InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The one promised to me ❯ Please...1 ( Chapter 3 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: liany 
knight in red robes
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Suspense / Romance / Hentai / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 11.16.2014 | Pages: 9 | Words: 6.2K | Visits: 191 | Status: Work In Progress
knight in red robes
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Suspense / Romance / Hentai / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 11.16.2014 | Pages: 9 | Words: 6.2K | Visits: 191 | Status: Work In Progress
A/N: Old readers,
please tell me if
you like the impro vement.
~~ This chapter was revised. ~~
Chapter 3: Please... 1.
An overflowing uneasiness settled itself within him as the sun reached noon's h our. It had been quite a
while since he had left wit h the slave trader to the unknown. The m orning had passed without incidents
but the pain in his empty stomach foretold it was going to get bad. With empty eyes, he looked up to
the clear sky through the trees leaves. The small shade they provided was easily swept away by& nbsp;the
gentle breeze as the light twi nkled like the stars on a clear night's sky. How many times had he&nb sp;reached
towards them, towards the freedom& nbsp;they promised? Reaching once more to the freedom that lay in front
of him, away from the cage's restriction. The he avy weight of the chains that bounded his wri sts and
ankles, and the tightness of the steel collar around his neck drew him back. Air stuck in his throat.
'Why?'
Pain, unhealed wounds on the inside, scars he couldn't remem ber acquiring, still hurt more than fresh
wounds. His chest tightened as memory deceived&n bsp;him again, refusing to show him the past he had
forgotten, the key to his pa in, the emptiness within his soul. Stretching to the light, to its warmth, the
hope of a dream come true colored his devoid eyes&nbs p;and...
"Aaaah!" The pain filled cry escaped his throat as his body&nbs p;burned on the inside with the flames of
hell. His body collapsed on the cage's dirty floor as the flow of electricity subsided. 'Dammit!' he
cursed as he heard the trader's mocking laughter.
"Hahaha! Dare ignore me again mutt, and t here will be more coming." The man grinned. "Damn you bastard!" Inuyasha growled in a low voice , as he was shocked again, spitting blood this
time. "I'll kill you, weakling!" His growl gained in intensity, his eyes flashing furiously. Tension built
up fast as all the other slaves scattered as&nbs p;far away from the hanyou as the cage p ermitted them without
getting shocked by the restricting spells. Each electrifying wave raged inside the hanyou to the point of
madnes s. His blood boiled with the wish of murder. Enlarged claws dug into the wooden floor as all his
muscles tensed.
It had been a week since he woke up to the poisonous voice of his master, Naraku. How he despised
him; ;just the thought of him brought sickness to& nbsp;his empty stomach. But all that would change today,
and he couldn't help the bad feeling inside either. He hadn't received the ;resistance 'training' this
morning, though he did not complain about it. Cautiously, he entered the room's d ark silence.
"Good, you're on time." That despised voice cut the silence. " Come closer," he ordered from the
shado ws. "I have something for you." Inuyasha approached the fur-clothed man. Nar aku knelled to be
eye level to the three-year-old boy. Holding out his hand, metal&nb sp;reflected the dim rays of light off its
surface. "Do you know what this is?" Inuyasha shook his head slowly, and Naraku grinned evilly.
"Well, I'll show you t hen." He grabbed the boy's wrist and folded&n bsp;up his sleeve. Clasping sounds
echoed in the large room ;as steel cuffs decorated the boy's wrists an d ankles. "And now the finishing
touch," the ma n said, clasping a steel collar on the c hild's neck.
"What are these for? They're ;heavy," he asked innocently.
"Oh, I just know you'll love them." Naraku gave a dark laugh. "They'll shock yo ur life alright." He
laughed as the&nbs p;cuffs and collar reacted to the command, sending a wave of electricity through the boy's
body. Inuyasha collapsed to th e ground, screaming in pain, his small muscles contracting. "Isn't it& nbsp;
shocking? Who'd have thought it would be such a delightful ex perience?" The air from Inuyasha's lungs
raced out in one pain filled scream, tears flowing freely down the child's face. "Aw, don't tell ;me you're
already in shock, slave," h e mocked as Inuyasha's muscles contracted to the limit, leaving him panting
on the ground. "Shock, shock, shock. I could say that the whole day. Wouldn't you?" He grinned at the
hanyou's cries. Inuyasha cried out over and over again, his body consumed from the inside, mus cles
tensing, stretching and tearing apart.
"Stop it..." the hanyou whispered the moment air wa s allowed to fill his lungs again. He pu shed on a
scorched arm as Naraku took a moment to drink some tea.
