InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Reward ❯ Chapter 1

Author's Note: Ok let's try this again. I tried submitting this yesterday but being the baka that I am messed it up somehow. Paragraphs kept coming out bold, and I couldn't fix it even with several edits. So I just removed it and here is the repost. Hope it's all right. Pre-reading for this was done by the great anna-neko of Rurouni Kenshin writings.

 

Standard disclaimers apply.

 

The Reward

 

By

 

Surfacer

 

 

This was the end. Kagome knew that she would either be eaten, or simply gutted and left for dead, or worse. The trees and shrubbery nearby were only a dizzying blur as they passed. She turned her head and scanned the farther off regions of the woods, from where they had come, wondering if there were any taijiya or mikos about who could save her. There was nothing except the silent of a darkening forest. She sighed. It didn't really matter. There was nothing anyone could do about it anyway. The youkai that had her now was the most fearsome creature she had ever seen, a hulking green brute with rippling muscles and two horns coming out of its head. It had no trouble snatching her up in broad daylight in front of all the townspeople, and she knew, that it was always the ones that dared show themselves out in the open that were the most powerful.

 

“Hey, I demand to know where you're taking me!”

 

It turned its beastly head down at her and smiled, showing off sharp fangs. Kagome stifled a cry. She imagined that if those fangs ever bit into her that her bones would not put up much resistance. As large as it was, it probably consumes at least one human per day. She pushed off on its arm to get as far away as possible from those fangs.

 

“We are going to my territory,” it spoke, “from now on, you will be my slave and will help me search for the shards of the Shikon no Tama.”

 

The Shikon no Tama! She should have known! Why else would it not have eaten her already unless she was of some use?

 

“You won't get anything from me! I won't help you!” she cried while struggling to get away. She flailed her arms and with her legs, kicked at the back of its knees as it continued running. Eventually seeing that its grip got no looser she resigned to beating her fists at its forearm.

 

The youkai's reptilian eyes returned to the path they were taking. They had been traveling for hours. And even though it was carrying a hostage, it did not appear tired nor did it seem concerned with anything she was doing.

 

“But you will help me, dear one. You are special.” It lifted its head and let out guttural, grisly sound that Kagome supposed was its laughter. “I've had my eye on you for a while now. And now that I have you, I don't intend on letting you go.” With the ease of a cat, it bounded over some rock outcroppings, never losing stride as its husky trunk legs carried them onward. “And I will conquer this land with the aid of the jewel. When that happens, I may even take you as my wife.”

 

Kagome gasped.

 

“You don't approve?” the beast grunted. “Being the wife of a ruler won't be bad.”

 

“I'll never marry you! And I won't help you find the shards!”

 

This time, it snarled. “If you won't help me, well, I have many methods of persuasion.”

 

“Oh my god!” Kagome wailed as she pushed with all of her might. “Let me go!”

 

As if in answer to her pleading, the youkai abruptly stopped. Given that they were going so fast the momentum caused every part of Kagome's body to lurch forward except from where the beast held her at the waste. She thought her head might pop right out of her body, but it didn't. Her hands came up to cup her face. After being carried around like a sack of potatoes for so long, and now stopping, the world seemed to spin every which way. She felt helpless, and at the same time couldn't tell which way was up or down.

 

“What do you want?” Kagome heard it growl.

 

She took her hands away and tried to focus on the monster. “Huh?”

 

It wasn't looking at her though, but instead seemed concentrated on something ahead of them. She tried to make out what he was staring at. And then she saw them, about nine or ten other youkai gathered together not far off ahead.

 

“Katar, just the youkai we were looking for,” one of them, a large ape-like monster said. “It looks like you found yourself a nice prize. You'll share her with us won't you?”

 

Just then her captor bounded up into the air. Kagome saw the earth get smaller and then, just as quickly began to get larger again as they descended back down. She was sure she would die from the impact of falling from such a height were she not being carried, but like always the landing was soft, and she was still in one piece. The youkai abruptly released its hold on her, causing her bottom to land on a tree root with a thud.

 

“Ow, you're just rude!”

 

“I'm leaving you here while I deal with them.”

 

With the back of her hand she wiped at her forehead. She stared intently at the youkai.

