InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Phoenix Blade: Time Lapse ❯ Barriers ( Chapter 18 )

Disclaimer: I don't own anything…

 

A/N: I apologize for all the fluff in the last chapter…sorry, Hachi-fans, no flying-scrotum-equipped raccoon/badgers in this fic…

 

In response to a query, yes, Sango is waiting in the wings, a couple of chapters on, I expect…

 

The Phoenix Blade: Time Lapse

Chapter Eighteen: Barriers

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Sengoku Jidai

 

“Kagome.” She looked up, and he caught her for a hard, fast, desperate kiss, before turning away and leaping over the smouldering mound. He heard her anguished cry of his name, but he kept going. Someone had to do something, or they would all die…

 

Kagome hastily dumped a dosage of antihistamines into Shippo's paws, and laid out a canteen of water. “Get the houshi to swallow these…it will stop his reaction to the wasp venom…stay down, and if something happens to us, do your best to get Miroku-sama away from here…it'll be okay, Ship-dip…Sesshomaru's just a big bully who needs to be downsized…” She flashed him a brilliant smile, and ran to find a vantage point, pulling out her bow and readying a bolt.

 

The battle was not going well for the good guys. Kagome had to admit that Sesshomaru was truly elegant in his handling of the blade. If only he wasn't such a prick… Using the trickling wound on his sword arm, Inuyasha flung an array of `blades of blood', some of which nicked Sesshomaru's kimono without doing real damage. Once again, Kagome was astonished at the speed of their battle. When she could see anything, it appeared that Sesshomaru spent most of his time dodging Inuyasha's claws, almost like he was playing a harmless game of keep-away. The hanyou's battle-aura was very strong, but Kagome knew Sesshomaru was only toying with him this time. She had to be ready…

 

Sneering, Sesshomaru was about to swing the Tetsusaiga with full intent of destruction. Brotherly love…yeesh. Kagome had a scant moment to flame the tip, aim and fire at the descending blade, then reached back for another. She was as startled as the two combatants when the Tetsusaiga howled, and subsided to its less-deadly incarnation when her arrow pinged off its blade. She steadied herself, the arrow tip flaring brilliant pink, aiming it at the Jewel shard she could see gleaming in Sesshomaru's left shoulder as both he and Inuyasha turned towards her.

 

The sound of agitated squawking came to her ear…hmmm, sounded like Miroku had recovered enough to twist some information out of Jaken...or maybe that was Shippo? Now if she could only keep Sesshomaru's attention long enough for Inuyasha to get into position to act while the Tetsusaiga was rendered impotent…

 

“Sesshomaru, why are you now able to wield the Tetsusaiga? Is your sudden ability somehow connected to the shard of the sacred Jewel embedded in your flesh? Has the shard has allowed you to regenerate your arm? No, that can't be it…your new hand would be as demonic as the rest of you…” Her voice was almost conversational in tone; the arrow tip never wavered.

 

A pale, sweating, but determined Miroku wobbled up beside her, his staff making light jingling noises as it stuck the rock underfoot with each step. “Ah, Miroku-sama…did you have a pleasant conversation with Jaken?” She kept her tone light, as if they were discussing the quality of someone's haiku.

 

“Oh, yes, Kagome-sama. It was very enlightening, you could say... Sesshomaru-sama, might it be possible that you are wielding the Tetsusaiga by using the borrowed flesh of a… human?”

 

Kagome directed a particularly withering glance at Sesshomaru. “I love the smell of irony in the evening…the great Lord of the Western Lands, reduced to using a piece of a creature he reviles in order to steal the weapon he desires…” She noticed that Inuyasha was quietly gathering himself for a spring at his brother, so did her best to keep Sesshomaru's deadly attention.

 

The demon regarded the pair in front of him stoically, his yellow eyes flickering “What are you, girl? A miko or a witch…because you surely aren't completely human…”

 

“Didn't you like the answer the last time you asked me that? Oh, I'm human all right, with a very low tolerance level for two-faced pompous asses… in order to acquire that Jewel shard, you must have lowered yourself to doing business with Naraku, a thoroughly despicable piece of demonic filth that I wouldn't have thought you'd bother to wipe your boots on.”

 

“Oh, he has become Naraku's errand boy, Kagome-sama,” interjected Miroku smoothly. “Naraku supplied the arm, the shard and the nest…hoping that Sesshomaru-sama would do his dirty work for him.”

 

Kagome smiled sweetly at the glowering demon. “Throw down the Tetsusaiga, Sesshomaru, or I will take particular pleasure in purifying you so thoroughly even the seventh hell won't take you. This battle is over.”

