InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Hijacked Honeymoon ❯ Chapter 8

Hijacked honeymoon

 

Chapter 8

 

Sensing if he pushed the pace she might collapse, Sesshomaru had slowed their tempo to no more then a three-mile-per-hour stroll. With her walking in front, he used the extra time to cover their trail and once or twice laid a false one. She'd walked for four hours longer then she'd told him she could. But two hours ago, in exhaustion, Kagome had stopped talking. She needed rest. Water. Food and a hot shower.

 

When he suspected she couldn't go on, he stopped, removed the protein bar he'd saved for this moment and unwrapped it, then handed it to her. “Eat.”

 

She took a bite, chewed slowly and tried to hand it back to him.

 

He shook his head. “You finish it.”

 

“No. we share,” she insisted, so tired she could hardly speck.

 

While he appreciated the sentiment, she required the carbs way more then he did. “My body is used to deprivation. Your isn't. Eat.”

 

“But—“

 

“Don't waste energy arguing. I could go for at least three days before I'm as exhausted as you are right now. But if I have to carry you, it'll be that much harder on me.”

 

“Okay.” She ate slowly and had difficulty swallowing. “Do we have any more water?”

 

They'd been gradually heading uphill. “The stalks don't grow around here.”

 

With the first signs of dawn approaching on the eastern horizon, he knew they needed to hide. But thoughts of her going without food or water for another twelve made him wince. Perhaps he could find a place for her to wait and he could scour the area for supplies. But he didn't want to leave her alone and unprotected. First, she was to tired to think clearly, and secondly, he hadn't forgotten the scooter that might or might not still be on their trail.

 

“Stop.” Ahead of him, she sank to her knees. At first he thought she'd simply keeled over. But then he saw her plucking juicy blackberries from a briar patch. She popped one into her mouth, then handed him a few berries. “Go on. There's lots of them.”

 

Those berries, sweet and juicy, tasted like nectar from the gods. He'd been so focused on covering their trail he might not have spotted them, and that she made him appreciate her all the more. In the military, Sesshomaru had been through survival training and knew people who panicked often got themselves killed. But as unaccustomed as Kagome was to walking long distances with no sleep and little food or water, she had kept her head up.

 

They plucked all the berries they could reach and ate them as they walked. “If my navigating is on target, that ridge should be in sight soon.”

 

“And then what?”

 

"We find some transportation.”

 

“As filthy as we are, no one is going to pick us up looking like this.”

 

“Let me worry about that.”

 

“Sesshomaru?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“You aren't going to hurt anybody, are you?”

 

“Now, do I strike you as a violent person?”

 

“Those calluses on your right hand, particularly the one between your thumb and pointer finger indicate you've done more then your share of shooting.”

 

“I'm not carrying a weapon.”

 

“Your knuckles are flat. Doesn't that happen from punching a bag?”

 

“A makiwara.”

 

“A what?”

 

“It's a stick with padding on the end. Martial arts people prefer it to a nice, soft bag. But let me ease your mind. Right now I'm thinking about hot showers, clean clothes and a breakfast of eggs, English muffins, bacon. A gallon of orange juice and—“

 

“Grits?”

 

“Yuck. I'd rather eat C-rations.”

 

“So if you don't intend to conk anyone on the head to get us transportation, exactly how do you intend to—“

 

“There. It is a road.” He took her hand and helped her the last few meters. But when she would have walked into the open, he held her back. As she'd predicted, the road was empty of traffic, but he hoped as the night faded away into day, they'd come across a few travelers. In the meantime, they really needed to wash and he heard the enticing sound of gurgling water.

 

With a stunned expression, Kagome's eyes narrowed. “Have I finally lost my mind?”

 

He chuckled. “Why?”

 

“Am I imagining the sound of running water?”

