over to sit by her while she watched the children, making something from what appeared to be deerskin that was most likely for the pup she evidently carried within her womb. Kagome had admired the small swaddling cloth when it had been presented to her for inspection, smiling before handing it back to the mother-to-be.

 

Shippou had informed her that he had been with the inuyoukai pups in the pup den on the bottom floor of the complex. He had been told that she was there for as long as she held out against inuyoukai questioning, and that he had merely been taken to assure that those with capable noses did not follow them. Kagome had told him that she had never been more grateful to see a friendly face, and had urged him to play with his new friends.

 

Taking a small break from their games, the pups trooped down to the lake for a swim. Shippou had declined, not really liking to get wet, and had sat himself by Kagome on the rock that overlooked the landscape. With a small hand on the child's back, Kagome heaved a little sigh, thinking that she would never be able to return home. She was still terrified of what lie around the corner, though she could sense no terrible ill will toward her or her ward.

 

“Kagome?”

 

“Yes, Shippou-chan?”

 

Shippou shuffled his little feet. “How far do you think you could run in these woods?” He asked, looking around. Merely staring at him, Kagome's jaw dropped at his bold question. Surely, she thought, he was not thinking of running away? The youkai that they were with would likely catch them in less time than it took to take a breath! Sensing her trepidation, Shippou continued. “I am a youkai, so I could probably live amongst them, but you are human.” He paused. “I would gladly distract the inuyoukai while you make your escape.”

 

“I am truly touched, Shippou-chan.” Kagome sighed. “But it would not sit right with me to abandon you so.”

 

“I am perfectly able to flee on my own.”

 

“But I made you a promise to take care of you. Fleeing without you would dishonour that promise, and myself.” She pointed out.

 

Shippou gnawed on his lip. “You freed me from the Palace dungeons.” He paused. “Let me free you from this place.”

 

A pause. “All right.” She nodded, standing under the pretext of smoothing her yukata. “I shall get as far as I can before nightfall. I only pray that I do not run into any other beast.”

 

“I shall meet you in the morning.” Shippou nodded, standing up and holding a leaf to his forehead. “Run, Kagome. Do not look back. If I do not come and meet you, go without me.”

 

Kagome did not even stay to see what it was that Shippou did to distract the inuyoukai guards. As soon as she heard the commotion, she slipped, unseen, into the forest, running for dear life. She carefully avoided anything that she might cut herself on, the scent of her blood sure to attract attention. Not looking back, as she had been instructed to do, she fled deeper into the forest, the trees closing in around her like a protective barrier against would-be pursuers.

 

She did nothing but run, trying to fly as far away from that horrid place as she could. Shippou had been right. She did not belong there. She knew that this method was foolhardy and bordering on the insane, but she was willing to try, if, perchance, it had the smallest possibility for success. She knew that they travelled as far as they had in but a single night, so therefore they could not have been too far away. She knew that youkai could travel faster than humans, and that they had crossed the woods with astonishing speed, but felt that it might take perhaps two or three days to reach home.

 

Her legs ached. Her lungs burned. Her yukata ripped on more than one occasion. Her muscles cried out in protest to the cruel torment that she was inflicting upon them. She was a Princess, not bred for the life of a ruffian fleeing into the woods. She was a stranger to herblore and combat, not knowing how to defend herself against any attackers she may have had. The more she thought about it, the less convinced she became; perhaps she would only free herself from the inu, only to find herself in the jaws of some other foul creature.

 

Nevertheless pushing on, she still did not look back. By now, the sounds of the commotion were lost to the blood rushing through her ears, the muffled sound of her feet hitting the ground carpeted with mosses and dead leaves, her pounding heartbeat, the panting of her breath. The heaving of her bosom was almost painful as she pressed onward, desperately trying to succeed in finding a safe place to hide.

 

Pausing momentarily, she fell to her knees and attempted to catch her breath. Her hand resting on her chest as she sucked in great gasps of air, her heart almost stopped at the sound of male laughter. A growl could be heard, as well as a strange kind of noise that could have been thrashing, and Kagome was on her feet again. She knew that those sounds meant people, and people meant pursuers. She had vowed to get away from them, and get away from them she would.