 

Sesshomaru smiled a very unpleasant smile, and began to raise the blade, which abruptly hissed back to its full size, gleaming with menace. Kagome smiled back, and released her arrow… the enchanted bolt missed the shard, but it blew off his breastplate in a rather satisfactory manner, allowing Inuyasha an opening to dive in and seize his sword arm. Kagome, poised with another bolt trailing fire, found she couldn't get a clear shot in at the shard without risking the hanyou. Any thoughts of taking out Tetsusaiga again fled with Sesshomaru's next action.

 

Sesshomaru sighed regretfully. “Ah, Inuyasha…didn't I teach you anything as a child? First rule of combat…never leave your back open, fool!” His poison claws flexed, and he drove them into the hanyou's body, melting his way through to the other side. Inuyasha shook, but he tightened his grip until he could feel the bones in the corpse-arm's wrist start to part company with their fellows. Digging in his own claws, he heard the grave-flesh tearing, and he allowed himself a small triumphant laugh.

 

“I think you've missed something brother…this arm doesn't have the same reactions as your own, so it can't tell you that…the Tetsusaiga is mine!” With a sickening riiiip, he yanked away the sword, the bloodied hand dangling forlornly from the grip. He tore it away, and threw it in his brother's face. “You make me retch, you bastard…but I'm going to kill you so I don't have to see your face again…”

 

Kagome yelled when Inuyasha suddenly collapsed to his knees, the Tetsusaiga raised over his head, and didn't move. Jaken, his head even lumpier than usual, scuttled past on his way to his master's feet. He barely avoided a sizzling strike that burned the rock under his clawed toes. “How is this possible, my lord? He's unconscious, or appears to be…”

 

“The Tetsusaiga is protecting him…if we move to seize it, the sword will unleash a strike in his defence…come Jaken, we have lost the day…” Sesshomaru turned in Kagome's direction, noting that the somnolent Inuyasha turned as well, keeping him in range. “This is not the last battle, witch…we shall meet again…”

 

Kagome lifted her chin. “I'll be more than happy to oblige you with another archery demonstration, you bastard…and I'm a miko, not a witch, lucky for you. I'd love to be able to turn you into a toad like your little buddy there… A piece of free advice, Sesshomaru; stay away from Naraku…he's playing a double game with you, which he intends to win.”

 

Sesshomaru gave no indication he had heard; he swept away in a whirling cloud of fur and silk, Jaken desperately trying to keep pace. Kagome watched to make sure of their departure, then lunged for the hanyou.

 

“Inuyasha…dammit, why did you do that suicidal move, you idiot? You could've been killed…”

 

He blinked his eyes slowly, turning at the sound of her voice. “Kagome…you're all right?”

 

“Of course I'm all right, dog-boy…it's you that's a mess…Shit!” She tried to catch him before he face-planted, the Tetsusaiga clattering to the rocks, but she slipped in the gore and only managed to slide her hand under his face to cushion its landing. She pulled his head into her lap, and allowed herself a moment of mental screaming, awash in his blood, his silver hair staining red, before she got a grip on herself and the situation.

 

“Shippo! Bring the medical kit…Inuyasha's badly hurt, but he's alive…” Miroku, swaying with the effort, made his way over to her; Shippo appeared, dragging the saddlebags behind him. The monk cautiously lowered himself down, watching Kagome lift and bodily drag Inuyasha out of the puddle that worryingly matched his haori, laying him out on a fairly flat rock.

 

She pulled away what was left of his clothing, noting painfully that the white linen shirt was as red as the jacket. The exposed exit wound turned her stomach; she turned white as a sheet, but got right down to business. First she pulled on gloves, and squirted saline all over the area, wiping out any traces of green poison that remained; the gauze squares melted almost instantly, but she kept at it until she couldn't see any more. Shippo sat by Inuyasha's head, holding his hand and patting his forehead tenderly. While she got out the field dressings and gauze bandages, she looked over at Miroku, who was watching her quietly. Too quiet, actually.

 

“What's up, Miroku-sama? I can give you some more of those pills in an hour or so…”

 

“No, Kagome-sama, I am actually feeling much better. I was just contemplating the information imparted to me by the toad-demon…”

 

She snorted, while applying a layer of antibiotic to the edges of the melted flesh. “That little creep willingly gave you information? I don't believe it…”

 

“It wasn't willingly, Kagome…Miroku smoked `em!”

 

She grinned at the kit. “So much for being a gentle, retiring holy man, huh? Hey, houshi-doushi… how'd you do it?”

