InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Jewel of my Heart ❯ Hunted ( Chapter 5 )

Chapter 5: Hunted

Kagome was starting to show, at least to Inuyasha's eyes. He could see the slight plumpness of her belly when she turned and her kimono tightened across her midsection. It meant they had been out here far longer than he had expected to be. But then, it was a long way to Naraku's castle. His lands were far to the south, even by wagon, and they were on foot.

But now that they knew were they were going, Inuyasha no longer needed Kagome's guidance, which meant he should really send her home to have the baby. But he couldn't do that without turning back himself and it would take just as long to get home as it had taken to get this far. It was true he could return more swiftly by himself, but valuable time would be lost. Inuyasha didn't know what to do. He hated the feeling of indecision. It made him even more short-tempered than usual.

“Do you know this area, Kaede?” Inuyasha asked abruptly over breakfast one morning.

He hadn't spoken to either woman for nearly two days and they both started.

“Somewhat,” Kaede replied.

“Does anyone important live around here?”

“There is Lord Kuritsu. I believe his castle lies just east of here by a day or two.”

“Good. We'll go there. I'm going to leave you and Kagome there while I go deal with Naraku. I'll pick you up on my way back.”

“What?!” Kagome exclaimed. “How do you expect to find the Jewel without me?”

Inuyasha snorted. “If it's as important to Naraku as Kaede says, he'll have it on his person. I'll just take it off his corpse after I kill him.”

“Naraku cannot be killed so easily, Inuyasha,” Kaede said sternly. “He is extremely powerful. Your claws cannot touch him. Your sword may not be able to touch him.”

“All the more reason to leave Kagome behind!” Inuyasha snapped. “There's no reason to risk her life.”

“It's not your decision to make!” Kagome exclaimed angrily. “The Shikon Jewel belongs to me. I allowed it to be stolen! If anyone should risk his or her life to retrieve it, it should be me!”

“That's ridiculous! You didn't even want to come!”

Kagome stood up, her fists clenched and her face flushed with anger. “I will not be left behind! I will find the Jewel and I will get it back. I don't need your help!” She turned away and began repacking the knapsack with quick, angry movements.

Inuyasha was shocked by her sudden rebellion. She had never disobeyed him before. He opened his mouth to insist that she do as he told her, but Kaede frowned at him and shook her head.

“Inuyasha, there is no guarantee Naraku will stay at his southern estate,” Kaede said. “It is his largest, but he owns others. If he moves, how will you find him?”

Inuyasha frowned. He hadn't thought of that.

Kagome turned to face him. Her face was smooth and expressionless. She bowed her head. “Please forgive my disobedient outburst, my husband. But as Kaede says, if Naraku moves, you will have no way to track him if I do not accompany you. Please allow me to continue to be of service to you.”

Inuyasha studied the top of her bowed head. This was foolish, but they were right.

“All right,” he said, “we will continue on together. But if anything happens, I am going to leave you with the next noble family we pass.”

“Yes, my husband.”

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Kagome was tremendously relieved that Inuyasha had agreed not to leave her behind. She didn't want to be separated from him, a fact that had not become apparent to her until he suggested it. It seemed so idiotic, though! She and the baby would be safer in a nice castle. If he'd suggested it weeks ago, she would have agreed instantly. And he still didn't treat her very well. So why, now, did she hate the idea of being apart from him? She watched him as he strode along purposefully ahead of them. What was it about Inuyasha that made her wish he would smile at her more often?

“You are quiet, Kagome,” Kaede said softly.

“I'm just thinking,” Kagome replied.

“About Inuyasha?”

“Of course.” Kagome smiled wryly. “I wish I understood him. I want to, but every time I start to think that I do, I realize I don't know him at all.”

“Oh, I think you know him better than you realize. Why do you think he wanted to leave you behind?”

“I slow him down.”

“You know that's not the reason,” Kaede admonished her. “He's worried about risking your life and the life of your child.”

“Then why did he bring me to begin with? If it was to track the Jewel, then he still needs me. If he cared about risking my life then, he would have thought of another way.”

Kaede smiled. “You assume his feelings about you have not changed.”

Kagome frowned at her. “I don't think they have. He still acts like I'm a burden.”

“Then you are not paying attention.”

