InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ One Can Only Wander For So Long ❯ Unexpected Savior ( Chapter 3 )

Revisions! Wording changed, descriptions added, plot smoothed out.

 

Disclaimer - Of course, I don't own the Inuyasha characters.

 

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One Can Only Wander for So Long

By Alesyira

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Chapter Three - Unexpected Savior

 

Inuyasha stalked through the strangely silent forest. He was following someone, or something... He couldn't tell what it was. He could feel it was nearby, but he could hear nothing except the loud beating of his own heart. The wind blew and he watched with a strange sense of detachment as the leaves soundlessly shook in the breeze. Slowly but surely, an oddly comforting feeling began to drift over him, tickling his senses like a downy feather. He was compelled to discover the source; for anything that felt that good had to be investigated thoroughly.

 

Slowly he stalked through the forest, trailing the sensation. He narrowed his eyes, trying to see beyond the breaks in the trees; his ears strained to hear the tiniest nuance of sound. He suddenly became aware of a sweet scent - and as he traveled his path, the aroma grew in intensity. His ears twitched as he picked up the quiet crunch of a single leaf, the first sound in his strangely silent forest.

 

Inuyasha's eyes sprung open suddenly - he realized he had dozed off while sunning on that rock, lost in his thoughts. But, much to his amazement, the scent he had been dreaming about was still present. `What IS that?' he thought wildly. His stomach felt funny, and as he inhaled deeply to pick up a more of it, his senses reeled and he almost fell off his rock. He seemed to be sitting downwind from whatever it was, and while it had been getting closer a few minutes ago, he could barely hear it slowly moving parallel to the stream. He stood in a daze, unable to figure out why he felt so funny.

 

Hopping off his rock, he carefully padded on his side of the stream, keeping pace with whatever was just beyond his sight in the tree line. He did not want to approach any closer until he could figure out what the hell that was. Of all the years he'd secluded himself, he'd never come across ANYTHING like this.

 

~~~

 

Kagome had her arrow notched, the quiver strapped tightly to her back as she slowly crept through the forest. She passed her gaze over the forest floor, searching for tracks. The gently flowing stream was just beyond her vision to her left. The breeze was at a good side, keeping her downwind from the forest ahead of her and the thicker forest to her right. Kagome winced as a single leaf crunched underfoot after she stepped over a fallen branch - she knew she could easily trek the forest in complete silence, even at night. It was a skill she prided herself on, and it made hunting so much easier.

 

She had managed to move closer to the stream, for she could clearly hear the water splashing against the rocks. A small rustle about twenty feet in front of her made her pause, and she drew her right arm back, pulling the bowstring taut. She aimed slowly; she would wait until she could see the animal before she fired. She caught sight of a large brown rabbit quietly digging out around a small plant, and another small clump of dirt hit a nearby bush causing the same small rustling of leaves. She knew her aim was true as released the arrow, the powerful bow propelling it forward with frightening speed before it impaled its target.

 

Kagome made a small noise of approval as she walked forward to collect her dinner for the night. She glanced to her left, and remembering the stream, decided a quick dip might be the perfect follow-up for her hunt.

 

~~~

 

Inuyasha heard a small twang, a faint thud, followed by the faint whisper of a feminine voice. The breeze brought to him the scent of blood - `Rabbit...' he thought. He realized that this sweet smelling female was very close to his position, drawing nearer as he drooled like an imbecile. He leapt back into the cover of the tree line and crouched behind a bush, watching carefully from the shadows as the woman came into sight. Her bow was slung over a shoulder, and her ebony hair was pulled back in a ponytail to keep it out of her face.

 

He watched her appraise her surroundings carefully, realizing it was a very exposed spot at this point in the stream. The expanse of grass on her side of the stream would be almost to far to retreat in case of a trap, and he watched in interest as she took a deep breath and exhaled, letting her eyes drift shut. A moment later, he felt thoroughly warmed, like a beam of sunshine had filtered onto his shadowed hiding spot. He looked around in a panic, thinking he would be visible once she opened her eyes, but he was still crouched in the dark underbrush. When he turned his attention back to the strange girl across the stream, he watched her head turn slightly in his direction, and she opened her eyes again to eye his location with curiosity. He froze as she stared hard at his hiding spot, for he was positive he was well hidden from sight... but... how else would she know he was there?