 

“What makes you think I won't run away?”

 

“If you try to run, I will break your legs.”

 

Startled, she was taken aback by its direct manner. She tried her best to retort with a harrumph but knew that the sound that escaped was more like a whimper. She had never been this afraid in all of her life.

 

As if feeding off of her fear, the youkai brought its grotesque head down. It growled a slow, otherworldly growl that shuddered through Kagome's breastbone; its breath swathed her with its heat.

 

“Know this, miko. Your life is now mine. Whatever you knew as your life before today is no more. As I already said, you will help me search for the shards of the Shikon no Tama.”

 

Kagome could only stare at it.

 

“Do you understand?”

 

Too frightened to form any coherent words, Kagome pushed back on her heels until her back hit the base of the tree. She brought a hand around and clutched onto it to steady herself.

 

The youkai pressed forward until he was in her face again.

 

“Do you understand?”

 

“Y-Yes.”

 

After a moment, it stood, its dark gaze now taking in the horde of youkai beyond.

 

“You stay here and watch now, miko. Watch and learn the power of this Katar as he destroys his enemies.”

 

Destroy his enemies? Kagome didn't know exactly what was going on. But she did watch. She saw her captor thump its chest once and then dart back to the others. It only took the span of a blink of any eye before he stood not five paces from them.

 

“Fast…” Kagome murmured to herself.

 

Katar made no move as he watched the other youkai hiss and snap. She thought he seemed to be calculating his adversaries. Warriors were wont to do that. Kagome took the time to do her own assessment of her would-be rescuers, taking in first the ape-like creature, who was now curiously silent and only standing off to the side. He looked strong. Kagome wondered if he was strong enough to defeat her captor. Next to him were a variety of smaller, but none less deadly-looking beasts and onis of every type of size and color. One of them looked like an ordinary man wearing a tight jumper made of yellow and black spandex. Kagome couldn't tell the difference between him and a normal human except that his head was shaped like a large wasp's.

 

Maybe I can pull for that guy, she thought. He's sort of like my… species.

 

Kagome adjusted her backpack and wiped at her brow. The seat she had on the root provided for a good view of the upcoming battle. The battle itself, she knew, was imminent. Violence was a common trait among youkai. It's a desire they couldn't repress, like how a dog would have the urge to dig a hole, if for no other reason than to know it had dug it. And today, it would seem, they will be fighting for her: their human prize. One of them will still be standing in the end, and he will be her new captor. The prospect of being a slave to any monster did not seem appealing though. She wondered if there wasn't anything she could do.

 

Kagome settled back onto the bark of the tree trunk. Silently, she decided to root for the wasp guy.

 

“So you want my slave,” Katar stated.

 

“That's right, she can see the shards of the Shikon no Tama,” one of the youkai replied. “Don't think that we don't know about her.”

 

“What makes you think you can defeat this Katar?”

 

“Don't get cocky just because you killed some of our brethren.” This time it was the ape monster who spoke. “You are far from your homeland, Katar. Tonight, we will separate your head from your body and devour your flesh.”

 

“Yeah, and we'll take the girl too!” another added.

 

Katar harrumphed. “Fools. All that I see before me are nine weakling onis.” His head lifted to look off into the trees. His piercing gaze stopped on something rested on a branch high above where they all were. “And a hanyou.”

 

“Hanyou?” Kagome whispered. Her eyes searched the area where Katar was looking. Far above the ground, maybe forty feet up and close to where the highest leaves touched the sky, she found the hanyou lounging on a branch. Her face contorted quizzically, thinking it quite odd though that his limbs dangled over the branch and that his eyes were closed, like he seemingly didn't care in the least what was going on below.

 

She started. It was him! White hair and dressed all in red, she had seen him before she was sure of it! Kagome stood and squinted, hoping to get a glimpse of the hanyou's face. It was back at the town earlier in the day when she first saw him. While admiring a necklace at a shop of curiosities, she had seen him pass by her, walking solemnly with his hands tucked inside their opposite sleeves. He appeared almost noble, yet didn't seem much more than a boy her age really. What she recalled most vividly was his fall of brilliant white hair. It was alluring and had captivated her so that she couldn't help staring. She wanted to stop him and ask if she could touch it, but he had already passed by and did not turn around. It was a chance missed.