Kagome fell silent. Was it possible that Inuyasha cared about her? Kagome thought about the past few weeks and how Inuyasha had behaved toward her. There were times when he had been kind to her. But it seemed like there were even more times when he was impatient with her, or angry, or annoyed. She sighed.

“I would like to believe he has kind feelings for me, Kaede,” Kagome said quietly, “but I think I am just fooling myself. He doesn't need me and he did not choose to have me in his life.”

“Do any of us get to choose the people in our lives?” Kaede asked. “We must all make the best of what we are given. Do you think you could be happy with Inuyasha?”

Kagome gazed thoughtfully at Inuyasha again. “I would like to be.”

Kaede put her arm around Kagome's shoulders. “Then do as I have told you many times. Do not hide your affection from him. Let him see that you care for him. He isn't used to it and it will take him time to respond, but I truly believe he will respond.”

Kagome nodded slowly.

Inuyasha stopped and turned around. “Let's take a break. You two wait here. I want to do some scouting up ahead.” He dropped the knapsack and bounded away without another word.

“Do you think he heard us?” Kagome asked worriedly.

“Would that be a bad thing?” Kaede replied. She smiled. “I don't think it would hurt for Inuyasha to overhear that you want to be closer to him.” Kaede sat down with her back to a tree. “Truthfully, I'm glad for a little rest. Why don't you sit down and relax?”

“I'm not tired,” Kagome said. “I think I'll look for herbs and tubers.”

“Very well, but stay close by. And take your bow.”

“Is that really necessary?”

“Never go unarmed when Inuyasha is away, Kagome.”

“All right.”

Kagome let the back of her mind stew over the things Kaede had said. It was better not to think for a while. Picking herbs and looking for the leaves of edible tubers to dig up was occupation enough for her mind at the moment. She had collected a fair number of items into the cloth she had tied around her waist like an apron when she found herself at the edge of an open field. She had found a couple of wild yams already, but now she could see the leaves of dozens of plants out in the field, where abundant sunshine had allowed them to spread. Kagome smiled. Wild yams for dinner was just what she needed.

She made a pile of her current haul at the edge of the trees and went out into the field with an empty apron. She used her small knife to dig the yams out of the ground, but it was slow going. The ground was hard. She made a trip back to her stash with an apron-ful of yams and returned to the patch to dig up a few more. She had worked her way pretty far out into the field when she heard a shout.

Looking up, Kagome saw a dozen men on horseback galloping toward her. Sudden fear froze her muscles for an instant and then she leaped to her feet. She slipped her bow off over her head and reached for an arrow. They were out of arrow range, but they were getting closer fast. She knocked the arrow and aimed at the lead rider. Kagome released the arrow just as Inuyasha appeared, leaping across the field so fast it looked like he was flying.

Inuyasha brought his sword up and slammed it into the ground. Lightning shot through the air as the ground fractured and four of the riders were thrown down. The power didn't seem to work as well against men as it did against demons.

Kagome's arrow had missed, but she drew another one as calmly as possible. She shot two more arrows and watched both miss their targets, although the second grazed by the man closely enough to draw a startled shout from him.

Inuyasha used his sword's power again and six more riders went down. The last two reined their horses around and charged him, obviously hoping to reach him before he could strike again.

The sound of hoof beats behind her made Kagome spin around. Three more bandits were racing toward her, murderous grins on their faces.

Kagome drew and shot as quickly and as calmly as she could, but in no time at all, it seemed, she was down to her last arrow. Shooting at demons was one thing, but shooting at men shook her confidence. All of her shots had missed the mark. She took careful aim with her last arrow at the foremost of the bandits bearing down on her. He rode low in his saddle, leaning forward with his sword raised to strike. Kagome focused on him, forcing herself to ignore the other two bandits riding behind him. She could only get one of them and she couldn't afford to miss.

She released the arrow smoothly and smiled with grim satisfaction as it took him in the throat, just below his chin. He dropped his sword and clutched at the arrow as blood sprayed out over his horse's head. He fell sideways off the horse and was trampled by one his comrades, who did not have time to avoid him. The second bandit shouted in rage and raised his sword, spurring toward Kagome with a look of savage hatred on his sallow face.