"Oh, you said something, filth?" He looked at the boy trying to stand. "Don't shock me like that."
" Stop it," he whispered a little louder, swall owing back the scream and trembling in pain. Red blisters
turned black and carved into the skin as the current entered and exited the hanyou's body randomly.
"Say what, shock?" Inuyasha coughed up cloughed blood, barely standing on his hands and knees.
Slowly raising his&nb sp;head he repeated his entreaty.
"Stop it," he growled, eyes flashing.
"How dare you!" Slap! Inuyasha was thrown a few feet away. "Shock!" Naraku screamed, enraged.
"Stop it!" A beast's roar echoed as Naraku made eye contact with the small hanyou. Furio us, bleeding
red eyes tore through him. Inuyasha's ears were p ulled flat against the skull, his demon markings&n bsp;
standing proudly on each cheek, fangs piercing his lower lip, claws flexing with a killing wish.
"Oh, so you can transform into a full demon? Well, we'll have to deal with that later, but for now, you
better choke out that attitude&nbs p;of yours." the new command overwrote the other&n bsp;and Naraku grinned as
the collar around Inuyasha's neck tightened, cutting the air supply to his already burnt lungs.&nb sp;The child
scrapped frantically at it, but it was no use. He fell to the ground unconscious. "Thought you could kill
me? You're fifty years too early to even try it, not to say succeed."&nb sp;He laughed. "Release." As soon as
t he word left his lips, the tight hold of the cuffs that were cutting off the blood& nbsp;circulation loosened and
the unconscious boy breathed freely again. The door of the room opened, and someone from the
shadows came and took the child away to his room.
'Sleep. I'll deal with it...' the whisper co mforted him and he let everything around turn red. His youkai
blood had been his salvation that day. It reacted to his pain and forced new tissue to grow just&n bsp;about as
fast it had been destroyed. Another meddling had been on deviating the electric surge from his ;brain
and heart. Anything other his demon side would see&nbs p;to reconstruct with time.
As the memory of his despised restrains flashed in front of his eyes, his demon blood rushed to the
surface. The beast i nside of him showed it's face to the abuser, bringing fear to all looking into his
blood-red eyes and feeding itself from that fear. Seein g the danger he had gotten himself into, the rat
paled to the color of flour and gasped the only word that would save his life now.
"Release!" In an instant, the spell released its hold on Inuyasha, allowing him to breathe once more.
The reddish color from his eyes dispersed slowly with each deep breath he took, calming his boiling
blood. He moved to rest against the wall of the ;cage, careful to add as little pain to that which he
already felt. Soon, the wagon was on its way again, but in a graveyard's&nb sp;silence. No one dared to
approach the hanyou or even look at him for fear of one's life.
"I better get good money on you, you bunch of worthless slaves, or I will..." The chubby slave trader
grumbled&n bsp;for the umpteenth time before remaining speechless& nbsp;by the image before his eyes. Under ;the
soft shade of the forest, lay, fas t asleep, the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Oblivious to the world
around her, and deep in slumber, her graceful and lissome body leaned&n bsp;against the tree, her face remote
and pretty, with soft pink lips parted slightly a s she dreamed. Wicked thoughts raced through his mind.
Soundless, he crept out of the wagon and slowly approached the girl. Wit hout warning, he ambushed
her, successfully cutting off any way for her to escape.
"Let me go!" she cried, ripped out from her pleasant sleep to a world of nightmares, and frightened
horribly. She freed one hand as&nb sp;he twisted the other, to scratch at his eyes. "How&nb sp;dare you?!" *Slap!*
the rat's c allused paw swept over the girl's face whipped to the side.
"Shut up! I've got you now," he growled back, annoyed with her resistance. She tried to fight back, but
it was of no use; he was too strong. He wasn't human, but a demon. With th is realization, she struggled
with all her might, but still, he took hold of her neck and tightened his grip. He licked his lips as her
scream of pain filled the small clearing. Lacking air, she looked desperately for help. Though her vision
wasn't too blurred, all she could ;see were angry eyes flashing blood-red. Pant ing and struggling with
her last breath, a choked cry for help to her captor's satisfaction, she was allowed to take in shallow
breaths. "You're a pretty one, I'll get good money on you!" He grinned, though somewhat uneasily,
before shoving the girl in the cage headfirst.