 

But he was here now.

 

Kagome stood stoically under her tree, wondering what possibilities could result from this night. Just what did fate have planned for her? A thought surfaced itself from the rest. How could that boy be here? She saw him when she was first back at the town, right before being taken, and her captor had fled with her straightaway into the forest and never turned back.

 

Dawning realization caught her, and she let out a tired sigh. There was no way he could've been the same boy. No one from that town could have gotten all the way out here so fast. Most likely, this hanyou was just another brute who would enslave her. Her attention came back to the confrontation at hand. At least, there was still the wasp guy.

 

“Here me now!” Katar bellowed. “Whoever defeats me may have this girl for his own desires!” He made a show of looking into the eyes of each of the beasts before him, and for one of them, who had multiple sets of eyes, he lingered longer to take in each of its pupils.

 

“But know this,” he continued, “if you challenge me you will see the full fury of this Katar! I will destroy you without mercy, and send you back to the underworld from whence you have come!”

 

“Keh.”

 

“What was that?” Katar demanded. “Who dares mock me?”

 

Kagome saw the beasts all turn their grisly heads this way and that, looking for the source of the sound. She thought she heard someone utter something like KEH, whatever that meant. Something was about to happen.

 

And then one of the beasts slithered forward, a serpentine youkai with four arms and a flat, smooth head. It came just short of Katar with its arms poised for grabbing and slime dripping liberally from its fangs. Immediately, Kagome knew she did not want it to be her captor. It was a vile thing, and just outright disgusting.

 

“I'vesss had enoughsss of your blabberingssss, Katarrrr,” it hissed. “Now diesss!”

 

It leapt into the air and slashed violently. Katar took one step back, deftly avoiding the blur of claws and slime. He then bounded up with a howl and caught the creature's neck between his fangs. With a mighty pull, the youkai's head was ripped from its shoulders. Katar then slashed at the thing's body with his own claws, tearing off chunks of meat with each swing. In an instant the area became a mist of blood. In and instant, the battle was over.

 

Parts of the monster fell to the ground one by one, followed by Katar, landing on his feet with a thump. Kagome shuddered at the brutality. She then saw him bend to pick up something, and gasped when she realized it was the head of the fallen youkai. Growling, he thrust it up for all to see. Next he put it into his mouth and snapped his jaw shut. Murmurs could be heard among the other youkai as everyone watched Katar slowly chew on the dead youkai's head, the beast's powerful fangs breaking bone and flesh alike.

 

He swallowed.

 

The murmurs grew louder, along with the sense of apprehension from the other monsters as they appeared to be rethinking doing battle with the beast before them. Some took a few steps backwards, and with good reason, Kagome thought.

 

“You may be a fearsome youkai. But I will not back down,” said someone or some thing from the back. A large hand then swept through the van of monsters, brushing aside the ones in front like they were no more than origami dolls. The ones fast enough to scramble away cursed at the disrespectful youkai, while others were sent tumbling away and on top of one another. Kagome thought that whatever it was it had no regard for its comrades, that's for sure.

 

And then it emerged, an enormous creature of muscle, tendons, and dark green skin. Kagome gawked at its sheer size and thought that it must have been squatting or sitting before, for no one could've missed a beast that large. The earth shook with each step it took. After only three strides, it stood before Katar, towering over him like a father oak over a new sapling.

 

Kagome blinked. The beast looked just like Katar, except that it was nearly twice larger. Maybe they were related? She decided right then that she didn't want this thing to be her new captor either. It was just too… large. She would look awkward beside it. Her gaze instinctively sought out the wasp man. Where? Where is he? She was crestfallen when she found him cowering behind the ape youkai. Letting out an exasperated breath, she thought then that it must be the hanyou who would save her. Someone must. But, watching him lying lazily on his branch he still didn't seem at all interested in what was going on. One might even think he was asleep.

 

“Katar! You insolent fool!”

 

Katar stood his ground, calm and unmoving as he appraised the giant.

