InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The End of Innocence ❯ Failiure ( Chapter 3 )

A/N: Hi, all you fantastic readers! Big hugs to Lady Orange, Avarwen, Kira562, and inusrosebudforlife for their kind reviews. Yes, before you ask, I know that the fic looks like a vile hentai fest now, but believe me, it is a deep, emotional tale of rebuilding . . . just stick with me! Please review!

 

Disclaimer: j0, I|\|UY45|-|4 4|\|D T|-|3 G4|\|G 4R3 4LL MI|\|3 . . . |\|0T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

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InuYasha hopped rapidly from tree to tree, carrying the carcass of a young buck slung over his shoulder as he moved towards the clearing where he had left his traveling companions.

 

He expected that they would be awake by now, as the sun was already free from the mountains behind him, and so he made no effort to travel silently.

 

Of course, he thought smugly, I never make much noise when I travel, unlike those ridiculous human warriors.

 

Feh! They think that they are so smart to leave the grass unmarked and the branches unbent, but I can smell them anywhere!

 

He moved faster, reveling in the smell of wet grass, flowers, and leaves that permeated the forest.

 

It was his favorite smell . . . next to the scent of Kagome, which surpassed all others.

 

Every time that he was near her, his sensitive nose was nearly overwhelmed by the delightful spices and herbal scents that she used when she bathed.

 

But there was something else, a scent that was all Kagome - he couldn't describe it or even compare it to anything else he had ever smelled. It was, simply, the smell of her.

 

He slowed down, thinking about Kagome. He tried hard to protect her from the many dangers of the Sengoku Jidai, but she only saw him as a controlling jerk who tried to keep his “shard detector” alive.

 

How could he prove to her that he wished to protect her for who she was - not her powers?

 

In some ways, he never wanted the hunt for the jewel to end, because then she would go away . . . but he stifled that thought. He could not afford to become soft.

 

A weak demon is a dead demon, he repeated to himself, as he had often in his childhood.

 

And what does it matter if I care about her, anyway? She doesn't even like me.

 

But he could not stop thinking about her, or the others . . . in his mind, he pictured Kagome smiling and laughing, Kagome cooking, Kagome shooting purifying arrows - and he could not help admiring everything about her - her beauty, her faith, her forgiveness . . .

 

Who was he kidding?!

 

He was a hanyou, worth less than a human or a demon, neither one nor the other, and she was a priestess, the most powerful priestess he had ever encountered.

 

She could have her pick of human men, and the strongest demon lord would fear her. Even if she liked him, she would never choose one so unsuitable as him.

 

He leapt faster to the next tree, and then staggered as a horrible scent reached his nose.

 

He nearly fell off the branch, and then stood stock still, his nose twitching as he searched for another whiff. Could it be - !

 

But he had to be sure. No. There was no mistaking it - Kagome's blood.

 

He nearly howled as he dropped the deer and ran as fast as he could, nearly flying from tree to tree as he jumped.

 

What did the girl do? How did she put herself in danger?

 

He thought of Kagome, always so trusting and forgiving . . . if she had been attacked by a demon, it must have tricked her, because she could easily purify anything - as long as she had her bow.

 

She must not have had it with her, he thought.

 

Oh, Kagome! How could you be such a baka?! What if you're - but he refused to think of it, refused to even consider the possibility.

 

He would get there in time. He had to! He put more effort into his leaps, until he was laboring to breathe, and the earth began to spin dizzily beneath him.

 

The smell grew stronger, until he could have tracked on a dark night in a storm.

 

And then he began to sense other smells mixed with the metallic sweetness of the blood - dirt, water, sweat - and Koga.

 

InuYasha felt a strong urge to throw away the Tetsusaiga and transform into all of his demon glory, to fly to Kagome, tear Koga limb from limb, and rip out his heart and stomp on it.

 

InuYasha's mind writhed as questions flew across his consciousness - what was Koga doing there?

 

Had he rescued Kagome from a demon?

 

Had he let Kagome get hurt?

 

Had HE hurt Kagome?

 

And then all of the questions were answered as he saw the river and caught the final scent and the answer to the riddle - sex.

 

InuYasha nearly retched as the smell permeated the air, making it difficult for him to breathe.

 

He howled his rage as he landed in the clearing by the river, raising a cloud of dust in his wake as he pounded to the ground.

 

But when he got a clear look at the scene by the riverside, he became quiet, too shocked to make another sound, unable to move.

 

The mud and straggling grasses that lined the bank of the stream were disturbed, torn in places and scratched deeply with claw marks.

 

There were small puddles of blood on the ground in several places. In the center of the destruction was a hollow, spattered with more blood and deeply indented with the form of a person.

 

And a few paces away, lying limply, as though she had been thrown there, was Kagome.

 

InuYasha took a step closer, then ran to her side. Her clothes, torn to shreds, were scattered around her, although a fresh outfit fluttered pristinely on a rock by the side of the river.

 

He began to tremble with rage as he looked at her body, bruised and bleeding heavily, torn in a dozen places . . .

 

He had, on a few occasions, accidentally walked in on Kagome while she bathed, a ritual that she performed frequently despite their traveling lifestyle.

 

He had been rapidly subdued by an emphatic “sit!” from Kagome, but not before he had glimpsed the pale perfection of her body.

 

He was not Miroku - that perverted monk would have spied purposefully! - but he could not help seeing (and admiring) Kagome's smooth, pale skin, her toned curves, her perfect breasts . . . and now she was destroyed.

 

Deeply raked claw marks crisscrossed her legs, and a deep wound bled freely from beneath one of her breasts.

 

Bruises covered her arms, legs, face, and abdomen, and her hair was caked with blood from a slash on her lip.

 

She moaned in her unconsciousness, and the sound went straight to InuYasha's soul. He cursed his stupidity and faithlessness.

 

Why did I let you go?

 

HOW DID I LET THIS HAPPEN?!

 

He howled, a sorrowful lament that echoed through the trees, then snatched Kagome up in his arms.

 

For this . . . Koga will pay with every drop of his heart's blood, squeezed out drop by drop! he thought.

 

But she is alive.

Blessings to all of the Kami, she is alive.

He leapt up and ran through the trees, back to camp, and the sorrow that he knew would follow.

 

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