Catching sight of the owner of the bleeding red eyes, she whispered breathlessly as the other slaves
approached her, "Please...help me...I swear I'll make it up to&nbs p;you, please." she begged him. Her eyes
stared directly into his. Try as he might he co uldn't pull away. Inuyasha watched from across&nbs p;the cage
for any signs of lying since he knew she was desperate, anyone would be. His heart wouldn't allow him
to refuse her. All he did was give a silent growl and pin each slave with a look, and they scattere d away
from the girl like they did with him. "Thank you." she said in a soft voice, knowing she was safe, not
daring to wonder the reason for the slaves' actions towards the one she&n bsp;could sense as a hanyou. She
crawled ;to the nearest corner. She sat there tight as&nb sp;a ball, face hidden behind her dirty sleeve. Shreds of
hair stuck out of the once elegant bun. Toes curled against the hard filthy wood of the cage.
'Hmm, I know I saw her before, but where?' he thought, study ing her. 'Maybe she will keep her word.'
If this was his chance to escape, he'd play along. An eyebrow rouse briefly& nbsp;as one silk sleeve fell over
the ca ge's edge. It brought a bit of dust in&n bsp;the air but he just thought that her hand hurt too much.
Walking the same path she went with Kagome earlier th at day, Sango found herself in a sea of guilt and
worry, and her companions weren't of much help. When Sango and Miroku argued, it was either
because of his lecherous ways or something to do with Kagome. The two were at it again, and the
subject of the day was Kagome's way& nbsp;of making their life difficult, no, a leaving hell...well, at least
most of the time.
"I can't believe you left her alone!" Miroku stated, furious.
"It was her idea, you know how p ersuading she is..." Sango defended her decision, mentally kicking
herself for giving in instead of following her instincts.
"Still, you could have put up more of a fight."
"How would have that helped us in the end?" she asked, kicking a rock from her path in frustration.
"When you arrived at the castle, we had just arrived ourselves, and thus, we weren't prepared to leave at
once." he said gently.
"That's true, and in Kiara's condition..." Sango patted the cat demon's little head as she&nbs p;remembered
how she had been hurt in a fight with a spider demon. Sango looked over at the sleeping kitsune in
M iroku's arms. "And Shippo was exhausted from your trip to the healer. I 'm such an idiot."
"Shh, don't say that!" the small demon protested.
"Shippo, you're awake?" he turned in his carrier's arms.
"I'm too worried about Kagome to get any sleep." he sa id, rubbing his eyes with his small fists and
yawnin g.
"Sorry..." Sango said as Shippo leaped from Miroku's arms onto her shoulder.
"How much more do we have to walk till we get to Kagome?"
"About half an hour."
"That's long..." Miroku said, looking up at the sky. "Did you notice?" he asked, stopping. Sango
stopped next to him, looking at the sky as well.
"Notice what?" she asked interested, but all her excitement disappeared as she felt a familiar rub.
"Pervert!" she screamed, slapping him across the cheek. Miroku felt his reddening cheek with a goofy
smile on his lips.
"Ah...why must you be so vicious, Sango? I was only..."
"Rubbing my backside?" she fumed.
"That too, but I really was observing how cloudy it's gotten."
"What is it, Shippo?" Sango asked the little kitsune, as he was sniffing& nbsp;the air.
"It's gonna rain."
"We have ;to hurry." Miroku looked at his companions.
"Kagome's all alone and dressed in a light kimono, she'll catch&n bsp;a cold." Sango nodded and they started
running towards the clearing where Sango had left Kagome. By running, they'd get there within fifteen
minutes, but if they were to be caught in the storm they'd have to ta ke cover.
He could hear thunder in the distance, but how far away the st orm was, he couldn't tell, since the scents
of the other slaves irritated his nose. He could n't even tell the girl's scent, and she was only a small
distance away from him.
'I know this road,' he thought, looking around. 'I think there's a small inn half a mile away. But he won't
find any costumers there, it's closed till full su mmer, unless...' His eyes looked at the girl across from
him. '...Unless he wants to have some fun.' His&nb sp;eyes narrowed dangerously. 'I won't let that ba stard
touch her, I gave my word,' he growled to himself before blinking as he found the girl in question
looking at him with a lost expression. She had a ;cute face, from what he could tell, aside&nb sp;from the dirt,
smudged makeup and the redness of the slightly swollen cheek. Again,& nbsp;rage built up inside him. 'This
wouldn't have happened if I had acted earlier... but why does it bother me so much? I don't even know
her.' He shook his head slowly before averting his gaze to t he nearing small building. Soon, he'd have
to make a choice that would free him one wa y or the other.
They've been running for ten minutes now, and they had covered a lot of track. Sango could already see
the small ;clearing where she left Kagome. Just a few&n bsp;more feet, and they would be able see the whole
clearing.
"I don't understand. I left her right here," Sango said, looking around the clearing.
"Shippo."
"Yes?" He looked up at Miroku.