“Kagome!” Inuyasha cried. He charged in her direction with his sword raised to strike, but she knew he couldn't use its raw power. She was between him and the bandits. Then he leaped into the air while he was still several paces away and flew over her head, landing in front of her and in the path of the charging bandits.

Inuyasha wasn't subtle when he fought. He hacked through the sword, the bandit, and the horse all in the same blow. Blood and guts spewed in every direction. The last bandit, seeing this, pulled up and threw something at them. Inuyasha didn't wait to see what it was. He whirled around, leaped at Kagome and bore her to the ground. His body shielded her, mostly, from the force of a sudden explosion that showered them with dirt, rocks and chunks of the dead horse. Inuyasha looked around, but the remaining bandit was galloping away, not waiting to see the results of his attack.

“Are you all right, Kagome?” Inuyasha asked worriedly.

Kagome was a little surprised. She had expected him to be angry with her for putting herself in danger. “I'm fine.”

Inuyasha shifted to the side, so he wasn't lying directly on top of her, and put his hand on her belly. “Is the baby all right, too?”

Now Kagome was definitely surprised. This was the first time he had spoken to her directly about their baby. “Yes, the baby's fine, too.” She studied his face. “Thank you for protecting us.”

Inuyasha frowned slightly. He climbed quickly to his feet and stared down at her. “Well, what else would I do? You're my wife; of course I'll protect you. And our child.” He looked away, an unreadable expression on his handsome face.

Kagome sat up. The air reeked of blood and other smells she did not want to identify. She began to feel nauseous. “I need to get away from here. I think I'm going to be sick.”

Inuyasha immediately offered her his hand and helped her to her feet. “Let's find Kaede. I can smell water over there. We can bathe.”

“Good.” Kagome pointed to where she had left her stash of food. “Can we go this way? I have food I want to collect.”

“Sure.”

Kaede met them at the edge of the field.

“Are you all right, Kagome? Inuyasha?” Kaede asked anxiously. “I heard fighting.”

“Yeah, we're fine,” Inuyasha replied. “There were only fifteen of them.”

Kagome stopped to collect her yams and herbs. She held her apron by the corners with one hand and piled everything inside quickly.

“Is this why you were out in the open?” Inuyasha demanded.

Now he sounded angry and Kagome ducked her head. “Yes. I'm sorry. I wanted to collect enough wild yams to last us for a few days.”

“I suppose it's my fault for not saying anything,” Inuyasha growled. “I knew there were men nearby. I was looking for them, but they found you first because you went out into the open where they could see you.”

“It's not your fault, my husband. I should have known better.” Kagome turned away from him so he could not see the tears in her eyes. She suddenly felt very foolish. “I will try to be more obedient.”

“You didn't disobey me,” Inuyasha said with exasperation in his voice. “I didn't tell you to stay concealed. But in the future, we should all try to keep out of sight as much as possible.”

“Yes, my husband,” Kagome whispered. She still felt like a fool. They had known bandits were looking for them. She should have been more careful.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Inuyasha was more relieved that Kagome was unharmed than exasperated by her foolishness, but it was still hard to keep the annoyance out of his voice. Digging up edible roots! What a stupid way to nearly get killed. But whenever he remembered that rider bearing down on Kagome with his sword drawn, the same murderous rage surged through him that had driven him to cut the man and his horse in two. He simply couldn't bear the thought of Kagome being hurt.

But now she wouldn't meet his eyes or speak to him. He could see the unhappiness on her face. She thinks I'm angry with her again, he thought. She always addressed him as “my husband” whenever she thought he was angry. He was angry, but not with her. Because of her, maybe, but she was not the source of it.

She was walking behind him now with her head down and her shoulders slumped. Everything about her demeanor radiated unhappiness. It made Inuyasha want to embrace her and apologize. He stopped and turned to face her.

“Kagome,” he said, “I'm not angry with you for going out into the field. You didn't know the men were there and you were thinking of the rest of us. You should not blame yourself.”

She looked up at him uncertainly.

“I will try to be more forthright about the dangers around us,” Inuyasha continued. Trying to protect you by not telling you about possible danger is no protection at all.”

She bowed slightly. “Thank you, my husband. It is my sincere desire to be a good and obedient wife to you. It makes me unhappy when I disappoint you.”