 

She ignored the screaming of her muscles as she forged onward, stumbling over various roots and stumps. Every now and again, she would come upon the carcass of some dead animal; the scent almost making her heave. She could hear something rustle behind her, as if it were following her, and hastened her pace. She leapt over various obstacles with an agility that she did not know she possessed. She could hear naught but her own pounding heart.

 

Thinking that, finally, her pursuers had lost track of her, she paused, her hand against a tree to steady herself as she attempted to breathe. She could not hear the approach of something behind her, the predator's experience with hunting in the woods being to his advantage. She felt the grip on her arm, turning with a shriek to regard a figure with smouldering eyes the colour of amber, and hair the colour of the moon. Instantly, she knew she was in big trouble as Inuyasha glared at her.

 

OoOoOoOoOoO

 

Inuyasha grunted as he lifted another large fish and tied it on the pole that two of the younger inuyoukai had lifted between the trees. Ignoring them as he left them to suffocate in the open air, he waded back into the water to catch another. His nose was so full of the small of fish that he could scarcely pick out the smells of the surrounding wood.

 

The damp smell of the earth was drowned out by the scent of fish, and their panic. He often felt his gut twinge a little when he was fishing, disliking the scent of sheer panic around them. He was the only one in the pack capable of such emotion, though he did well not to let it show. He was a master in concealing his emotions from his scent; a skill taught to him by his father, realising that the young pup was much too easy to read. He had been taught to bury all physical signs of his emotions, and mask all traces of them in his scent.

 

In fact, he was so fixated on the smell of the water that he almost overlooked a scent that should not have been there. Pausing mid-snatch, his prey got away from him as his nose twitched, trying to identify the source of the smell. Growling at the other inuyoukai to return with their catch to the dens prematurely, he set off in the opposite direction of the dens.

 

They had travelled further down the lakeside than they had intended, the large fish having recently moved from their previous fishing locations. He considered himself lucky that they had, else he would not have picked up on the scent of the woman in the woods. Hastening his speed, he noted that she was well away from where Aika would have likely been; pregnant bitches never wandered far from their dens, being an easy target for predators.

 

He caught up with her some way away from the dens. Not even announcing himself, he snuck up behind her as she paused to catch her breath, and gripped her arm. He was forced to lower his ears at the volume of her shriek, the piercing sound being more than he could comfortably handle. Once it was clear that she had realised whom it was, and the scent of her fear of punishment reached his nose, he spoke.

 

“You stupid woman!” He roared, reminding himself not to get violent. “Are you a fucking moron? Do you even know what's in these fucking woods?!” He spat. “You could have been killed! You could have been eaten! Do you not care about your life?!”

 

“What right do you have to call me stupid?!” The human screeched, finally snapping and loosening her tongue. “You realise that once my people find you, and they will, you will all be slaughtered?! I was going to attempt to soothe youkai-human relations, but you have ruined any and all chance of convincing the members of Parliament to form any kind of peace treaty! You have no one to blame for your current predicament but yourselves! I would rather be devoured than spend one more day in that hellhole you call a home!”

 

“Hellhole?” Inuyasha growled, slamming the small woman's back against a tree, caging her in with his arms as he glared down at her. “We've been nothing but good to you, woman. We've fed you, clothed you, given you the opportunity to bathe and enjoy the sun. We've been much better to you than those damn ookamiyoukai would've been! D'you know their Princess was in your dungeons? We only found out yesterday; she was saved the same night you were taken from your strange dens. If you're gonna call any place a hellhole, call your own prisons so. Her lips were fucking sewn together! Is that how depraved your entire fucking species is, or are there exceptions? Do you all try to kill those that don't please you? Do you all hunt the ones that are only trying to help you? Are you all stupid enough to value liberty, which can be both won and lost, over a life you can't fucking win back?”

 

Kagome was in tears at this point. While she was somewhat glad that the ookamiyoukai that she had seen in the dungeons a few days before had indeed been rescued, she was still terrified about the consequences of her actions. Was she going to be punished now? Letting him pull her back to the dens, Kagome only cried. She knew it had not been a good idea the moment Shippou had mentioned it. She should have stayed with the pregnant inu and waited until Inuyasha had come to fetch her. Now she was in serious trouble.

 

“I oughta kill you right fucking now, and tell `em I was too late to stop a rouge oni from doing it.” He growled low. “Move it, wench.” He snapped, pulling her arm along as he started trekking back. “And see if I ever try to convince my brother to let you outside again!”