 

 

 

Kagome didn't hesitate to wash in the stream while Sesshomaru stood guard. After reviewing Sesshomaru's story and what she knew about Hojo practically all night, she was about ninety percent certain Sesshomaru was there to protect her. While the idea of Hojo marrying her, then turning her over to terrorists to blackmail her father into stopping his work still seemed far-fetch, Sesshomaru had offered her too many facts that fit together for her not to realize he was probably telling her the truth.

 

Her shock had given way to anger that Hojo would betray her, her father and the country. Her fury had given her the energy to keep walking for far longer then she might have otherwise. But even in her exhaustion, she realized she should have been more hurt be Hojo's betrayal. Perhaps it was simply too much to sort out at once.

 

However, a few things were clear. By now she understood that Sesshomaru had too much honor to take so much as an illicit peek while she bathed. Oh, he might tease, his eyes might burn hotly, but he wasn't the type to do anything but go directly after what he wanted. Sneaking was so beneath him that she wasn't the least bit worried about her privacy. Especially after Sesshomaru led her to a secluded spot surrounded by greenery where the water gurgled over rocks and pooled into a bathing area with a gently sloped bank.

 

Comfortable enough to remove her battered dress and underwear, Kagome ducked the material underwater and scrubbed as much of the dirt out as possible. Then she wrung the excess moisture from the satin that would never again be a pristine white. She didn't bother spreading it over a bush to dry. Her bath had to be quick—she couldn't forget that the sniper might still be out there. Dipping her head under the clean water, she held her breath and let the cool temperature wash away the sting of insect bites and the itching of dried mud. With her palms, she quickly scrubbed her neck, shoulders, and the parts of her back that she could reach. Although she would have appreciated a bar of soap, shampoo and clean, dry cloths to change into, the refreshing bath was so sweet it washed away much of her exhaustion.

 

Sesshomaru had told her he'd scout out their perimeter, but he would remain within shouting distance if she needed him. So while she didn't splash or float, she let her mind drift as her body rejuvenated. And she allowed herself a moment to close her eyes and enjoy the blissful peace of the moment.

 

She didn't think about yesterday or tomorrow. Perhaps the hardships and shock she'd suffered made the moment perfect. She was happy to be alive, and for now that was enough. She emerged and leaned against a rock to let the sun caress her skin, but didn't wait for the warmth to dry her since she had to don her wet underwear and dress. However, in the warm morning, she wouldn't take long to dry. She ran her fingers through her hair to comb it, ready to face whatever the day and Sesshomaru had to offer.

 

“I'm all done,” she called out. “Your turn.”

 

He emerged from the forest, his hair damp, his eyelashes spiked with a few stray water droplets. He's washed his clothing but, still wet, with only a few dry patches, his jeans and shirt clung to him outlining his lean body. “There was another pool downstream.” His eyes gleamed mischievously. “And I've found us a ride…of sorts.”

 

“Of sorts?”

 

“Thanks to the tropical storm that blew through here last week, a brush crew is clearing the hiking trails of downed trees. We should hear the chainsaws gearing up any minute.”

 

“What does that have to do with our ride?”

 

“I borrowed the crew's pickup truck.” He led her away from the creek in a new direction to where he'd parked a green truck with the Forest Service's yellow emblem emblazoned on the side. “Don't worry, we aren't stranding them in the wilderness. They have radios and cell phones.”

 

She hesitated, staring at the truck. “I've never stolen anything before.”

 

He gestured her toward the truck. “Have you ever been shot at before?”

 

“You had no remind me?” she muttered.

 

“Besides, we'll return the vehicle. In fact, the bright-green color makes us way too conspicuous to drive in town. We'll have to ditch it and find alternate transportation.”

 

“Okay.”

 

She climbed into the truck, opened the glove compartment and searched for a map as Sesshomaru started the engine and drove down the road. Disappointed when she didn't turn up so much as a scrap of paper, she flicked on the radio and tuned on to the local station. After hearing the tail end of Toby Keith's “Country of the red, white and blue,” the local news came on. The radio DJ began to talk about Canfield's own runaway bride who'd left her groom at the alter and hadn't heard from since.