"See if you can find Kagome-sama's scent. I have a bad feeling about this."
"Me too," Sango agreed. "She wouldn't just leave like t his, not alone on this weather. She would have
left a message at least." she said, looking at the dark sky. She gasped and bend to pick up the pair of
zori. One was behind the tree, the other barely visible in the tall grass near the stream. Shippo nodded
and began searching the clearing for any traces of her scent. He sniffed near the stream and then to the
country road.
"Someone was here," he said. Eyes looking on the cracked dirt. "There are more scents than just
K agome's, and they went in that direction." He pointed down the road following the half an inch deep
tracks.
"My god!" Sango cried, frightened.
"Let's hurry. And hope it's not wh at I think it is." Sango nodded once to Miroku's words and patted
Kiara on the head.& nbsp;The small kitten looked up at her master.
"Kiara, I know you don't feel too good, but we have to reach Kagome as soon as possible." Kiara
meowed in agreement and jumped from Sango's arms. As she reached the ground, flames enveloped
her, and she transformed into her fighting form. Sango picked up Shippo and got on Kiara's back.
Miroku started running down the road as Kiara took off into the air, wobbling a little, but determined
nonetheless.
Just as he had deduced, the wagon stopped in front of the small inn. The chubby trader slowly got
down from his seat an d entered the building. Inuyasha found this as&nbs p;the chance to keep his word. He
got up and walked towards the girl, obvious to the stares the other slaves, and starting to untie his outer
kimono.
Kagome watched, bemused, at her savior as he stood with a determined look. Taking cautious steps
towa rds her, he untied his red outer kimono. She felt uneasy about&n bsp;his actions, was he going to do
something to her? Fear clouded her eyes but it was dispelled as ;he spoke.
"Idiot wench, I said I'd help." Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at her as he let&n bsp;his haori fall over the girl's
head and knelt in front of her. She blinked a t him, and after a moment, nodded. He gave her a nod too,
listening for the trader. He heard the innkeeper confirming his greatest fear. "Make a run for it."
"Huh?" She looked at him.
"When I jump at him, run for your life, got that?" his voice lowered an octave.
"All right. But..." she agreed hesitantly.
"Don't stop for anything." He cut her off before rising and taking his previous seat.
The slave trader came out of the inn and approached the wagon, opening the door, and pointing to some
slaves.
"You two, over there, you, you and you, the small one too. Out. The innkeeper has some work for you
in the backyard." The called ones obeyed and got out of the cage through the now open door. Then, he
looked around the cage for his prey, only to see it clothed in a blood red haori. 'What the?' he thought,
his gaze shifting to the hanyou. The aforementio ned was growling possessively.
"Mine." he mouthed. The slave trader narrowed his eyes. Should he try and cross the line? his mind
asked, images from the last time he did so still fresh, but his desire rose with each passing second as he
looked at the girl cowering from him. Making up his mind, he&nb sp;reached inside. The hanyou's growl
intens ified. He grabbed her hand, and forcefully pulled her out of the cage, despite her scream.
"Let me go!" Kagome cried. The trader made the fatal mistake of turning his back towards th e cage. At
that point, Inuyasha jumped him, sending the three of them crashing to the ground. The girl was&nbs p;thrown
from the demon's grasp, a few feet away.
"Run!" She heard the hanyou's command. Still, her legs&nb sp;would not obey her.
"Let me go!" Sango heard a female's voice cry.
"Kagome!" Her mind went straight to her friend as she looked down at Miroku. He caught her glance
and nodded. They were taken a bit by surprise when a voice growled.
"Run!" It rang, only to be followed by a chocked cry.
She saw it. The word leave the demon's lips and right then, her savior cried out in pain. She didn't
understand; she wanted to run as far away she could, but her heart hurt.
'Why? Why can't I just leave and save myself?' she wondered,&nbs p;closing her eyes as the hanyou screamed
again in pain.
"Run dammit!" Kagome's eyes shot open as the force of the growl shook her whole being. Blood red
eyes narrowed at her as the hanyou fought the youkai.
" Choke!" the demon managed to shout, and in that instant, the hanyou let go of him, his hands
clenching his own neck. Looking at her for the last time, his stripped features showed intense pain.
"Run," he said with the last of his breath, collapsing to his knees. She felt like her heart was being& nbsp;
stabbed as the youkai repeated commands over and over while hitting the hanyou. Desperation took
control over her, and without thinking, she ran to the demon, grabbing him by th e shoulders. Even
though she had been told not to, she did... the unthinkable.
Miroku, along with Sango and Shippo on Kiara, reached the inn's clearing just in time to see Kagome
stand, run to the youkai and grab him by the shoulders.