 

“I just appealed to his better nature…with my fist, Buddha forgive me. However, he did give up the information that the arm and the wasp's nest were both supplied by Naraku.”

 

They were silent as they contemplated all the possible aspects of disaster that a possible alliance between Naraku and Sesshomaru might mean, Kagome continuing to work on Inuyasha. With Shippo's clumsy but careful help, she rolled him over to gain access to his back, and repeated the process of clothing removal, cleaning, anointing, and bandaging. She couldn't even try suturing it closed, because there simply wasn't anything to attach together. She glanced at Miroku, whose colour was definitely improving by the minute, so long as he didn't look at Inuyasha's injury.

 

“I think we're going to have to stay here a day or two, until Inuyasha's wound starts to close up, and you're strong enough to ride before we head back to Kaede-sama's. By then I'll need to go back for more medical supplies, anyways…Shippo, you carry Inuyasha's clothes. Miroku-sama, please see if you can collect a couple of servants from the inn to help carry Inuyasha back up there. I don't want to stay out in the open, if there's a chance that Naraku is spying on us.” The monk shoved himself upright, and wobbled off to do her bidding.

 

Kagome repacked the medical kit with Shippo's help. Four brawny servants from the inn arrived and as Kagome fussed around them like a mother hen, they rolled Inuyasha's limp form onto a makeshift stretcher and lugged him back up the hill. Miroku had obviously had a word with the innkeeper, because a futon was ready in a private room, layered with clean old rags, and a serviceable juban was available. Once the hanyou was arranged on the bedding to her satisfaction, his silver hair rinsed of blood, Kagome sighed, and propped herself up against the wall. He'd stood guard over her so many times that it was only fair that she do her part for him. Shippo curled up in her lap and was fast asleep in moments; she shifted the kit into a more comfortable position, and settled in for a very long night.

 

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Miroku was well enough to be considered a nuisance to the servant girls by the next morning; Kagome sent him and Shippo out to enquire about the price of a horse litter. As soon as Inuyasha could be safely moved, she intended to load him into it and head back to base.

 

Kagome was sitting quietly by his side in the evening of the next day, dressed in her fleeces while her blood-soaked armour was drying, having just completed the third bandage-changing operation, this time with Miroku's assistance. Inuyasha had bled through the first juban by that morning; Kagome had begged a spare one from the inn's stock of working clothes. It was clean, and that's all she'd say for it. The wound was still ghastly, but there were signs of healing around the edges, so she was cautiously hopeful. Smiling softly at his sleeping face, she brushed his bangs off his forehead; he looked so young and vulnerable.

 

“Maybe you'll wake up tomorrow… Shippo-kun has been talking everyone's ears off about how you beat your brother while unconscious; and the houshi is…well, the houshi is making sure that the ladies of this village won't forget him too soon…sleep well, Inu-chan.” She breathed this last while bending over to kiss him lightly; a hand tangled in her hair and kept her there while his amber eyes slowly opened. She held her breath, as he finally focussed on her face.

 

“K'gome…” His voice sounded like he was still a long distance away from her.

 

“Glad you're back, dog-boy…you had me worried. I wasn't sure if I could get a refund from Kaede on the rosary…” She gently unwound his fingers from her hair and re-laced them with her own.

 

He sighed deeply, and closed his eyes again. After a few minutes, Kagome tried to slip her hand out of his grip; he tightened his hold. She knew there was no way that she would be able to escape to do sentry duty, so after a few moments of mental fussing, just decided to go with the flow and arranged herself beside him. It wasn't like it was a huge sacrifice or anything, to sleep cuddled up with a gorgeous hunk of half-demon like him.

 

You could take advantage of him…

Oh, you're back. Long time, no torment.

We see you've found a cozy way to, ahem, supervise his recovery.

He had me in a headlock at the time.

Oh, yeah, twist your rubber arm…

I'm just worried that we may be attacked while he's injured.

Maybe he would benefit from having his blood flow increased to his head…

That is so frickin' obvious, you hentai!

Just trying to lighten the situation…

 

Shippo tiptoed in a bit later; his eyes grew very wide at the sight of hanyou and girl snuggled up together, sleeping peacefully and fully clothed. He paused, weighing his options, and decided that a crowded, warm futon was preferable to sharing one with Miroku, who was otherwise occupied with a pretty young widow. He cautiously curled himself up near Kagome's feet, and sighed happily.

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Kagome woke up first the next morning. Her feet were really hot…and her neck had a bad kink in it from sleeping in the same position at Inuyasha's side all night. Cautiously, she tried to slide away from him; her fingers were pretty well numb from being locked in his. His other arm wrapped around her like a striking boa constrictor. Tilting her head to peer at his face, she was greeted by misty amber eyes watching her, a lazy smile on his lips.

