InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The King and I ❯ Jane Doe ( Chapter 5 )

Chapter 5

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I was so bored, I had to fight the urge to yawn.

These guys were the worse bandits I'd ever come across. And this being my first time coming across a bandit ever, I found myself rather disappointed.

As I was busy side-stepping each sloppy swing of their swords, I wondered why Kagome had chosen to drag those kids out so far from town. Didn't she know it was dangerous here?

"You cocky little runt! Why don't you stay still and fight!"

"Fight, eh? I thought this was just some kind of welcome dance. By the way, you guys are lousy partners. Stupid backwards country."

The assumed leader charged me just then, the ridiculous nature of his battle cry making me want to crack up. I simply stepped to the side, and with a single blow, sent him to the ground unconscious.

The other two just kind of blinked and looked at each other, before stupidity took over again. They both charged, swords waving wildly.

"Keh, I have better things to do right now."

I leapt over the two, and after landing behind them, bonked their heads together, sending them to join their leader.

What a waste of time.

I walked over and yanked the reins off of each of their horses, then used them to tie up the sleepy bastards. The horses ran off, and I was just about to follow suit when I heard it.

It was barely a sigh, hardly more than an intake of breath, but the pain of it rang loud in my ears. The smell of blood suddenly assaulted my nose, and I eagerly followed it to some bushes near the leader of the bandits.

Pushing aside the leaves, I found her.

She was a small girl, thin and wiry, half covered in blood. She wore a tattered kimono, stained and barely covering her body. Short black hair was matted to her scalp, caked with blood from the injury on her forehead.

When I got over my initial shock, I realized she needed help, and fast.

I tore off my haori, and wrapped her up as gently as I could. She stirred, and mumbled, but her eyes never opened. I ran as fast as I could, following the scent of Kagome that I'd become so familiar with. Within minutes I could smell water, and hear the sounds of children laughing.

I landed in front of the lake and almost dropped the girl in my arms at what I saw.

If I thought I'd seen an eyeful last night, it was nothing compared to now.

Kagome had removed her outer kimono, and wore hardly anything. Just her bindings covered her breasts, and a white sort of skirt was bunched up around her thighs, showing legs Miroku would've given his right hand to see.

Not to mention she was also soaking wet.

She was obviously teaching the kids how to swim, and was about to walk deeper into the lake with a boy when she stopped short.

To my surprise she whipped around and her eyes landed directly on me…or rather, the bundle in my arms.

Without a word, she ran to the shore, her expression wrought with concern and near panic.

"Kenichi, grab my kimono from the tree."

The boy scrambled to follow her instructions, as the rest of the children came out from the water, huddling together close-by. Each looked especially on edge at seeing the girl I held still, as if they could feel her distress. Even the baby, held by the older girl again, began to fuss.

"Bring her to the water, she's dying of thirst."

I complied, and carried the child towards the edge of the lake, unwrapping my haori along the way. She got to the water before me, and instructed me to set her down in the shallow part, where the sand was soft.

The moment I did so, the girl began to struggle weakly against the shock of the cool water. Kagome kneeled down, shushing her, and bringing water to her chapped lips. She immediately responded, and began to drink eagerly from her cupped hands. Kenichi arrived with the kimono, which I took from him, then shot him a glare that spooked him enough to send him running to the other kids.

"What happened to her? Who did this?"

She asked calmly, while tearing off strips of her kimono. I watched as she began to bathe the wound on her head first, the water around her becoming clouded with blood.

"I found her, almost a mile back. She was in the bushes. I don't know anything more than that."

"Has she said anything?"

"No."

"Has she opened her eyes?"

"Not that I saw, I was in a rush to get her here." I began to kneel down to help her, but she quickly shot me a glance.

"No, stay right there. You're blocking their view. I can't let them see this. Turn around, I have to undress her."

I nodded silently, and turned to face the children. They looked sullen, and the youngest were bordering on tears. The baby looked ready to start howling.

"Don't scowl like that, you're making things worse."

I started to retort instinctively, when I caught her words. How did she know I what I was doing when my back was turned?

"Then what should I do? Sing for them?"

"Could-"

"I'm kidding, wench."

"Smile at them. They need reassurance from a strong figure, and I'm a little busy right now."

"I'm not gonna fucking smile at the brats like some-"

"You have enough of a heart to bring her to me, but you can't smile at a bunch of frightened children. I expected too much, I guess."

"Wench, you got a lot of nerve-"

"This isn't the time. Miaka! Come over here, sweetie."

The timid little girl came quickly, and right before she reached us, I stopped her.

"Miaka, remember the plants I showed everyone a few days ago? The one for infected wounds?"

"Yes, Kagome-chan."

"I need you to walk behind that tree next to the cart, and on the other side of it, you'll find that plant. Bring me all the leaves you can carry."

With a quick bow to me, she set out on her orders.

It took me a moment to realize I had smiled back at her. The other children had sat down, in a circle, and seemed to be…praying. It was a strange sight.

Miaka came running back with an armful of herbs, and once again tried to go around me. I intercepted her and took the leaves.

"Go back over there," I said softly, and she readily complied. "I'm turning around."

"Good. I need your help now."

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It took almost an hour to treat all of her wounds. Kagome used some of the cloth from the garments she was wearing and by the time we finished binding her wounds, was practically nude-she didn't even seem to notice.

Although I did.

I kept telling myself that this was not the time to be ogling her-I was holding a little girl who was still near death, and there I was, my eyes roving each inch of exposed flesh I could see out of the corner of my eye.

Without a word, I'd draped my haori over her shoulders, and she did nothing to refuse it, instead walking over to the children to get everyone back into the cart.

I had offered to take her myself, to get the girl into town more quickly, to a doctor. But Kagome had adamantly refused, unwilling to let the girl out of her sight for even a minute.

"Besides, there's nothing more we can do now except wait and pray."

What truly surprised me was the calm attitude she kept through the entire ordeal. She had complete control of the situation, and not once did she lose her cool.

We rode in a comfortable silence, the children behind us singing their cart song again, as Miaka had long ago convinced the others it would help. I surprised myself by not being annoyed by it. It helped that Kagome was singing along too.

A thought suddenly hit me.

"Where are we going?"

She glanced over at me, her eyes soft and hopeful as she spared another glance at the girl.

"Home."

"You mean back to the town? Is this some kind of shortcut or something?"
I had noticed that we had left the main road and were now traveling on what I could just barely call a dirt path.

"No, this is the way to my home."

"Oh…but the town is kind of far from here."

"I like my privacy."

"Do you live alone?" I ventured, hoping she wouldn't get upset by my question even though I knew the answer. Instead she smiled, and reached down to brush a stray lock of hair from the sleeping girl's face.

"I may not for long."

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