InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ One Can Only Wander For So Long ❯ Morning After ( Chapter 19 )

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

 

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One Can Only Wander for So Long

 

By Alesyira

 

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Chapter Nineteen - Morning After

 

Time passed too quickly that morning, and it seemed that shortly after Inuyasha and Kagome had managed to fall asleep again, this time in their separate beds, the sun had begun to rise. Bright sunlight spilled in through the window that Inuyasha had left open the night prior, rousing them from sleep with its warm rays.

 

Kagome stretched and sighed, looking down at her mangled jeans that lay crumpled on the floor. The night prior had been beyond her wildest dreams, but she found herself feeling slightly disappointed, as though there was more that could have been done. She glanced up at Inuyasha, who had just reached over the edge of the bed to put his shoes back on. She could feel that he was upset about something, and she had a strange suspicion that it was centered on fear and guilt.

 

She was getting better at deciphering his moods and feelings, and not just because she'd spent some time getting to know him. It seemed that from the experiences she'd had and the energies that had been absorbed, she'd gained new abilities and more focus with her usual empathy. She was thankful for the fact that she and Inuyasha would be going back to Kaede's that morning to speak with the old woman some more, for her dreams the night prior gave her more questions than she could answer.

 

Before Inuyasha had shown up in her dreamscape, she'd met someone new yet eerily familiar. The things they'd talked about had been brief and confusing, although he'd told her they'd become clearer as time wore on. `I didn't even get to ask for his name...'

 

She shook her head slightly, clearing her thoughts of the strange man and watched her companion carefully as she pulled out a spare set of pants. She could easily see the furrow in his brow as he carefully tied the laces on his second shoe. “Inuyasha, what's bothering you?” He looked up at her, surprised at the question.

 

She could read it in his expression: he had immediately considered denying anything was wrong, but the shift in his glance and the lip drawn slightly between his teeth showed his change of mind. “I...” he started, tracing his open palm with a sharp claw. “Last night, we went too far.”

 

She felt taken aback, suddenly very unsure of their `relationship'. “What?” she asked, her fingers stilled in the motion of fastening her jeans. She hoped that she didn't sound shocked or hurt with that single uttered word, but the wide expression in her gaze gave her away. She had a nagging fear that he'd turn away from her, even after they'd gone through so much.

 

“I could have hurt you... I mean,” he muttered, watching in morbid fascination as his claws gouged his palm with the slightest amount of pressure. “I could have done this,” he whispered as the blood trickled down his forearm. He held it up for her to see, showing the damage that his claws could cause. Kagome blanched and leapt to her feet, grabbing a towel that had been discarded the night prior to rush to his aid. His gaze was heartbreaking, but he shook his head, motioning for her to watch as the wound healed almost instantly. She felt a stab of guilt for worrying that he didn't like her anymore, while in fact he'd been worried about causing her pain.

 

She stood before him, clutching his hand between hers as he looked up at her. The fingers of his free hand lifted to the soft skin of her cheek to trail gently across her warm skin, willing her to see the fear that he felt. “It could have been so easy to have slipped while we were dreaming. I could have lost control, I could have bitten you, drawn blood with my claws, broken your bones! You're so fragile, Kagome, and I was horrified to find something I'd done in the dream had translated into something real.”

 

Kagome bit her lip as she tried to unravel the strange emotion she felt curling around him. “You don't regret what we did in the dream, then, just how we ended up this morning?” she dared to ask, holding her breath in anticipation.

 

“Hell no, woman, that was the best night I've ever had!” he practically shouted, pulling her to him for a passionate kiss. “But the fact remains that there could have been...”

 

He was cut off abruptly when she slapped a hand over his mouth. “Don't. You wouldn't hurt me like that. I'm not as fragile as I used to be, anymore. Do you remember what Kaede said? This link between us gives us some freedom from hurting each other, I think. It happened before, when I was injured, I somehow drew from your healing abilities to help mend my shoulder.”

 

“But you can't rely on that to save you if something were to happen,” he started, trying to reason with her.