 

“I will crush you like the bug you are. You will know my power!” It swung its mammoth arm, and an explosion of earth and rock erupted where Katar stood. When the dust settled Kagome didn't see anything left of her captor.

 

What? Was he crushed?

 

“Over here,” she heard a familiar voice say. The giant spun to the voice, finding itself face to face with Katar, he having apparently run behind the monster just in time.

 

“Oh, he's alive,” Kagome whispered. Not sure if she should feel relieved, she supposed that it was both good and bad that he's not dead. She watched on as the monster took another swing, swiping at her captor's head in unbridled anger. In a flash he had bounded behind the monster again, easily avoiding another attack.

 

“You're too slow.”

 

The monster howled as it twisted around yet again, releasing punch after punch at its bothersome prey. Kagome saw it continue to catch only air as Katar simply made circles around it. She felt that its size was its downfall, and that it would surely lose this fight if swinging madly were all it could do.

 

“Stay still you little bug!” the giant roared.

 

Katar stopped and lunged at its blindside, the impact of the heavy thump causing leaves to jolt and fall. Both beasts tumbled to the ground. While grappling and grunting with effort, they rolled from one place to another, displacing rocks and knocking over the smaller trees as each tried to get an advantage. The Larger monster shrieked. Katar came to his feet while the other did not. Rested on his claw was a red blotch of flesh, dripping and flowing through his fingers with bright youkai blood. It was the giant's heart. He squeezed it until it burst.

 

Breathing heavily, he sauntered back to the others.

 

“Who's next?”

 

Immediately, three of the remaining monsters fled. The ones still standing gaped in shock as they watched their comrades take to the ground, and one, to the air as the deserters escaped from the terrifying youkai.

 

“Is it you, ape man?!” Katar demanded.

 

The ape man said nothing.

 

“Is it any of you?!” he said to the others, but finding no reply.

 

After a moment longer, and satisfied that the fight had seemed to have left his enemies, Katar turned and began to stroll back to his prize. Having taken only two steps he stopped. His nose came up and sniffed the air. The hulking shoulders slowly turned back as he gazed at something in the darkness above.

 

“Or is it you, hanyou? Are you here to challenge this Katar?”

 

The hanyou's reply was slow in coming. He had been so quiet Kagome was surprised that he was still there.

 

“Me? I'm not with this group,” he said. “And as you keep saying, I'm just a `hanyou.' I would be no match for you.”

 

“Hah,” Katar grunted. “Smart boy.”

 

Kagome clutched at her backpack. What? He wasn't going to save her? He wasn't even going to try? Her brows then set in anger as she watched her captor return, his dark frame like an ominous specter advancing to claim what is his. She took a clumsy step backwards. So he is going to be my master from now on? Will I be a slave to this creature? Watching him trudge through the bloody carcasses of the fallen youkai, destroyed by the violence he had unleashed upon them, she decided that her first assessment of him was correct: there was no other youkai as fearsome. She thought she might as well resign to being his slave from now on. At least with him, she would be well protected.

 

A movement behind Katar caught her eye. Kagome thought she saw the ape youkai discreetly signal with his hand. For just a moment, time seemed to stand still as the remaining beasts leapt towards her captor. The ape man was upon him so fast that Kagome didn't even see him running. He knocked Katar to the ground with a quick blow to the head while the others pounced. One of the monsters was carrying a halberd that slashed fiercely through the air, its blade catching the moonlight with each upswing like a twinkling star on a dark night.

 

Suddenly the halberd stopped, its welder along with two other monsters were abruptly knocked from their feet. Katar could be seen sitting on the ground, shaking his head as though shaking off a dizziness. He then got to his feet and ran off to the woods.

 

“You will not escape!” cried the ape man. He opened his jaw to release a cluster of disjoined lights; youkai magic, which soon united to form a fierce of ball of energy. Kagome could feel the dark energy fusing all about the monster before he released it into the woods where Katar had retreated, the sphere causing an explosion that lit up the night and displaying a shower of splinters and leaves.

 

“Get him! Kill him!” commanded the ape man.

 

The other monsters, to which Kagome's approval included the wasp youkai, all bounded into the woods. The ape man soon followed and suddenly the battle had moved elsewhere. Kagome stood alone in the silence. Off a ways, periodical flashes of light and the rumblings of falling trees could be heard.