Inuyasha blinked at her. Her statement filled him with a mixture of emotions that he didn't understand. If he had liked her less, he wouldn't have felt sorry for her for being stuck with a husband like him. But the more time they spent together, the more he liked her, which incongruously made him wish she didn't have to be stuck with him. And then she would say things like this, which made it sound like she didn't consider herself stuck at all.

“You did not disappoint me, Kagome,” he said, a little uncertainly. “I was frightened for you.”

Kagome smiled. “I am sorry I frightened you, Inuyasha,” she said. “I will make every effort to avoid endangering myself again.”

“Good.” Inuyasha turned away and resumed walking.

Behind him, he heard Kagome whisper to Kaede: “He was worried about me!” She sounded happy.

“I told you,” Kaede whispered back.

Inuyasha felt terribly confused. Did Kagome want him to care for her? It didn't make sense. No one loved half-demons, not even the families they came from. Could he risk letting himself have feelings for her?

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Kagome was relieved that Inuyasha no longer seemed angry with her, but he became increasingly irritated as the afternoon wore on. It was not yet sunset when he called a halt.

“We'll camp here,” he announced. “I have something to do and I may be gone for a while, so have dinner without me.” He started to go, but Kaede called after him sternly.

“Halt, Inuyasha!”

He stopped in mid-stride and glared over his shoulder at her. “What?”

“You are wrong to hide this from Kagome. She is your wife. If you choose to keep this secret from her, what other secrets can she expect you to keep?”

Kagome looked from one to the other in confusion as Inuyasha's face flushed. He turned around slowly and glowered at Kaede. Then he glanced at Kagome and quickly looked away.

“I don't like people to see me like that,” he growled softly.

“It is but a part of who you are,” Kaede replied gravely. “Will you not allow Kagome to judge for herself?”

Inuyasha stood still, staring at the ground with an angry frown on his face. Finally, he sank down cross-legged and folded his hands in his lap. “Very well,” he said quietly, but he kept his gaze fixed on the ground.

What are they talking about? Kagome wondered. She watched him curiously out of the corner of her eye as she started to prepare their dinner.

Kaede went to fetch firewood, but when she returned, she put a hand on Kagome's shoulder. “Watch,” she said and pointed at Inuyasha.

Kagome looked at him, wondering what she was supposed to see. And then her mouth fell open and she stared in surprise. As the sun sank below the horizon, Inuyasha's bright silver hair faded to jet black and his ears disappeared. He looked up at her and his eyes were dark brown. It was still his face, but he looked completely different.

“What…?” Kagome began uncertainly.

Inuyasha's frown deepened. “I'm a half-demon, remember? All half-demons have a time when they lose their demon powers and become mere mortals. For me, it's on the night of the new moon.” He looked at his fingers, now tipped with normal human nails instead of pointed demon claws. “I'll stay like this till sunrise.”

“You look different,” Kagome said finally.

“Better, I suppose,” he said bitterly. He looked down again.

Kagome studied him for a moment and then shook her head. “No. I think you look better with light hair. And you look odd without your ears.”

He looked up at her in surprise. “You don't… prefer me this way?”

Kagome regarded him thoughtfully. He was still very handsome. She imagined that most women would be attracted to his human appearance. But still… “I think you are more attractive in your natural form,” she said quietly.

Inuyasha didn't respond. He looked stunned.

Kagome returned to making dinner.

Later that night, the sound of voices woke Kagome, but she lay still as she realized it was only Kaede and Inuyasha talking.

“Why would she not prefer me as a human, Kaede? It doesn't make any sense,” Inuyasha said quietly.

“I think your appearance matters less to Kagome than the heart within you,” Kaede replied. “It is the man you are she cares for. I think she prefers your half-demon form because that is the form in which you are most comfortable.”

You think she cares for me?” Inuyasha whispered.

“I know she does. You are too hard on yourself, Inuyasha. There is much about you for someone to love, if you would only allow it.”

“No one loves half-demons,” he replied harshly.

“Your mother loved you.”

“That was different.”

“Why? Many human mothers hate their half-demon children. Your mother loved you because of who you are, Inuyasha. So does Kagome.”

Inuyasha did not answer that and Kagome smiled to herself. Bless you, Kaede, for saying to him what I cannot.