"God, no. Please don't let it be that," Miroku, San go, Shippo and even Kiara thought out loud. But their
fears came true.
A/N: And that's the new chapter&nbs p;three... Any thoughts to share? You are more than welcomed to do so.
~~ This chapter was revised. ~~
Chapter 3: Please... 1.
An overflowing uneasiness settled itself within him as the sun reached noon's h our. It had been quite a
while since he had left wit h the slave trader to the unknown. The m orning had passed without incidents
but the pain in his empty stomach foretold it was going to get bad. With empty eyes, he looked up to
the clear sky through the trees leaves. The small shade they provided was easily swept away by& nbsp;the
gentle breeze as the light twi nkled like the stars on a clear night's sky. How many times had he&nb sp;reached
towards them, towards the freedom& nbsp;they promised? Reaching once more to the freedom that lay in front
of him, away from the cage's restriction. The he avy weight of the chains that bounded his wri sts and
ankles, and the tightness of the steel collar around his neck drew him back. Air stuck in his throat.
'Why?'
Pain, unhealed wounds on the inside, scars he couldn't remem ber acquiring, still hurt more than fresh
wounds. His chest tightened as memory deceived&n bsp;him again, refusing to show him the past he had
forgotten, the key to his pa in, the emptiness within his soul. Stretching to the light, to its warmth, the
hope of a dream come true colored his devoid eyes&nbs p;and...
"Aaaah!" The pain filled cry escaped his throat as his body&nbs p;burned on the inside with the flames of
hell. His body collapsed on the cage's dirty floor as the flow of electricity subsided. 'Dammit!' he
cursed as he heard the trader's mocking laughter.
"Hahaha! Dare ignore me again mutt, and t here will be more coming." The man grinned. "Damn you bastard!" Inuyasha growled in a low voice , as he was shocked again, spitting blood this
time. "I'll kill you, weakling!" His growl gained in intensity, his eyes flashing furiously. Tension built
up fast as all the other slaves scattered as&nbs p;far away from the hanyou as the cage p ermitted them without
getting shocked by the restricting spells. Each electrifying wave raged inside the hanyou to the point of
madnes s. His blood boiled with the wish of murder. Enlarged claws dug into the wooden floor as all his
muscles tensed.
It had been a week since he woke up to the poisonous voice of his master, Naraku. How he despised
him; ;just the thought of him brought sickness to& nbsp;his empty stomach. But all that would change today,
and he couldn't help the bad feeling inside either. He hadn't received the ;resistance 'training' this
morning, though he did not complain about it. Cautiously, he entered the room's d ark silence.
"Good, you're on time." That despised voice cut the silence. " Come closer," he ordered from the
shado ws. "I have something for you." Inuyasha approached the fur-clothed man. Nar aku knelled to be
eye level to the three-year-old boy. Holding out his hand, metal&nb sp;reflected the dim rays of light off its
surface. "Do you know what this is?" Inuyasha shook his head slowly, and Naraku grinned evilly.
"Well, I'll show you t hen." He grabbed the boy's wrist and folded&n bsp;up his sleeve. Clasping sounds
echoed in the large room ;as steel cuffs decorated the boy's wrists an d ankles. "And now the finishing
touch," the ma n said, clasping a steel collar on the c hild's neck.
"What are these for? They're ;heavy," he asked innocently.
"Oh, I just know you'll love them." Naraku gave a dark laugh. "They'll shock yo ur life alright." He
laughed as the&nbs p;cuffs and collar reacted to the command, sending a wave of electricity through the boy's
body. Inuyasha collapsed to th e ground, screaming in pain, his small muscles contracting. "Isn't it& nbsp;
shocking? Who'd have thought it would be such a delightful ex perience?" The air from Inuyasha's lungs
raced out in one pain filled scream, tears flowing freely down the child's face. "Aw, don't tell ;me you're
already in shock, slave," h e mocked as Inuyasha's muscles contracted to the limit, leaving him panting
on the ground. "Shock, shock, shock. I could say that the whole day. Wouldn't you?" He grinned at the
hanyou's cries. Inuyasha cried out over and over again, his body consumed from the inside, mus cles
tensing, stretching and tearing apart.
"Stop it..." the hanyou whispered the moment air wa s allowed to fill his lungs again. He pu shed on a
scorched arm as Naraku took a moment to drink some tea.
"Oh, you said something, filth?" He looked at the boy trying to stand. "Don't shock me like that."
" Stop it," he whispered a little louder, swall owing back the scream and trembling in pain. Red blisters
turned black and carved into the skin as the current entered and exited the hanyou's body randomly.