 

“Koishii…”

 

“Shhh…are you going to let me up so I can look at your bandages?”

 

He appeared to think about that for a while, and then smiled wider. “Nope.”

 

Kagome squirmed a little more forcefully. He held on, knowing she wouldn't fight too hard in case she hurt him. She finally gave up struggling and went straight to fuming. He ignored her grumbles. “Keh! Being beaten up by my brother is a pretty extreme way of getting you into bed with me again…”

 

She snorted. “You still defeated him, you know…even unconscious and severely wounded, you and that sword are a pair of terrors…”

 

“Morning, Inuyasha! Yay! You're awake…does this mean we can go home, Kagome?” The source of her warm feet suddenly pounced onto her hip, and from there onto the futon beside the hanyou's head. Shippo peered into Inuyasha's eyes from upside down, an expression of great concern on his face, which turned into a wide grin. “Your sword is awesome! I mean, Sesshomaru nearly took you out, but Tetsusaiga saved your butt!” He mistook the hanyou's grimace for an expression of pain, and panicked. “Kagome…I'll go find Miroku…I think you need to change Inuyasha's bandages or something!”

 

Kagome took advantage of Inuyasha's distraction to neatly escape his grip and scoot out of range. He was surprised; she shook her finger at him. “If you're well enough to flirt, we can leave for home… Don't move! If you tear that wound open again, I will kill you!” He stilled, but looked hurt. She grinned. “You have the most amazing puppy-dog eyes, but I have work to do so we can get the hell out of here as soon as possible…by the way, if you ever pull those stupid hero-shit on the battlefield again, you won't have to worry about Sesshomaru or Naraku…Ah, good morning, houshi-doushi…we'll be on our way today…”

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Inuyasha was NOT happy about being lifted into the horse litter like an invalid; Kagome had to threaten him with the `s' word to gain his sullen cooperation. Miroku cautiously consented to ride the lead horse; Kagome knotted a lead rope onto the gelding's bridle and secured it to the back of her saddle just to make sure. The second horse was a docile mare; Shippo felt very important to be riding her all by himself.

 

Kagome was primed for trouble; she'd honed her sword, and loaded her quiver with as many arrows as it would comfortably hold, then stuffed a couple more down her right boot for good measure. Despite the cooling weather, she rode with her cloak over one shoulder, leaving her sword arm and arrow-grabbing hand free…just in case. Finding out that Naraku was in the area, and that he may have subverted Sesshomaru into an alliance gave her a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach. Miroku could use his Vortex again, but without the power of the Tetsusaiga and a healthy Inuyasha to wield it, their combined firepower was severely weakened.

 

She paid for the extra laundry at the inn with some of Kaede's coins, Miroku digging deep in his robes to make up the full sum. The horse litter was a `loaner' from the monk's widowed lady friend; Kagome wasn't sure if it was meant to send Miroku on his way a little faster, but she also wasn't going to complain. Getting back to Kaede and the well was way more important. She promised she'd return the equipage and the animals at her earliest opportunity; she meant to keep her word, as Kaede's village really didn't need the extra equine mouths to feed over the coming winter.

 

“All right, my boys…everybody ready?” Miroku looked doubtful; Shippo waved gaily from the rear…and Inuyasha made a rude gesture above the not-quite-high-enough sides of the litter. Kagome chuckled. “Let's go!”

 

They had a quiet first day, and made good time, finding a small village to shelter in for the night. Inuyasha was left in the litter, which he complained about vociferously; ignoring his ranting, between her and Miroku, they managed to remove it safely from the horses and lower it on its poles to a nest of straw in the stable. Shippo was busy with the mess tins and the rations next to the brazier. While Kagome dealt with the horses and soothed the hanyou, Miroku went in search of fresh water. He was sulking, because he'd been heavily threatened with the consequences of not keeping a low profile. Naraku didn't need any help from outraged sweethearts…

 

Kagome folded down the sides of the litter, grinning heartlessly at Inuyasha's scowl, and sat beside him while she ate the rations Shippo proudly served.

“You did a good job, Ship-dip…this is really delicious. Thank you!”

 

“You're welcome, Kagome…where do you think the houshi went? His portion is getting cold.”

 

“He'd better have only gone to the well or the river, or he's….”

 

“I am what, Kagome-sama? The directions I had of the headman were scandalously inaccurate…” Miroku came in, an innocent expression on his face and his hands full with two slopping canvas buckets of water.