 

~~~

 

It took her a moment of relaxation to expand her senses, searching the immediate area for any signs of possible threat. She felt nothing bad nearby, but just before she opened her eyes, her senses brushed against something wild and foreign. She was unsure what to make of it at first, but she had yet to get that nasty chill that she'd come to associate with ill intent. She turned her face slightly away from the sunlight, finding that her perception of the power swelled with just the change in her head's direction. Her heritage as a miko made her receptive to the energies that some creatures and individuals could emit, but it usually took a lot more training and practice than she had.

 

She opened her eyes and stared hard in curiosity, looking for who might be there. She noticed the slightest glimmer of gold as a slight breeze pushed around the foliage, and the edge of her mouth turned up in a half smile. Whatever it was, it merely seemed to be curious as to who was making the racket in its forest. Maybe she was far too trusting of her senses, but if the creature had even had the niggling thought of doing her harm, she was sure she would have known immediately.

 

She relaxed a bit and approached the water's edge, intent on cleaning her catch and washing her hands and face. The early September weather made the water too cool to swim in, else she would have taken the opportunity of taking a dip in the crystal clear stream. The water flowed sluggishly along, and the sparkling sunshine easily reached the shallow bottom, revealing a few fish flittering about.

 

Kagome sighed and sat down on a flat rock near the water. She examined the tip of her arrow for damages and rinsed it clean in the water. She set it beside her to dry in the sun and unclipped the sharp knife from its pouch on her belt. She cleaned her catch, rinsing her hands off in the cool water after she was done.

 

She yawned and stretched, feeling the warm rays of the sun on her shoulders. Reaching around, she unclasped the quiver attached to her back, sliding it off her shoulder and setting it next to her. She took another sip from her Camel-bak after she took it off as well, making sure her small first-aid kit was still attached. One of the first things she learned about camping: never go anywhere without a supply of water and some basic first aid supplies. She didn't want to be the girl who died of something easily avoided like dehydration or a sprained ankle in the middle of the woods.

 

Kagome moved to sit in the soft grass, pulling her knees to her chest to unlace her shoes. She carelessly tossed them behind her, slipping her socks from her feet and folding them together. She let herself fall backwards, draping her bare feet into the cool water. Her arms stretched out wide, welcoming the rays of sunshine as they warmed her skin. A contented sigh escaped her lips as she relaxed, her eyes drifting shut. Everything felt right; a soft breeze tousled her bangs, and she could hear the sound of a fish splashing in the stream and a bird singing nearby. Maybe she should do this more often...

 

Just as she started to doze off, a chill racked her body as though someone had trailed icy-cold fingers down her neck. She shuddered hard and her eyes snapped open to look at the bright blue sky above her, feeling the slight sense of dread that always accompanied her forewarnings. It was gone almost as soon as she'd felt it, and she propped herself up on an elbow to look around the clearing.

 

Mere minutes had passed before she felt something else - a swirling darkness swept over her, chilling her to the bone. She vaguely noticed the sudden silence of the forest around her as she bolted upright, bow and arrow in hand. She carefully lowered herself into a crouch, nocking the arrow and aiming her bow towards the presence. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing as she waited for the presence to make itself visible.

 

~~~

 

Inuyasha's ear twitched as he heard a noise in the distance to his left. He saw, to his surprise, the girl had already leapt into a low stance, her bow ready and aimed in the direction of the sound. He was amazed that she knew something was there, but the strain and anxiety on her face worried him.

 

The wind had him at a disadvantage now; before he was sitting pretty, watching the girl without fear of being detected, but now he was unable to catch a scent to identify what was approaching. He could hear it clearly now as it picked up speed through the forest, crashing through the limbs of the tress and the thick bushes that lined the riverbed.

 

He had a sick feeling that his bad-luck curse was going into overdrive, and if he didn't do something, this girl would most likely die. He had a choice to make: to stay and save her, or leave now and spare himself the guilt of watching her death. He was at fault for bringing the youkai attack, but he should have known that showing even the slightest interest would result in something like this.

 

His time was running out as he caught sight of the huge green bear-like youkai that leapt high from the tree line towards the girl. He hesitated - even if he saved her now, her life would be practically forfeit as his bad-luck-curse continued to stage assaults against her. There was no avoiding the inevitable, and he couldn't bring himself to move to her aid. His ears drooped and he turned around, hoping to get away before he knew of her fate.