 

“True, but... even if you were to lose yourself to your passions, do you really think you'd hurt me?” she asked, before lowering her voice into a whisper, looking up at him shyly. “Even in the most crazy of moments?”

 

“No,” he said, quietly. “I wouldn't...” he stood, helping her to her feet. “But you need to understand that what happened scared me. I don't ever want to see you hurt.”

 

“I know. Don't worry, Inuyasha, it'll be ok.” She said, before turning her serious gaze into a playful grin. “It was worth the worry it caused, I think...”

 

“It was... In fact, I think I'd like to do that again, right now...” he murmured against her lips as he slipped his hands around her waist. “But we need to get moving, or we'll be stuck here in Nehi forever,” he said, kissing her once before pulling back some to look into her blue eyes. He had a mischievous grin as he traced his fingers along her waistband, reaching the front. She sucked in a breath with anticipation, but he simply fastened the button and pulled up the zipper. She relaxed slightly, having forgotten that her pants were still undone.

 

He leaned forward to whisper in her ear, “Besides, you got to have the pouncing you'd wanted so badly...”

 

Her eyes widened in recognition at his statement. `The phone conversation with Sango...' she thought, looking away in embarrassment. “You...” she gulped, backing away slightly, “You heard that?!”

 

He flashed her an arrogant smirk and pulled her back to him, kissing her gently. “I hear lots...” he winked at her. “Come on, let's get going. I hope Kaede has something useful to tell us today.” She nodded in agreement and slipped on her shoes.

 

The two of them made their way back to Kaede's house, as she'd requested the previous afternoon. She greeted them from her porch, waving as they walked the short path from the street to her home. “Welcome back! I'm so glad to see you have returned, after the terrible events that unfolded last night...” She turned to walk through her front door, continuing, “Let's go inside and speak over breakfast. Miss Kira makes the best waffles...” she trailed off as she walked through her home. Kagome and Inuyasha followed, closing the door behind them.

 

“Oi, Kaede, I thought you were a seer... You'd have known whether or not we'd be coming back...” Inuyasha said, a trace of doubt clouding his expression.

 

She poured three cups of coffee and gestured for them to take a seat at the small kitchen table while she served them food. “Of course I am, Inuyasha, but my abilities are not all-encompassing. Everyone has his limits. As I told you yesterday, there are different types of abilities.

 

“Now, there's a fourth kind of power beyond feeling emotions, manipulating surroundings, and the sight. This might shed light on why I was unsure if you would return, as well as why I could not see who was after Kikyo's relic. The name we use for those who have this power... watchers. They're similar to a seer, but... as my power allows me to see the ordinary in our world: people, places, and things... watchers can see things of a mystical nature. Extraordinary objects, magical creatures, and things beyond your wildest imagination...” She stirred a spoonful of sugar into her coffee before she continued, “I am only able to monitor lesser beings. A watcher can see actions of higher beings.”

 

“Lesser and higher beings? What exactly makes someone one or the other? Is there a definite line that says, `Now you see them, now you don't?'” Kagome asked between sips of her coffee.

 

Kaede smiled at her, crinkling the corners of her eyes. “Miss Kagome, you are a higher being. Inuyasha is, as well. We beings with mystical energies are considered, for lack of a better word, higher.” Her smile faded slightly as she went on, “It is not as though we feel we are any better than those without our powers, for with our strength comes the responsibility to use it true and just for the sake of all, and not for personal gain.”

 

Kaede gazed out the window, a tinge of sadness dusting her normally jovial expression. “Those of us who choose the path of darkness... Well, fate has a way of dealing out justice to those who do not answer to the laws of men.” She stood with a smile to offer more coffee, but it didn't reach her eyes. Instead, Kagome could see the dull gleam of remorse and guilt overshadowing any cheer that may have been present. She could feel the echoes of old pain, tangible like ripples on the surface of a river, flowing from Kaede as she spoke those last words.