"Say what, shock?" Inuyasha coughed up cloughed blood, barely standing on his hands and knees.
Slowly raising his&nb sp;head he repeated his entreaty.
"Stop it," he growled, eyes flashing.
"How dare you!" Slap! Inuyasha was thrown a few feet away. "Shock!" Naraku screamed, enraged.
"Stop it!" A beast's roar echoed as Naraku made eye contact with the small hanyou. Furio us, bleeding
red eyes tore through him. Inuyasha's ears were p ulled flat against the skull, his demon markings&n bsp;
standing proudly on each cheek, fangs piercing his lower lip, claws flexing with a killing wish.
"Oh, so you can transform into a full demon? Well, we'll have to deal with that later, but for now, you
better choke out that attitude&nbs p;of yours." the new command overwrote the other&n bsp;and Naraku grinned as
the collar around Inuyasha's neck tightened, cutting the air supply to his already burnt lungs.&nb sp;The child
scrapped frantically at it, but it was no use. He fell to the ground unconscious. "Thought you could kill
me? You're fifty years too early to even try it, not to say succeed."&nb sp;He laughed. "Release." As soon as
t he word left his lips, the tight hold of the cuffs that were cutting off the blood& nbsp;circulation loosened and
the unconscious boy breathed freely again. The door of the room opened, and someone from the
shadows came and took the child away to his room.
'Sleep. I'll deal with it...' the whisper co mforted him and he let everything around turn red. His youkai
blood had been his salvation that day. It reacted to his pain and forced new tissue to grow just&n bsp;about as
fast it had been destroyed. Another meddling had been on deviating the electric surge from his ;brain
and heart. Anything other his demon side would see&nbs p;to reconstruct with time.
As the memory of his despised restrains flashed in front of his eyes, his demon blood rushed to the
surface. The beast i nside of him showed it's face to the abuser, bringing fear to all looking into his
blood-red eyes and feeding itself from that fear. Seein g the danger he had gotten himself into, the rat
paled to the color of flour and gasped the only word that would save his life now.
"Release!" In an instant, the spell released its hold on Inuyasha, allowing him to breathe once more.
The reddish color from his eyes dispersed slowly with each deep breath he took, calming his boiling
blood. He moved to rest against the wall of the ;cage, careful to add as little pain to that which he
already felt. Soon, the wagon was on its way again, but in a graveyard's&nb sp;silence. No one dared to
approach the hanyou or even look at him for fear of one's life.
"I better get good money on you, you bunch of worthless slaves, or I will..." The chubby slave trader
grumbled&n bsp;for the umpteenth time before remaining speechless& nbsp;by the image before his eyes. Under ;the
soft shade of the forest, lay, fas t asleep, the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Oblivious to the world
around her, and deep in slumber, her graceful and lissome body leaned&n bsp;against the tree, her face remote
and pretty, with soft pink lips parted slightly a s she dreamed. Wicked thoughts raced through his mind.
Soundless, he crept out of the wagon and slowly approached the girl. Wit hout warning, he ambushed
her, successfully cutting off any way for her to escape.
"Let me go!" she cried, ripped out from her pleasant sleep to a world of nightmares, and frightened
horribly. She freed one hand as&nb sp;he twisted the other, to scratch at his eyes. "How&nb sp;dare you?!" *Slap!*
the rat's c allused paw swept over the girl's face whipped to the side.
"Shut up! I've got you now," he growled back, annoyed with her resistance. She tried to fight back, but
it was of no use; he was too strong. He wasn't human, but a demon. With th is realization, she struggled
with all her might, but still, he took hold of her neck and tightened his grip. He licked his lips as her
scream of pain filled the small clearing. Lacking air, she looked desperately for help. Though her vision
wasn't too blurred, all she could ;see were angry eyes flashing blood-red. Pant ing and struggling with
her last breath, a choked cry for help to her captor's satisfaction, she was allowed to take in shallow
breaths. "You're a pretty one, I'll get good money on you!" He grinned, though somewhat uneasily,
before shoving the girl in the cage headfirst.
Catching sight of the owner of the bleeding red eyes, she whispered breathlessly as the other slaves
approached her, "Please...help me...I swear I'll make it up to&nbs p;you, please." she begged him. Her eyes
stared directly into his. Try as he might he co uldn't pull away. Inuyasha watched from across&nbs p;the cage
for any signs of lying since he knew she was desperate, anyone would be. His heart wouldn't allow him
to refuse her. All he did was give a silent growl and pin each slave with a look, and they scattere d away
from the girl like they did with him. "Thank you." she said in a soft voice, knowing she was safe, not
daring to wonder the reason for the slaves' actions towards the one she&n bsp;could sense as a hanyou. She
crawled ;to the nearest corner. She sat there tight as&nb sp;a ball, face hidden behind her dirty sleeve. Shreds of
hair stuck out of the once elegant bun. Toes curled against the hard filthy wood of the cage.