 

Kagome looked over at Shippo; he made big deal of inhaling deeply in the monk's direction; he paused, wrinkling his brow thoughtfully while exhaling, then smiled brightly at Kagome. “He was a good boy, Kagome!” She smiled blandly at the monk's startled expression.

 

“Meet your new chastity-detector, houshi-doushi…”

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

The second day also went well; nothing more than a small covey of quail exploding out of a bush as they rode by it caused any excitement. Miroku did an excellent job of calming his horse; the litter was hardly jostled at all, but it didn't matter, because Inuyasha slept through the whole thing, thanks largely to a dose of sleeping pills Kagome had slipped into him under the pretext of them being anitbiotics to keep his griping at a bare minimum. She also removed the lead rope from Miroku's horse; the monk had proved he could handle the gelding.

 

They had to camp outside that night, and the two human able-bodied members of the group were cold, tired and cranky by dawn. Kagome and Miroku took turns standing watch through the night; she made extra hot tea and mixed in some of the emergency rum ration to fill their canteens for the morning ride. Inuyasha had been restless; he'd reopened his wound, and bled through the bandages. After a second surreptitious dose of sleeping pills and another layer of bandages, she was very low on all her medical supplies; they'd have to push to get home before darkness fell tonight.

 

What if something smells Inuyasha's blood…

They'll come a-hunting.

I won't let him die.

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

The village was almost within shouting distance when they were rumbled. Back on familiar pathways, Kagome let her guard down…and then had to scramble to retake the offensive. She and Shippo were larking around; the kit was zipping up and through the trees while she and Arashi gave chase, armed with pinecones. They didn't mean to, but they ended up farther from the others than they should have; and suddenly Shippo hurtled into her chest, nearly knocking her from the saddle. Arashi lurched, but steadied, her ears whirling as she tried to detect the source of her fear.

 

“Kaaagooomeee! Look out!” As he impacted, her head snapped back, and something grazed her forehead, leaving finely bloodied trails behind. She shoved the kit down in front of her; and pulled out her bow, notching an arrow. What the hell? She then sensed youkai all around her; very, very low level demons, to be sure, but too many for her to handle alone. Abandoning thoughts of a stand, she wheeled Arashi and bolted back towards the litter.

 

“Houshi! Get out the Vortex…we're bringing some friends to who are dying to meet it!” Coming into sight of the others, Kagome was horrified to see more demons behind them…and couldn't help thinking that they'd handily allowed themselves to be trapped. Damn, damned, damnable. Here goes nothing…she kicked Arashi into a full gallop and charged past the monk, firing a steady stream of arrows into the host of demons, flaming most of them quite satisfactorily.

 

Arashi didn't disappoint her; after that first hesitation was out of her system, she trusted in her rider and followed through, bunching and turning on a dime as they changed direction to race up the other side of the litter. Kagome dumped Shippo into the bottom of it on the way by; the kitsune huddled at Inuyasha's feet and tried to think brave thoughts while his teeth chattered.

 

“Miroku! How's the clean-up going?” The monk was grimly moving his hand in a slow back-and-forth arc, huge numbers of snake-like and bird-like youkai disappearing into the suction, while fighting to control his suddenly-skittish horse. Despite the current levels of exasperation, he allowed himself a small grin at her jocular question.

 

“Very well, sama…and yours?”

 

“Not as tidy, I have to admit…I'm cutting in front of you, so lift that weapon, please!” He swept the Vortex over her head and brought it around to his opposite shoulder, then as Arashi carried her safely down the other side, he swung it back to complete a 180Ëš purge.

 

“Shippo! Use your foxfire to protect Inuyasha…I'm counting on you, buddy! Miroku! Swing the Vortex this way…you may be able to finish this!” She ducked against Arashi's neck, feeling her hair disobey gravity and rise up to be pulled along the leading edge of the wind tunnel. It hurt like hell, but not enough to cause her to lose control of her horse or her weapons. Miroku swept the Vortex back around, to nearly complete the full circle. Kagome picked off a few last of the late-comers, and the forest was suddenly clear of all youkai…and the birds began singing again.

 

“K'gome…wha's goin' on?” The sound of Inuyasha's faintly slurred voice brought her to the side of the litter. He looked a little disoriented; she felt a pang of guilt at drugging him just so he didn't bitch so much, but on the other hand, if he'd been awake, his injuries would be even worse by now. She smiled tenderly, and reached down to stroke his face.

 

“Nothing, dog-boy…Miroku, Ship-dip and I were just talking about how glad we were to be nearly home and wondering what Kaede-sama has in the soup pot tonight…sorry for waking you up.”