 

`What could cause such sadness?' Kagome thought with a frown. An answering tingle of warmth crept up her hand, and Kagome found her gaze suddenly transfixed on Kaede's expression. She stared in silent amazement as a swirling and reaching darkness appeared around the old seer's eyes, sucking in the light and leaving nothing but a blank stare. “You're blind...” Kagome said in a hushed voice.

 

Inuyasha choked on his bite of breakfast and looked over at Kagome in disbelief. “Where the hell did you get that idea?” he demanded, coughing again.

 

Kaede's forced smile faded a bit, and placed the coffee pot back on the table before easily picking up her own cup, allowing the heat to soak into her fingers. “I've been blind for almost thirty years,” she admitted.

 

Inuyasha couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was positive that the old woman had made eye contact with him many times while she spoke; she did not display any disability or lack of confidence in her movements... It just didn't seem possible. She'd even told them as they left yesterday that she'd wanted to watch something on the television, as well...

 

“I may be unable to use my eyes as you two do, but I am a seer,” she explained, looking up from her coffee to peer at him. “My vision fails me, so I see with my mind. What I see may differ from the memories I have of my younger days, but it works out just as well. I `see' most of life in shades of gray now, which makes anything that holds color so much more vibrant and magical.” Her smile returned, this time meeting her sparkling eyes. “Kagome, you are enshrouded in a soft blue, and Inuyasha has a lovely shade of red, but there are occasional twists of golden yellow that leap between the two of you. It's fascinating to see such rare hues in my life...” she said almost wistfully.

 

The two exchanged a questioning look at their `colors' before Kagome's expression turned serious. “But... how could I see that? I don't have sight like yours; I can only feel emotions...” Kaede smiled at her question before looking pointedly at the silver ring on her finger. “You mean that these strange ...powers... like freezing that guy on the plane and seeing your blindness, are all because of this ring?” she asked, incredulously.

 

“In a manner of speaking, yes, Kagome,” she said, taking a small bite of fruit. She tilted her head back slightly to discreetly watch Kagome take a shallow sip from her coffee. “In your dream last night... you met a very important person. He did not tell you his name, but from what he did manage to tell you, it makes me believe that he was a watcher in his lifetime. His soul is very old... and very strong. He's been a part of your ring for so long that not even he can keep track of the time that has passed. His brief appearance last night was to feed you enough information so that when you returned to see me, I'd be able to help you understand what his presence meant for you, as well as help you unravel more confusing mysteries of your relic and the powers that lay hidden within them.”

 

“Listen, old hag, you're losing me here,” Inuyasha put his cup down, frustration evident on his face. “Get on with the point! Who are you talking about, and why didn't we talk about this sooner? We don't have all day to sip and nibble.” Kagome's hand shot out to clutch his arm with a reproachful frown. While he knew that eventually they'd get the answers they needed, this cryptic confusing chatter was rubbing him the wrong way. `Especially with her talking nonsense about some other man visiting her in our place...' he growled quietly, just below the hearing range of the two humans sitting nearby.

 

Kaede brushed off his rude behavior, continuing to speak. “You should know that you have, alongside your inherent abilities to feel emotion and intention, the powers of manipulation from Kikyo, and the very rare ability to see as a watcher from the one you met last night. Your innate abilities will always be the easiest of your powers to use, for you were born with those being a part of you. Other skills will come to you in times of need, and with much practice and care, you may be able to freely use the abilities that come from your ring's collected souls. But there is far more to our powers than just willing things to happen; from your recent past, I can deduce that Kikyo had at her disposal a wide selection of spells and charms. You must go to her home to find her source of knowledge. What awaits you may help in your quest.”

 

Inuyasha grumbled and stood. “Woman, if this is the magnificent information you had us come back here to get, then we'd have been better off just calling your ass while we were on the road.” He turned to leave, catching sight of a shelf covered in fragrant flower arrangements. “I hate all this floral shit...” he groused, shoving his hands into his pockets as he walked from the room. Kagome gaped at him before turning an apologetic gaze back to Kaede.

 

Kaede barely concealed a smile as she stood as well. “It's all right, dear,” she called after him. His ear twitched and he turned back to look at her in annoyance. “I understand how boring this nonsense talking must be for you. I imagine you'll have plenty of activity on your hands soon, so enjoy the lull while you can,” she winked.