'Hmm, I know I saw her before, but where?' he thought, study ing her. 'Maybe she will keep her word.'
If this was his chance to escape, he'd play along. An eyebrow rouse briefly& nbsp;as one silk sleeve fell over
the ca ge's edge. It brought a bit of dust in&n bsp;the air but he just thought that her hand hurt too much.
Walking the same path she went with Kagome earlier th at day, Sango found herself in a sea of guilt and
worry, and her companions weren't of much help. When Sango and Miroku argued, it was either
because of his lecherous ways or something to do with Kagome. The two were at it again, and the
subject of the day was Kagome's way& nbsp;of making their life difficult, no, a leaving hell...well, at least
most of the time.
"I can't believe you left her alone!" Miroku stated, furious.
"It was her idea, you know how p ersuading she is..." Sango defended her decision, mentally kicking
herself for giving in instead of following her instincts.
"Still, you could have put up more of a fight."
"How would have that helped us in the end?" she asked, kicking a rock from her path in frustration.
"When you arrived at the castle, we had just arrived ourselves, and thus, we weren't prepared to leave at
once." he said gently.
"That's true, and in Kiara's condition..." Sango patted the cat demon's little head as she&nbs p;remembered
how she had been hurt in a fight with a spider demon. Sango looked over at the sleeping kitsune in
M iroku's arms. "And Shippo was exhausted from your trip to the healer. I 'm such an idiot."
"Shh, don't say that!" the small demon protested.
"Shippo, you're awake?" he turned in his carrier's arms.
"I'm too worried about Kagome to get any sleep." he sa id, rubbing his eyes with his small fists and
yawnin g.
"Sorry..." Sango said as Shippo leaped from Miroku's arms onto her shoulder.
"How much more do we have to walk till we get to Kagome?"
"About half an hour."
"That's long..." Miroku said, looking up at the sky. "Did you notice?" he asked, stopping. Sango
stopped next to him, looking at the sky as well.
"Notice what?" she asked interested, but all her excitement disappeared as she felt a familiar rub.
"Pervert!" she screamed, slapping him across the cheek. Miroku felt his reddening cheek with a goofy
smile on his lips.
"Ah...why must you be so vicious, Sango? I was only..."
"Rubbing my backside?" she fumed.
"That too, but I really was observing how cloudy it's gotten."
"What is it, Shippo?" Sango asked the little kitsune, as he was sniffing& nbsp;the air.
"It's gonna rain."
"We have ;to hurry." Miroku looked at his companions.
"Kagome's all alone and dressed in a light kimono, she'll catch&n bsp;a cold." Sango nodded and they started
running towards the clearing where Sango had left Kagome. By running, they'd get there within fifteen
minutes, but if they were to be caught in the storm they'd have to ta ke cover.
He could hear thunder in the distance, but how far away the st orm was, he couldn't tell, since the scents
of the other slaves irritated his nose. He could n't even tell the girl's scent, and she was only a small
distance away from him.
'I know this road,' he thought, looking around. 'I think there's a small inn half a mile away. But he won't
find any costumers there, it's closed till full su mmer, unless...' His eyes looked at the girl across from
him. '...Unless he wants to have some fun.' His&nb sp;eyes narrowed dangerously. 'I won't let that ba stard
touch her, I gave my word,' he growled to himself before blinking as he found the girl in question
looking at him with a lost expression. She had a ;cute face, from what he could tell, aside&nb sp;from the dirt,
smudged makeup and the redness of the slightly swollen cheek. Again,& nbsp;rage built up inside him. 'This
wouldn't have happened if I had acted earlier... but why does it bother me so much? I don't even know
her.' He shook his head slowly before averting his gaze to t he nearing small building. Soon, he'd have
to make a choice that would free him one wa y or the other.
They've been running for ten minutes now, and they had covered a lot of track. Sango could already see
the small ;clearing where she left Kagome. Just a few&n bsp;more feet, and they would be able see the whole
clearing.
"I don't understand. I left her right here," Sango said, looking around the clearing.
"Shippo."
"Yes?" He looked up at Miroku.
"See if you can find Kagome-sama's scent. I have a bad feeling about this."
"Me too," Sango agreed. "She wouldn't just leave like t his, not alone on this weather. She would have
left a message at least." she said, looking at the dark sky. She gasped and bend to pick up the pair of
zori. One was behind the tree, the other barely visible in the tall grass near the stream. Shippo nodded
and began searching the clearing for any traces of her scent. He sniffed near the stream and then to the
country road.