“He's talking about me.”

 

She imagined Hojo's humiliation. Standing at the church in his tux, waiting for her, and then when she didn't arrive, his having to make excuses to her friends and his associates. Hell, she didn't feel sorry for his—not since he was the one who planned to turn her over to terrorists.

 

Kagome was about to flip off the station when the DJ continued, “If anyone has information on the whereabouts of Kagome Higurashi, a five-foot-five-inch brown with brown eyes, please contact the sheriff's department immediately.” The DJ went on to other news about a helicopter crush and the search-and-rescue mission currently going on in the forest before finishing up with the weather and the last night's high school football score.

 

“Oh, God.” She dropped her face into her hands. She'd been concentrating so hard on survival that until now she hadn't realized all the ramifications of her disappearance. Her best friend, Sango, would be frantic.

 

Sesshomaru's take was very different from hers. “The news is good. So far the authorities haven't connected your disappearance to the helicopter going down.”

 

She stared at him. By now she shouldn't be shocked at the cool, rational way he thought through the situation. But right at the moment she was more concerned about reassuring her friend then about what local law enforcement might know. “When we get to town, I have to make a phone call.”

 

“And call whom? And say what?”

 

“I have people who care about me. I have to let them know I'm all right.”

 

Sesshomaru shook his head, a lock of silver hair dropping over one eye. “I'm sorry, but that's not a good idea. Whoever tried to shoot us last night may be watching your friends. Showing up or calling them could not only get you killed but also endanger them. Not knowing what happened to you may be emotionally upsetting, but it won't kill them.”

 

“That's…harsh.”

 

Clearly irritated by her comment, he shoved the stray lack off his forehead. “I'm trying to do what's best.”

 

She glared at him. “Yeah, right.”

 

“My number-one priority is to get you into less conspicuous cloths, check in with my boss, then head out of town to a safe place.”

 

“Oh, so it's okay for you to let your boss know we survived, but I can't tell Sango.”

We're operating one need-to-know basis.”

 

“Sango is a very good friend. She's not going to take my disappearance lying down.” Sango and Kagome had been best friends since first grade. Outwardly, they didn't seem to have much in common. Her parents had money and had put in a swimming pool during their sophomore year of high school where they'd had some fine parties. Sango was a fireball of energy and a loyal friend. She'd always known she wanted to be a newscaster and she went about achieving that in a straightforward fashion. After attaining her journalism degree, she had her daddy buy the local television station, assuring her a job. And she loved a good fight. No way would she take Kagome's disappearance without creating a fuss, even if she'd never liked Hojo and hadn't approved the engagement.

 

Ever since Sesshomaru had taken Kagome from the limousine and stopped her marriage to Hojo, Kagome had mostly avoided thinking about him on a personal level. Sure, she'd had brief bursts of anger here and there, but her heart didn't ache for him. And it should have. But she didn't feel that gullible, either.

 

If Hojo was the double agent Sesshomaru claimed, her fiancé hadn't just fooled her but the people at the FBI, too. So if he was guilty, he had to be extremely good at what he did. She shouldn't feel stupid fir trusting him. After all, how could she have known? How did anyone really know what anyone else was like?

 

And yet, in the short time she'd known Sesshomaru, she felt she knew him quite well. If Sesshomaru's bride hadn't shown for his wedding, she knew Sesshomaru would have hunted her to the ends of the earth. And he'd tear apart anyone who'd dared harm her.

 

She glanced over at the man driving the truck. He drove with both hands on the wheel, relaxed yet vigilant. When they finally turned out of the national forest, he acted as though he knew exactly where he was going.

 

“We need to get off the road before someone spots this truck.” Sesshomaru pulled off the highway and shut down the engine. “I noticed a farmhouse a quarter mile back. Let's hope no one's home.”

 

 

A/N hope you like this chapter I spent all night typing this up, it's now 2:46 by my clock. I'm so tired you people better like this chapter, yep…, better…, “snore…”