 

Kagome sighed and followed him as he walked back towards the front door. “Kagome, dear,” she began, folding her hands in front of her as the two of them walked to the front of the house. “If you'd never decided to come to me for information, I'd have never known of you or your new quest. Your lives would never have touched mine, and I might have never known of the evil surrounding Kikyo's blade. Because you came to me for answers, I was able to tell you all I could, but only because the truth has been in front of you the whole time.

 

“Please, keep this in mind, though...” she began, a warning note lacing her words, “Corruption follows closely on the heels of power, and the wrong choice can turn the best of us down the darker path of life. Always be true to yourself, dear.” Kaede reached out to grasp Kagome's fingers in a small gesture of comfort and friendship. “I'll be here if you ever need anything again. It was an honor to have met you.” She bowed slightly before she straightened to follow Kagome through the door. “Please, call me if you have any questions, or if you'd like to talk more about anything, anything at all,” she said, wiggling her fingers at the two of them.

 

“Annoying old hag,” Inuyasha said as he slipped into the passenger seat of their rental vehicle. He folded his arms across his chest, scowling slightly. Kagome plopped into the driver's seat, slamming the door closed before she buckled her seatbelt. Her lips were pressed together in annoyance as she started the vehicle, and he blinked in confusion at the glare she shot at him. “What?” he asked defensively.

 

“What?! You ask me `what?' like that after you were such an ass in there?! She was so kind and informative, and you were so rude to her! Shame on you, why did you act like that?” Kagome's voice rose in pitch as she yelled at him, but she cut the rest of her rant off as his ears folded to the sides to lie slightly hidden in his hair. She was immediately reminded of a scolded puppy, and she couldn't help but feel endeared at the adorable reaction. `Damn him and those insufferably cute ears...' she thought in annoyance. “Well?” she asked, waiting for some kind of explanation, folding her arms across her chest to mimic his posture.

 

“I dunno, she was talking about all that boring `if, then, maybe' nonsense. Nothing solid we could work with! I thought you were supposed to go back today to learn how to use your powers?” he said, frowning at her. He shifted slightly before he wrinkled his nose. “And I hated those stupid floral arrangements. That place just reeked of dying flowers. I don't care how pretty it looked, `cause it made my nose itch.”

 

She returned his frown with a quirk of an eyebrow. “Inuyasha, not everything in this world can be a one-step-fix. We did learn some valuable things today, and I did discover something important about my abilities. ...But I don't think she'd truly be able to teach me how to use my powers unless I was a seer, just like her. There's such a humongous difference between the three skill sets I have at my disposal now.” She allowed her annoyance to melt away under the new thoughts swirling through her head. She turned the ignition and they began their long trip back toward the airport.

 

`Feeling anger and danger was one thing,' she thought, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel. `But being able to make things change... and practically spying on youkai and mystics? This must be why Kaede warned me to be good. Someone with these powers could do so much harm in the world. If I could freeze that man's actions like that... If Kikyo could alter Inuyasha's form so drastically and send hordes of youkai after us both for so long, the possibilities are frightening!'

 

Truth be told, she had no idea what she was now capable of. She still felt normal, just a slight change in how she could perceive emotions. Especially since she'd spent so much time around Inuyasha, she'd found herself able to easily cope with the usual overflow of feelings and thoughts that normally came with crowds of people. In fact, she'd remembered experiencing moments of near-blinding panic when confronted with large, people-jammed places, but even those memories were fading like an unimportant dream.

 

Kagome couldn't help the strange swirl of her thoughts as she drove along the highway. It was strange how crazy life had gotten in such a short time. It seemed like just last week she'd been lounging in her library with a paintbrush sticking out from her mouth in contemplation of the placement of a lone tree branch... and now she was trekking across the land in search of an object supposedly so evil that it was capable of causing mass murder and destruction in the hands of anyone unable to tame it.