"Someone was here," he said. Eyes looking on the cracked dirt. "There are more scents than just
K agome's, and they went in that direction." He pointed down the road following the half an inch deep
tracks.
"My god!" Sango cried, frightened.
"Let's hurry. And hope it's not wh at I think it is." Sango nodded once to Miroku's words and patted
Kiara on the head.& nbsp;The small kitten looked up at her master.
"Kiara, I know you don't feel too good, but we have to reach Kagome as soon as possible." Kiara
meowed in agreement and jumped from Sango's arms. As she reached the ground, flames enveloped
her, and she transformed into her fighting form. Sango picked up Shippo and got on Kiara's back.
Miroku started running down the road as Kiara took off into the air, wobbling a little, but determined
nonetheless.
Just as he had deduced, the wagon stopped in front of the small inn. The chubby trader slowly got
down from his seat an d entered the building. Inuyasha found this as&nbs p;the chance to keep his word. He
got up and walked towards the girl, obvious to the stares the other slaves, and starting to untie his outer
kimono.
Kagome watched, bemused, at her savior as he stood with a determined look. Taking cautious steps
towa rds her, he untied his red outer kimono. She felt uneasy about&n bsp;his actions, was he going to do
something to her? Fear clouded her eyes but it was dispelled as ;he spoke.
"Idiot wench, I said I'd help." Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at her as he let&n bsp;his haori fall over the girl's
head and knelt in front of her. She blinked a t him, and after a moment, nodded. He gave her a nod too,
listening for the trader. He heard the innkeeper confirming his greatest fear. "Make a run for it."
"Huh?" She looked at him.
"When I jump at him, run for your life, got that?" his voice lowered an octave.
"All right. But..." she agreed hesitantly.
"Don't stop for anything." He cut her off before rising and taking his previous seat.
The slave trader came out of the inn and approached the wagon, opening the door, and pointing to some
slaves.
"You two, over there, you, you and you, the small one too. Out. The innkeeper has some work for you
in the backyard." The called ones obeyed and got out of the cage through the now open door. Then, he
looked around the cage for his prey, only to see it clothed in a blood red haori. 'What the?' he thought,
his gaze shifting to the hanyou. The aforementio ned was growling possessively.
"Mine." he mouthed. The slave trader narrowed his eyes. Should he try and cross the line? his mind
asked, images from the last time he did so still fresh, but his desire rose with each passing second as he
looked at the girl cowering from him. Making up his mind, he&nb sp;reached inside. The hanyou's growl
intens ified. He grabbed her hand, and forcefully pulled her out of the cage, despite her scream.
"Let me go!" Kagome cried. The trader made the fatal mistake of turning his back towards th e cage. At
that point, Inuyasha jumped him, sending the three of them crashing to the ground. The girl was&nbs p;thrown
from the demon's grasp, a few feet away.
"Run!" She heard the hanyou's command. Still, her legs&nb sp;would not obey her.
"Let me go!" Sango heard a female's voice cry.
"Kagome!" Her mind went straight to her friend as she looked down at Miroku. He caught her glance
and nodded. They were taken a bit by surprise when a voice growled.
"Run!" It rang, only to be followed by a chocked cry.
She saw it. The word leave the demon's lips and right then, her savior cried out in pain. She didn't
understand; she wanted to run as far away she could, but her heart hurt.
'Why? Why can't I just leave and save myself?' she wondered,&nbs p;closing her eyes as the hanyou screamed
again in pain.
"Run dammit!" Kagome's eyes shot open as the force of the growl shook her whole being. Blood red
eyes narrowed at her as the hanyou fought the youkai.
" Choke!" the demon managed to shout, and in that instant, the hanyou let go of him, his hands
clenching his own neck. Looking at her for the last time, his stripped features showed intense pain.
"Run," he said with the last of his breath, collapsing to his knees. She felt like her heart was being& nbsp;
stabbed as the youkai repeated commands over and over while hitting the hanyou. Desperation took
control over her, and without thinking, she ran to the demon, grabbing him by th e shoulders. Even
though she had been told not to, she did... the unthinkable.
Miroku, along with Sango and Shippo on Kiara, reached the inn's clearing just in time to see Kagome
stand, run to the youkai and grab him by the shoulders.
"God, no. Please don't let it be that," Miroku, San go, Shippo and even Kiara thought out loud. But their
fears came true.
A/N: And that's the new chapter&nbs p;three... Any thoughts to share? You are more than welcomed to do so.