 

“S'okay…still sleepy…” He emitted a huge yawn that showed off all his canines, and nodded back off instantly. She touched his cheek again, then rode around the back of the litter and gave the harnessed, jumpy mare a swat on the rump to get them all moving again.

 

“Another hour or so and we're there…let's push on, people. I've had enough of field rations for a while, even if Shippo does prepare them so nicely.”

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Kaede had a large pot of soup on the go; as the three of them wolfed down several portions, they all took turns telling the story of their confrontation with Sesshomaru, and the unwelcome news that Naraku may have been able to bring Inuyasha's brother into an alliance.

 

The old miko didn't think so. “I would be very surprised if a taiyoukai like Sesshomaru-sama would allow himself to be used as a tool by one such as Naraku. Inu-youkai usually have more loyalty to their own kind than to an outsider.”

 

Kagome ladled a bowl of soup, and taking a spoon, moved over to the quiet form of the hanyou reposing in a corner on a woven mat, now wrapped in Kaede's homespun bandages and a clean juban. He opened his eyes as she knelt beside him. Smiling, she leaned in and kissed him gently on the forehead.

 

“Time to eat, Inuyasha…I'll help you sit up so you don't strain anything.” She managed to ease him upright and against the wall without landing in his lap. “If you feel dizzy, let me know…” He held the bowl and ate automatically, his mind seemingly elsewhere, then laid back down without a fuss, rolling on his side to face the wall. Kagome stroked a hand through his silver hair, and left him alone. She was considering whether to ask if the big tubs at the laundry had any heat left in them, as a cold dip in the river was not a very appealing idea right now.

 

Kaede was apparently a mind-reader; she told Kagome that the water was ready, as she had asked the laundress to keep a tub going as soon as their little cortege had been sighted from the watch tower. Shippo had to wait until she was finished; the tub was only big enough for one, and it was ladies' hour anyways.

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Kagome came back shortly, happily whistling, her hair and body clean and wearing her fleeces, carrying her armour under one arm and boots under the other. Miroku disappeared with Shippo, and Kagome helped roll out the sleeping mats and blankets. Kaede indicated the hanyou snoring in the corner.

 

“His wounds are grievous, Kagome-sama; the poison in his blood will make them slow to heal.”

 

“I was afraid of that, Kaede-sama…I will return from my time tomorrow with a fresh supply of dressings and antibiotics…we'll all have to be on our guard to protect Inuyasha from any attack while he is injured…I'm afraid Naraku may try something else.”

 

“I fear that as well, Kagome-sama…while ye have been gone, I have been considering the question of this Naraku, and how he may be linked to Inuyasha and my sister…but I will tell ye more on the morrow.”

 

Kagome rolled up in her bedroll next to Inuyasha, placing her armour above her head, next to the fire pit so that it would be dried by morning. “G'night, dog-boy,” she yawned, and reached out to lightly pat his shoulder. “Sweet dreams…”

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

The fire had burned down to embers, barely giving enough light for the humans to see by, if they had awakened. Glowing golden eyes had no such problem. Silently, clawed hands reached for the armour lying next to the fire, and carefully opened the pouch hidden inside the front, extracting the small bag secreted within. It disappeared into the fabric swathing his body, and he lay back down on his pallet, watching the face of the girl beside him through lowered lashes.

 

I have to protect her.

What are you up to?

Sacrificing the only happiness I've known…

She warned you about doing the `hero thing'…

She won't know until it's too late.

Ooooh…we get it…but why are you doing this?

Because I…

Love her?

:: … ::

Hello? Hello!

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Kagome stirred and stretched. Man, what a great sleep…I needed that! Sitting up, yawning and blinking, she noticed that the hanyou was already up against the wall, Tetsusaiga cradled against his shoulder. His eyes had that peculiar glow that made her stomach do funny flips; she tried to ignore the feeling and smiled brightly at him. “Good morning, Inuyasha…you really shouldn't be up…”

 

“I'll fucking do what I want, wench…when are you leaving?”

 

She was rather taken aback by the return of the bad-ass hanyou that hadn't been sighted for a few weeks…and not missed, either. Her temper flared slightly. “Obviously not soon enough for some people…can I at least have breakfast, dog-boy?” He grunted, and proceeded to ignore her. She was shaken by his change in mood.

 

What the hell is up his ass?

Don't know…be careful.

Be careful? Huh?

Something's not right…

Besides his evil twin showing up?