 

And why didn't Kaede have more abilities, as well, if she had a ring like her own? If the powers they could wield came from the souls that were absorbed into the ring, then it would have to be assumed that anyone owning one of these rings would have to have a large collection of souls already, especially since the rings were so old... And if Kaede said there we so many of these ring relics left... then what were their owners like? Kikyo owned a lesser relic, the strangely evil blade, but if that was a lesser relic, then the thought of what an evil ring could accomplish was terribly frightening.

 

`How do the souls get absorbed, anyway? Would it sound like I was trying to become even stronger if I called Kaede to ask that question? How can they be released? Do they even get to find peace if they're stuck in there...? I wonder if Kikyo's soul will cause any adverse reactions in how I live...'

 

She bit her lip as a new thought occurred to her: What exactly could watchers do? What about manipulators? Would she be able to read minds? Lift things with a funny kind of telekinesis? Maybe, with enough practice, she'd be able to pretend to be Superwoman. She bit back a laugh at the idea of wearing a superhero's tights and cape, thinking her form was entirely unsuitable for such sexy clothes...

 

“What's so funny?” Inuyasha's voice broke through her thoughts after - what seemed to him - an entire hour of strained, uncomfortable silence. He hadn't wanted to explain his gruff behavior past what he'd already said, and she had seemed to be deep in thought about something. But when her serious expression shifted to that of amusement, he couldn't help but talk to her once again. He did feel slightly bad about letting his manners slip around the old hag like that, but sometimes he couldn't help it. He'd spent too long in solitude to be considerate of everyone around him all the time.

 

“I was just thinking of what I'd look like in a cape,” she said, changing lanes. Inuyasha's eyebrow rose at the unexpected response, and he found himself wondering where the hell that answer had come from. She turned to regard him with a serious expression. “Inuyasha, we need to go to that place where they found her body. I remember the article saying it had happened in Manona, so we need to decide whether to drive there or fly. We need to get there quickly, but it's really up to you which way we take. We'll be there sometime tomorrow, I think, if we drive, but if there are any flights open, we could make it by this evening...” she trailed off, making the next exit to stop for gas.

 

“I don't know, Kagome...” he frowned slightly. “Either way we take, I have this nasty feeling that we're going to run into trouble.” He cracked his knuckles as he considered the options. “I say we just drive. That way, if anything bad happens between here and there, at least we're on the ground.” In his opinion, being on (or near to) solid ground always made a fight that much easier. He'd found that the close quarters and fragile shell of the plane they'd flown in recently had proven to be dangerous when it came to his style of combat. There had been no room to jump and dodge, no freedom to let loose one of his flashy claw attacks, and most importantly, no safe spot to drop Kagome in before getting down to business. It was infinitely better to have the ability to let go and not worry about destroying the landscape in the heat of the moment... rather than having to be careful to not destroy the only thing keeping you aloft.

 

`Keh, planes...' he thought, sniffing in quiet annoyance. It would be a long time before he agreed to fly anywhere again.

 

They pulled into a gas station to refuel for the extended trip and to get some snacks. He'd asked for another large selection of treats, of course, so he wasn't surprised when it took her a good fifteen minutes to come back out again, carrying large bags at her side. He shifted uncomfortably, realizing that he probably should have gone in with her to help, but then he frowned in concern as she came to a sudden halt. `What's wrong, Kagome?' he thought, watching her carefully as she slowly turned to look back at the small convenience store.

 

He had his hand on the door, ready to leap out of the car at the first sign of danger, but he visibly relaxed as she turned back toward the vehicle again, approaching her door with a steady pace and a concerned expression. She slowly slipped into her seat, handing over the bag of treats and drinks as she cautiously started the engine and pulled from the rest stop.

 

“Kagome?” he tentatively asked, looking for a reaction. He watched as her brow furrowed in concentration, but she made no move to respond. “Did someone hurt you? Are you ok? What's wrong? Are you sensing something bad?” his deluge of questions flowed without end in sight until she snapped her right hand up, finger extended for him to wait. He absently pulled a snack free from its wrapper and ate it silently, watching her carefully.