 

Kagome snatched up her bag and threw her arms inside the handles. While they were busy elsewhere, it was the opportune time to make her escape. She moved off from the tree she was under and scanned the surroundings, trying to be as quiet as possible. Which way? The way they had come was dark and thick with undergrowth, and judging by the time it took Katar to get here it would take her at least five hours on foot to get back to the town. She decided on another path.

 

A rustle of leaves overhead stopped her in her tracks. The hanyou was standing on his tree limb, looking right down at her, the rays of the moonlight embracing his face with a soft glow. For a moment, whether it was fright, or some magical spell he had somehow cast upon her, or some other reason, her feet refused move. She watched the outline of his face while a breeze carried his hair around him. He was the one. He was the boy she had seen earlier in the day. She knew that now. But what was his business here? And more importantly, why was she suddenly blushing?

 

But there was no time for him - she had to escape. A sudden crash nearby knocked her from her feet. Wholly unexpected, one of the trees that outlined the clearing had felled, the longest of its branches nearly catching her across a side. Stretched across the main limb was the unmoving body of the ape youkai, his neck having been snapped and his head now hung in a sling, and Kagome knew for certain that he was dead.

 

Katar stepped out of the darkness, the master returning from a hunt. Under each of his arms was a lifeless youkai, one of them, the wasp man. He heaved them onto the field as though they weighed nothing. His nightmarish eyes found Kagome.

 

Just the sight of him had caused her to let out a cry, and her body to nearly jump from its skin. And then she was frozen in place with renewed terror. Her doom was inevitable. In the instant he caught sight of her it was as though her feeble attempt at escaping was laid out before him, as a jury would eventually dissect a criminal. It was there for him to judge. Would he kill her? Would he break her legs, like he had said he would? Kagome pushed back on her heels. Her head jerked around for a quick scan of the surroundings - still, she could make a run for it. Though she didn't think her chances of outrunning him were very good.

 

“Going somewhere?”

 

Kagome started, but her voice wouldn't work. Gahhh! She screamed inwardly. Wasn't there anything she could do? Anything to save her life? Out of the doubt that filled her mind she picked up a rock, leaving it resting in her palm. She decided that even if she died, she would go out fighting, never minding the odds of any success.

 

“What did I tell you if you tried to run?”

 

Even though it was futile, she tried her best not to let her fear show. The air was oppressively humid. Her school jumper clung to her back in wrinkled plasters. She gripped at the rock as her captor drew closer.

 

“Keh.”

 

The hanyou suddenly plopped down in front of her. He was on his haunches, with both of his palms to the ground, and his back towards her. His loose-fitting red coat situated over his position, looking like nothing else but his own personal tent, except it had the owner's head sticking out at the top. He stood.

 

“I had been hoping to see a good fight. But to tell you the truth, it's been boring.”

 

“What was that?” Katar demanded.

 

“I guess,” the hanyou said as he raised a claw, “it's my turn now.”

 

“So, you dare to challenge me? Even after what you have seen?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Katar snorted, his face having a self-satisfied smirk on it. He being calm and unmoving, Kagome didn't think he was the least bit afraid of the new adversary. More so, he probably never feared a thing in his entire life.

 

Both beasts remained silent now, and Kagome knew, that her captor was merely appraising his new opponent, like he always did before destroying them.

 

Kagome wished she had her bow and arrows with her. She wanted to help the hanyou out some how. Putting the rock into her lap, she squirmed around into a more comfortable position - running away now was pointless. Her gaze took in all the corps and carcasses of the dead youkai littered everywhere, close by and out onto the field. There had been so much killing tonight.

 

While the combatants continued to assess one another, Kagome's eyes settled on the hanyou. He seemed like a weakling, really, hardly any bigger in size than she was. If it weren't for his puppy-dog ears, and his claws that she now knew he possessed, he didn't look any different from a normal boy. She hoped that he would be careful. She hoped that if he finds he could not win, that he would run away and be safe. Her head tilted curiously. But then again, and for reasons she wasn't sure of yet, he had the same confidence about himself that Katar had.