 

After a quick breakfast of cold rice and pickles, Kagome gathered her armour and weapons. She didn't bother to get changed; it was chilly this morning, so she kept on her fleeces, tied her obi around her waist to hold the katana and slung the bow and quiver over her shoulder. At the doorway of the hut, she paused to look back at the rest of the group. Miroku and Kaede were peacefully enjoying cups of tea; Shippo grinned around a mouthful of rice and waved his chopsticks at her. Inuyasha carefully shoved himself up the wall using Tetsusaiga, and then shambled towards her, using the sword as a cane. She planted her fists on her hips and glared angrily at him.

 

“I know the way to the well myself, dog-boy, and quite frankly, in your current state, you couldn't defend your way out of a wet paper bag. I don't have time to worry if you made it back here…with Naraku on the loose and Sesshomaru gunning for you, you need an armed escort!” Miroku sighed, and laying aside his teacup, took up his staff and began to rise. The Tetsusaiga rapped him rather smartly on the head; as he plunked back down, hard, Inuyasha held his sheathed sword over him, threat obvious.

 

“Take a fucking seat, houshi…I ain't no fucking cripple. You stay put, too, runt, or you'll regret it.”

 

Kagome narrowed her eyes at the sudden strained atmosphere inside the hut; then shook her head, and went out the door. “I'll be back later today…I'll bring another bag of rice, too, Kaede-sama. Houshi, remember your promise…Shippo, behave yourself and help Kaede-sama with Inuyasha,” she called over her shoulder, ignoring the hanyou as he followed her.

 

Outside, she gripped her sword and double-timed it to the staircase, then took the stairs two at a time. She didn't look back to see where Inuyasha was; he was in such a foul mood, she didn't want to talk to him any more, in case she was tempted to use the `sit' command and probably finish what Sesshomaru started.

 

She walked briskly through the forest, using glimpses of the Goshinboku to orient herself towards the well meadow. The trees were beginning the fall change; there was a definite crispness in the air; she was going to need to sort out some kind of winter armour, because her cloak just wasn't going to be enough. Something that sounded distinctly like a falling tree crunched from up ahead; the woodcutters were at work. Idly, she wondered if Naraku would hibernate over the colder months ahead, like a bear, to emerge in the spring even nastier than before. The youkai attack yesterday afternoon hadn't given any indication of being one of his…no hell wasps, for example…but it was creepy that it was so close to the village.

 

Kagome was startled out of her thoughts by the sight of Inuyasha, sitting up against the well's side, Tetsusaiga across his knees. Fucking idiot…she fumed, marching up to him. “What kind of game are you playing, dog-boy…I went through a lot of effort to get you back here in one piece, and now you're pissing around with your recovery and endangering the whole team.” He didn't answer, and actually gave no sign of having heard her. She rolled her eyes and sighed, then noticed the red stain across his abdomen. “Bloody hell, Inuyasha! I don't have any supplies here, and you're bleeding out again…shit!” She dropped to her knees beside him and began to fumble with the ties of the old kosode donated by one of the villagers; he took her off guard by yanking her into his arms and burying his face in her hair.

 

For a long moment, he held her very tight, taking long deep breaths of her scent, then just as suddenly, released her, pushing her away hard. She completed a full backwards somersault, coming up on her knees, scowling ferociously. The indifferent look on his face, as if nothing had just happened, stopped her; slowly she got to her feet and cautiously approached him to retrieve her dropped armour, then backed away and around the other side of the well.

 

“See ya, dog-boy…try and find a better attitude while I'm gone, because this one sucks, quite frankly.” She was poised on the side, ready to jump, when his quiet voice stopped her.

 

“Goodbye, Kagome. Take care of yourself…koishii.”

 

“Koishii yourself. Try not to rip yourself wide open on your way back to the hut.” Then she jumped. She thought she heard him shout her name, but the blue shimmer took her…

 

Inuyasha waited until her scent had faded, then painfully levered himself to his feet, and walked over to the thicket nearest the well. He heaved a large tree trunk out of the undergrowth and dragged it over, gasping with the effort; the kosode was stained a brighter shade of red and it was spreading. Gripping the trunk, he lifted it over his head and shoved it down into the well, jamming it on an angle that caused the ancient wood to crack and sag. He collapsed on the ground and stayed there for a while, until he was roused by the sound of running feet coming his way.

 

“Inuyasha! What have you done, you fool?”

 

“Fuck off, Miroku. Kagome has interfered in one of my fights for the last time…we don't need her to gather the shards, anyways, so she's better off on her side.”