 

They drove along at an average pace for about fifteen minutes before she spoke again. “I didn't think we'd encounter anything so soon, but something's up. I felt it back at that gas station while I was walking back to the car, and it hasn't gone yet. Either we're coincidentally following the source of the disturbance, or it's following us, because it has yet to fade or deviate...” she reached into the bag on his lap and dug out a bottle of water. “We have to either keep driving, or stop and make a stand. I'm not sure what it is, yet.”

 

“Can't you just... do what you did earlier?” he asked, looking around to see if there were any suspicious vehicles in sight.

 

“You mean like how I saw Kaede's blindness? I don't know how I did that. I really wanted to know what her pain stemmed from, and it just happened,” she said, worrying her lip between her teeth again. He reached over to brush his finger against her mouth, and she immediately stopped abusing the tender flesh with a blush. “Sorry,” she muttered, flicking her gaze to the rear-view mirror momentarily.

 

“So do that, then,” he suggested with a shrug. “I mean, if you wanted to find the source of this presence that you're feeling, wouldn't it be the same thing?” He flicked his claws along the top of his half-eaten sandwich, carving swirled designs into the rounded crust.

 

“I can't do that while I drive; it could be dangerous,” she said in a frustrated voice. “When it happened earlier, all my focus went to her eyes, and if I did that now, I might lose control of the car.”

 

“So pull over,” he replied immediately, pointing out the most obvious solution.

 

“No way!” she cried out, indignantly. “Listen, buster, I know you think you're going to save me from all the evils in the world, but there are some times when it's better to just let it go. I think if we drive long enough, either it'll end up taking a different course and go elsewhere, or we'll lose it in the traffic.”

 

Inuyasha scowled in annoyance. “I am perfectly capable of taking care of you, so why don't you just let me do my thing so we can get on with this mission? It would be best to just get it over with and surprise whoever it is, before they surprise us.” He flashed her that arrogant smirk he wore so well, knowing he was right. “We're bound to come across these things often now; Kaede said so herself the first time we saw her. Trouble may seem like it's following us, but we're really leading ourselves to it, remember? If we try to avoid or ignore this event, we're just asking for more trouble down the line.”

 

Kagome sighed in irritation. “Fine. What do you suggest, then?” she asked, exiting the highway.

 

Ten minutes later, Kagome had pulled her vehicle over on the side of the quiet road, her emergency lights flashing. She propped the engine hood open and leaned inside to look occupied while the two of them waited foe the inevitable. Inuyasha had slipped out of the vehicle as soon as it had stopped, leaping discreetly into conveniently located bushes to wait for whatever might be stalking them. Kagome was so nervous that she shook slightly; her fingers twiddled carefully with the twist cap for the windshield cleaner fluid as she held her breath, frightened of what might be approaching.

 

There was no doubt about it: when she'd slowed and pulled to a stop on the side of the road, whatever she'd felt before began to grow stronger, making her nerves jump in anticipation. Inuyasha had told her to try and stay calm, and that he'd be very close, watching what happened. She knew that she was playing the bait, and the two of them had shared a look of uncertainty before they parted, knowing that their ultimate quarry - the man with Kikyo's knife - might possibly be the one on their tail. True, it would save them the annoyance of having to track him down later, but Kagome knew that they weren't ready for whatever he might be able to throw at them. In this game they played, with its struggle between ultimate control and power accumulation, honor and justice... their limited experience hovered dangerously over their heads. They needed to come up with a real strategy, but time didn't allow for it - this time.

 

`If there's a next time... maybe we can take a few minutes to come up with a better plan,' Kagome thought, wryly. She shook her head and calmed herself, trying to seek out the source of the disturbing danger she felt. She was certain it was nearing, and she was confident that she would be able to sense the knife or its new owner if he was with it, but she was drawing a blank. She tried again, hoping for a glimmer of something useful, but all she could sense was the strange set of emotions that twined around the grating feel of danger. Whoever was coming... stress and anxiety trailed them like the twitching fingers of a madman.