 

`Coward,' a small voice echoed throughout his head. He growled and paused, squeezing his eyes shut over the roar of the beast bearing down on the girl behind him.

 

`I can't...' he thought, misery engulfing him as he tried to move farther away from quickly approaching battle.

 

A pulse of energy washed over him, and suddenly something snapped. Inuyasha's eyes flashed red with an unfamiliar, barely controlled rage. He twisted back around towards the girl in sudden concern, and he watched as she expertly fired an arrow at the charging youkai. The glowing arrow pierced the great beast through the chest, and it howled in pain and anger, throwing back its head and shaking its body in an attempt to dislodge the burning projectile.

 

The puncture wound caused by the arrow shone with unfamiliar energy, and the flesh surrounding the shaft began to rapidly disintegrate - but the creature regained its focus on her and resumed its charge, seemingly more intent on reaching its prey than being cautious of the threat she posed. The youkai's short pause gave her just enough time to nock another arrow, and she fired at the target, striking the youkai in the shoulder.

 

The girl's eyes widened as fear washed over her; this time, her arrow hadn't slowed the creature in the slightest, regardless of the glowing pink energy eating through its flesh. The bear-youkai loomed over her and raised a paw as she fumbled with the third arrow, its claws flashing sharp and deadly. The blow came just as Inuyasha collided into the bear, throwing its aim off just enough to keep Kagome from being cleaved in two. The massive arm of the beast hit her diagonally across the chest as the two creatures rolled to the side, sending her body flying across the grassy expanse. She slid to a stop some twenty feet away, unconscious.

 

Inuyasha's control had snapped, and his bloodlust against the beast in front of him overwhelmed his ability to reason. He snarled and leapt at the youkai, his demon blood taking over his actions. Golden eyes glowed bright red in his rage, teeth elongated and his claws became impossibly sharp and jagged as he tackled the much larger youkai to the ground. With plenty of room to freely tear into his opponent, he attacked, clawing and biting the youkai that had angered him, that had dared to attack something that belonged to him.

 

He snarled in fury as his claws sliced through layers of fat and muscle, splitting arteries and feeling the spray of blood around him. The monstrous youkai seemed to be unfazed, rolling to its side to stand once again, even as Inuyasha continued his assault. The creature's shoulder had nearly completely dissolved by this time, rendering its right arm dangling and useless; the chest wound was so deteriorated that a section of the ribcage was gone, exposing lung tissue.

 

The youkai should have died by that time, it should have at least fled in obvious defeat from the foe that continued, unrelenting in his flurry of attacks. It still blindly clung to the intent of killing the now helpless girl. It didn't seem to know or care why; its focus was set on spilling as much of her blood as possible. It stood, breath rattling in its chest and eyes dulling from bloodloss, ignoring the dog's attacks and attempted to continue towards the girl.

 

The youkai seemed to be completely ignoring Inuyasha's leaping slashes and bites, making its way closer and closer to the girl still lying unconscious. His final leap towards the bear was in desperation, sinking his fangs into the bear's exposed throat. The giant demon made a half-hearted attempt to ward off the fatal attack, swiping once with its razor-sharp claws and cutting deeply into Inuyasha's flesh. He kept his grip tight through his own yelp of pain, clamping his jaw tighter over the wound to hear the bones snap and crack.

 

Putting all his strength into a huge twist and jerk, Inuyasha tore out the demon's throat, landing bloodied in front of the near-dead youkai. The creature swung its paw in a measly attempt of violence before the momentum of its forearm brought the beast turning into a fall. Inuyasha watched through his red-hazed vision as it finally collapsed, the crimson flow of its blood slowing to an ooze as it breathed its last.

 

Satisfied it was no longer a threat, Inuyasha limped slowly over to the unconscious girl and looked down at her. The red in his eyes faded as he slumped to the ground, resting his head in her open palm, nuzzling his nose against the strange tingling warmth. He was confused about why he had come to her aid, for surely she wouldn't last very long under the guaranteed onslaught of his curse... and at this rate, neither would he.

 

`She's not mine...' he groggily thought, wondering at the strange feeling of possessiveness coursing through him. Her fingers twitched under his fur - he knew she would wake soon - and he welcomed the blackness that overcame the pain of his wounds.