InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Kyo ❯ A Hanyou named Kyo ( Chapter 3 )

 

She raced towards the clearing, the youkai slowly coming in to view. It was a snake youkai, extremely poisonous, but not too hard to kill. It was chasing something, on a second glance she realised it was a small boy. The tiny child tripped on a root and went sprawling on the dirt. Staring up in to the hungry face of the snake, he curled himself in to a defensive ball and awaited sharp fangs to pierce his body.

 

Setting an arrow to the string, Kagome stepped out in to the clearing. Drawing the arrow back, she focussed her energy on the youkai before letting go. The arrow flew across the clearing as she readied another bolt to the string, before impaling itself in to the snake's head. The demon exploded, showering both her and the child in blood. She raced forward to pluck the jewel shard out of the remains before it could reform, glancing up just in time to see the tiny form of the boy run behind a tree.

 

Sitting down on a patch of grass not covered in blood, she placed her bow and arrows down beside her, far enough away not to pose a threat, but close enough to grab if needed. "You know," she spoke softly, "The moon sure is pretty tonight." A small head peeked around the tree. "Why don't you come and sit with me? I promise I won't hurt you." The boy slowly crept around to her side of the tree, his bottom lip beginning to tremble as he cautiously stepped towards her.

 

Breath caught in her throat as her eyes took in his dishevelled appearance. His clothes, if they could be considered that, were torn and bloody, his tiny body covered in bruises and abrasions. She took his hands in hers, and noticed tiny claws adorned his fingers. Long silvery hair framed his face, drawing attention to his bright amethyst eyes, and to the two tiny puppy ears twitched anxiously on top of his head.

 

"You're a hanyou right?" she asked him. He nodded in apprehension, waiting for her to strike him as so many others had done. "An inu hanyou?" Once again he nodded, water beginning to well, obscuring his beautiful eyes. "So's my best friend," she told him, "And you're so cute." Kagome pulled him in to a tight hug, careful to mind his battered body. Her hand reached up to brush the hair out of his face and swipe at the tears now falling down his face.

 

"I don't know about you," she told the tiny hanyou, "but I don't want to be out here all night, in case other youkai decide to pay a visit, especially since I'm drenched in blood. Why don't we head over to a hot spring and get cleaned up, and then find some shelter?" The hanyou weighed his options, run around in the dark and maybe find somewhere to stay the night, or follow a strange girl who offered him shelter. Normally he would've shied away from anyone, but there was something about this girl that drew him to her, and didn't she mention having a hanyou as a friend? With a slight nod of his head, Kagome grabbed her weapons on one hand, and scooped him up with the other. Cradling him on her hip, she headed back to the Bone-Eater's Well to collect her bag, hefting it onto her shoulder before continuing on to a hot spring she knew was in the area.

 

Dumping her things beside the spring she pouted, "May as well kill two birds with one stone," she told the tiny hanyou, "We're both covered in blood, and we'll have to wash our clothes anyway, so why not do both at the same time?" Pulling out her washing needs, she removed her shoes before wading out in to the hot water, the child still in her arms. Placing him on a rock, she removed her clothes, rubbing at the cloth until all the blood was gone. Throwing her clothing on to the bank, she picked the boy up, sitting him on her lap as she began to do the same for him.

 

Once his clothes were clean, she began to scrub his body with the mildest soap she had. "So tell me," She inquired, "what's your name?" The little boy stared up at her, as she squeezed a small amount of shampoo on to her palm, before lathering it in to his hair. "Kyo," he mumbled as she gently rinsed his hair out. "Well," she told him, "I'm Kagome. What were you doing out there all by yourself?" Kyo felt his tension slowly melt away as her fingers massaged some conditioner in to his scalp. "My dad died years ago, I never met him, but my mum, she died defending me from some villagers. that was a moon ago now, and I've been hunted ever since."

 

Pulling his tiny body in to a hug, she kissed both of his ears, "Not anymore Kyo," she told him, "Not anymore. I promise that you will never be hurt again." For the first time, Kyo began to cuddle back. He spent the rest of the time Kagome spent bathing herself studying her as she hummed softly. Stepping out of the water, Kagome wrapped a towel around her. She grabbed Kyo, wrapping a second towel around him, rubbing him dry. "Here," she told him as she handed him one of her shirts, "It's the best I have for now, I'll find you some clothes in the village tomorrow." Kyo slipped the shirt over his head, the hem falling down to his ankles. Kagome giggled as she realised how big the purple cloth was in comparison to his small frame. Pulling her own pyjamas on, Kagome packed everything else back in to her bag, tugging it on to her shoulders before lifting Kyo back in to her arms and striding towards Keade's hut.