 

`What's this?' Kagome thought, peeking around the edge of the propped hood. An old, beaten up pickup truck ambled down the silent road, kicking up dust in the midday sun. She narrowed her eyes in contemplation as the vehicle drew closer. She stepped in clear view of the vehicle, crossing her arms over her chest to watch as the truck pulled up behind her car. A young man, probably her age, hopped from the driver's seat and flashed her a crooked smile. She decided to see where this game took them, waving in greeting at the man as he walked toward her.

 

“Having car problems, miss?” he asked as he approached, tucking a hand into his coat pocket. She could feel his unease and tension rolling off of him in waves, but she pasted a smile on her face as she gestured to her engine.

 

“Yeah, some weird dash light was flashing at me, and so I thought it would be best to pull over and have a look...” she said, hoping he would take her lame excuse as vehicle ignorance.

 

“Oh, well, I'm not too handy with cars, but I have my cellphone charging in my truck, if you'd like to come use it?” he offered with a polite gesture for her to follow him.

 

“Um, no thanks...” she replied, wondering what this strange scenario would bring them. She knew that sooner or later, he'd reveal his intentions; until he did, neither she nor Inuyasha could do anything against him. It was always a possibility that there was some other unseen facet to this game, maybe some invisible youkai holding him hostage at clawpoint, or a controlling bracelet similar to the one she'd had to endure before. Especially with his strange anxiety... it didn't quite feel like he really meant to do her harm, yet. He was a mere human, and Kagome was certain that Inuyasha would be able to see this fact and refrain from causing unnecessary injury. “Could you call, instead? I don't really feel comfortable around strangers,” she added, trying to smile sheepishly.

 

Her response was met with a near wolfish grin, and she felt a strange shift from his emotions. `Fancy that, he looks like he's found a new toy...' she thought, almost absently. No longer was he nervous and unsure, and her sense of imminent danger doubled. Anger and near giddy glee swirled with maddening speed through his demeanor, as though he'd needed to vent on something - or someone - and he'd found his target.

 

`What are we doing, anyways?!' her voice of reason shouted. She felt obligated to reply to her unvoiced question with the obvious, `Well, I'm standing here like a moron in front of a known threat, just waiting for something bad to happen so Inuyasha can save the day, again.' She sighed to herself, glancing at her nails to see if the minor poking at her car engine had left any dirt. `This has got to be the most stupid idea ever.' She quirked her mouth in annoyance, turning back to the front of her car to release the hood stand.

 

She decided to make the move for him, as he just seemed to enjoy standing there, staring at her with his stupid little grin. “Look, I know you're up to something, so just leave now, while you still can,” she said, letting the engine hood fall shut with a loud bang. She faced him, crossing her arms over her chest in a show of confidence. She didn't even have to fake the sudden switch from unease to coolness, considering that Inuyasha had chosen that moment to appear. The man facing her took no notice of the hanyou's silent descent behind him, instead pulling his hand from his pocket to show a spring-blade knife.

 

Kagome might have been frightened at the sight of an emotionally troubled man with a knife, had she been all alone on the side of the road... But Inuyasha's fingers flicked out calmly as his mouth curved into a smirk, and suddenly that sharp knife reminded her of a harmless child's toy. The man stepped toward her with a strange light in his eyes, and she could feel the familiar brush of violent energy rush from him... right before he noticed her (supposed-to-be frightened) attention was focused somewhere behind him. He drew his eyebrows together in momentary confusion before whipping around to face...

 

Inuyasha's face split into a malicious grin as he held his right-hand claws up at eye level, showing the length of deadly razor-sharp edges that awaited his blood. He even slipped in a deep growl for good measure, watching the man's face drain of all color. `And the hunter becomes the hunted,' Inuyasha thought to himself, watching his target's eyes flicking from the now-blocked escape route of his old truck to the slightly wooded area off to the side.

 

“I... I wasn't gonna...” he stammered, trying to find an escape from the deadly creature before him. The cutting scent of fear filled the air, and Inuyasha caught sight of Kagome rubbing her neck with a grimace. Inuyasha stalked slowly toward the now-visibly shaking man, cracking his knuckles ominously. He stopped a mere foot in front of him, taking in his scent carefully and searching for any signs of something familiar. Nothing matched what he'd scented before since he'd met Kagome, so he was satisfied that this was a separate occurrence.