 

The monk seriously contemplated beating the hanyou black and blue; but the sight of his reddened clothing gave him second thoughts. Instead, he swallowed his irritation and bent to roughly haul Inuyasha to his feet. “Instead of sending her away with harsh words, Inuyasha, you could have told her your true reasons for concern. If she manages to find her way back…and if there is a way, I'm sure Kagome-sama will find it…you will not be able to move for a week from the number of `sits' she will inflict on your stubborn pride.”

 

Inuyasha glared at him while trying to knock Miroku's hand off of the collar of his shirt. “What `true reason'? She got in the way against Sesshomaru…stupid wench, drawing attention to herself like that…”

 

Miroku shook him firmly. “Only a blind man, or an idiot, would believe that, hanyou, and I am neither. You love Kagome-sama, and you do not wish her to endanger her life in battle.”

 

Inuyasha slumped in Miroku's grip. “I couldn't risk Naraku taking her away from me, too… and if my bastard brother is involved, Kagome's chances of survival just dropped to near-zero.”

 

The monk patted him awkwardly on the shoulder. “I do not agree with how you went about this, Inuyasha, but I will do my utmost to bring about Naraku's destruction…and then, perhaps, you will allow Kagome-sama to return?”

 

“If she still wants to…”

 

They were interrupted by Kaede, her one eye glinting darkly as she took in the blocked well and the red stain on Inuyasha's torso. “Come…I wish to show ye the place where I believe Naraku may have been born…it explains a great deal as to why he seeks thy life, Inuyasha. Ye may also wish to think of an explanation to offer the kitsune when he discovers that Kagome-sama will not be returning.”

 

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Present Day

 

Kagome stood at the bottom of the well, looking dazedly up at the distant roof timbers. The front of her fleece was damp with blood; smearing it across her fingers, she started, and began climbing the ladder to the top. Dropping her armour to the decking on the outside, she sat on the top edge, wondering if she ought to go back to make sure he was okay...his behaviour was so out of character for his recent persona that she wondered if he might have an infection. Well, she'd better add antibiotics to her list of meds, and get back as soon as possible.

 

Popping out of the well enclosure, she met Sota on his way out the door to school. “Mornin' sis…hey, what's that stuff all over your top?”

 

“Inuyasha was hurt fighting his brother…he keeps re-opening the wound. I need more supplies to fix him up.”

 

“Will you be here when I come home from school, Kagome?”

 

“Not sure, buddy…depends on how long it takes me to gather everything up.”

 

“Okay! If I don't see you, say hi to Inuyasha for me…”

 

Inside, she unbuckled her boots in the foyer, and headed into the kitchen, where she surprised her mother at the sink with a kiss on the cheek. “Kagome, dear! Oh, my…what happened?” Mrs. Higurashi took in the dark stain on Kagome's top with a worried expression.

 

“It's okay, mom…not my blood. Inuyasha was in a big fight with his brother Sesshomaru, and I need more bandages to patch him, because he won't hold still long enough for it to close properly.”

 

“Well, let's get you some breakfast, and then you can go see that lovely Sensei Shimano at the Academy…a parcel arrived from them, by the way. I left it in your room…”

 

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After surrendering her bloodied fleece to the washing machine and inhaling a breakfast featuring fried eggs and toast, Kagome went upstairs to change into her leathers for a trip to the Academy. The large parcel her mother mentioned was lying in the middle of her bed, the familiar chrysanthemum crest emblazoned on the wrapping. Wondering, she carefully opened it. Her fairy godfather at the Academy had waved his magic wand again.

 

It was a long, heavy, supple dark grey leather coat and matching trousers, obviously intended to be worn over her body armour in the cold months. The double-breasted coat was cut like her cadet uniform; snug at the shoulders and chest, flaring gently at the wrist and hips, secured by dark metal hardware. The close-fitting trousers were split and clipped up the sides from the hem to the knee, so she could remove her boots without having to wriggle out of the bottoms first. The sleeve seams were partially split at the shoulder, the opening lined in burgundy leather, and the chrysanthemum crest was embossed over the heart. The texture on the polished hide was interesting; Kagome tilted it against the light to examine the pattern more closely, which resembled nothing less than overlapping fish scales. It would be warm, because it was lined with velvety micro fleece, and durable to boot. She shook her head at the inventiveness of her benefactor; she wondered if she would ever find out who it was.

 

She changed into her red riding leathers, and tripped back downstairs, giving her mom a big hug. “Have a look at what was in the package, mom…I left it on my bed. I won't be long…I don't want to leave Inuyasha without fresh bandages.”

 

“I'll have lunch ready when you come back, dear. I want to hear all about your adventures so I can tell Ojii-chan when he comes back from visiting his cousin in Chiba.”

 

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