 

“We know what you'd planned...” he growled at the man. “If you ever try such a stunt on another person, I'll hunt you down. I'll sniff you out from the darkest corner of the world and peel off your skin, inch by inch, and you'd better pray to whatever god you believe in that I don't ever cross your path again,” he said, flicking a claw across his throat faster than the blink of an eye. The blood welled and dripped from the razor-sharp incision, but he'd avoided the artery to not kill, just scare. The man slumped to the dirty road in shock, the knife falling from numb fingers as Kagome and Inuyasha slipped back into the vehicle to continue their journey to Manona.

 

“Inuyasha, why the hell did we have to go through all of that, anyways? We could have kept driving, and he'd have given up eventually... There was no way he'd follow a random woman from a gas station, hundreds of miles south to get a chance to kidnap her.” She twisted off the cap to her bottle with one hand as she drove, looking for the road to get back on the highway.

 

“He might have, he might not have. The point is, we knew something was wrong, and it's up to us now to stop them while we have the chance. He could have persevered and waited until I was indisposed before making his move on you, and I think it's always better to catch the danger unaware before it gets to you first. And anyways, anyone with working eyes can see that you're worth hunting down,” he added with an arrogant smirk.

 

“I'm glad to see you're taking the heroism seriously...” she said with an annoyed expression. “Next time, can you put on the skirt and be the bait?”

 

“Can't, sorry. My muscles would scare them off.” He replied, his grin still in place.

 

She frowned at him, resisting the urge to call him bad words. “Anyways, I have to wonder if I would have been his first victim or not. He seemed so confused,” she said, biting her lip again as she remembered the strange shifts in his emotions.

 

“Of course he was confused after I didn't kill him outright for threatening you...” he snorted, folding his arms across his chest.

 

“Not about that... I mean, after we'd pulled over, I focused on his emotions to see what I could detect, and he seemed so unsure of himself and stressed out...” she trailed off, worrying about the man they'd deterred.

 

“Listen, if you want to call the authorities, then do so. They'll probably pick him up for questioning and then you can get it out of your system, all right?” he suggested, handing her the phone. She nodded at him, grateful for the idea and reprieve from her nagging doubts and fears.

 

While she waited on hold, she remembered something interesting. “Inuyasha, what does fear smell like to you?”

 

“Depends,” he said. “Sometimes it calls to me with a flavor that lures my demonic blood. But other times, like with someone I care for, fear smells bitter and unpleasant, like how ground pepper in sugar cookies would spoil the dessert...” he said, nodding in satisfaction at his description. “Why do you ask?” he looked at her in curiosity.

 

“When I felt his fear, it reminded me of vomit. If I could taste or smell that emotion, then that is what I could compare it to. It was foul... and I hope I never come across it again,” she said, tapping her finger along the slim phone as she continued to wait on hold. It wasn't long afterwards that she'd made her report and received confirmation that a highway patrolman would be going to check out the culprits last location for possible questioning. After she'd hung up, Inuyasha flipped on the radio, and they listened to static-laced classical music for the rest of the long drive.

 

u.u ...zZz

 

A/N - Yes, I'm still revising. I rewrote chapter six, but before I can post it, I have to do heavy revisions to chapters seven through ten (or eleven, not sure how far I'll go yet). The plot is still the same, so if you've read this far, then there's no real need to go back and re-read my revisions, aside from the fact that I've reorganized things in a way that I think will make it easier to understand and enjoy. I know I took forever getting this chapter up. :/ I've got the next chapter started, but as I seem to suck at keeping up personal deadlines, I'll just have to say, “Hopefully soon!” and leave it at that. Thanks for reading and waiting for the updates, guys. :) I did get a few emails asking me to update, and, I have to give extra special thanks to those of you who wrote, because it really helped push me into writing the next chapter instead of letting the revising drag on and on and on.