 

“Don't get me wrong,” the hanyou said. “You're strong, and I guess you're a little bit fast.” He repositioned himself sideways and bent his knees. His other claw purposely came above his head. “But, you're not fast enough.”

 

“Hmph. You're just a hanyou.”

 

With his teeth gritted, the hanyou's eyes took on a dangerous set. Kagome could feel his aura take on a menacing change.

 

Katar struck first, lunging with a thunderous fist that caused a plume of dirt to rise from where it hit the ground. He immediately looked up as though he had fully expected to miss, finding the hanyou in mid-flight from the evasion.

 

“That won't work, boy.”

 

Katar bounded up in pursuit. He closed the distance in an instant and swung several times with his claws, each one ripping and whistling through the sky as he savagely attacked the hanyou. Kagome heard a flutter, and then the hanyou again plopped down in front of her. He seemed unscathed, and he was smiling.

 

Katar landed in the center of the clearing with a small boom.

 

“Impressive. You can dodge my Ropungatsu.”

 

“Oh? You actually named that weak thing?”

 

Katar made a face of displeasure. “You've got a little skill. Don't let it go to your head.” He joined fists to form a shimmering of light just passed his outstretched arms. The sphere of energy seemed to be absorbing all the heat from the air. It bubbled, and soon hungered to be released. The hanyou leapt to a nearby tree limb. Roaring cracks of fire and fury exploded from Katar's hands, hurling towards different regions of the woods. Each place the balls of flame hit ignited into flurries of burnt leaves and splinters. Soon everywhere, there was fire and smoke, and the forest became alit. For a while, Kagome thought the beast was just casting them aimlessly and all around. But upon further inspection she could just make out the hanyou's frame in the distance, darting from one limb to another, deftly avoiding each ball. He seemed to be everywhere at once, like there was more than one of him, dancing in the shadows.

 

When the last of the flames diffused he burst out of the darkness.

 

“Hijin Kessou!”

 

From right above Katar the hanyou released red projectiles with a swing of his claw. The knife-like blades scattered and rained down on the beast, catching him at the shoulders and side. He let out a ravenous howl and went down to a knee.

 

Coming down a good distance away, the hanyou regarded his enemy with contempt.

 

“It seems that this hanyou can do some damage too.”

 

“You bastard! I'll make you regret that!”

 

The beast charged with fangs and claws.

 

The hanyou simply waited. “It's time to end this,” he whispered. Katar approached with an arsenal of clouts, using his fangs and both of his claws to strike violently at his enemy. The beast twisted and turned, swinging his arms in weaving patterns and all around. Kagome blinked. She had lost the hanyou again. It seemed that he had disappeared into thin air, and that the beast was engaged in a vicious but solitary battle, striking at nothing, like a mad oni.

 

She squinted.

 

No. He was there. Every now and then she could see a speck of his coat, blinking into and out of sight, like a phantom. He was moving that fast! Kagome watched in awe, the battle reminding her a bit of how her captor had fought the giant, except that this time the combatants were going five times faster. The beast grunted with his effort, each strike surely a deathblow were it to land. This went on for a moment until he bellowed, “Fight me! Hanyou!”

 

“I may be just a hanyou,” Kagome heard his voice say but could not see where he was. “But the youkai blood that flows through me is very different from yours.”

 

And then he materialized, poised right behind the beast.

 

“Sankon Tessou!!!”

 

The hanyou's claws came down in one swift motion. The attack held no restraint, but by his stance and the precise way his arm swung, Kagome knew that such an exact attack was one gained from a lifetime of practice. It struck the beast just as he twisted around, oblivious to what had hit him. His body immediately disintegrated into a thousand bits of flesh and blood, and then those too dissolved into nothing.

 

Kagome stared in disbelief. Her captor had been defeated.

 

The hanyou stood resolute within the cloud of vapor that was once the youkai, his claws dripping with bright blood. In the silence, Kagome considered his savagery. Half human or not, she knew he was a youkai too, and therefore as cruel and dangerous as any of the others. All youkai are like that.

 

She thought to thank him quickly, and then be on her way.

 

“Thank you,” Kagome muttered to his back. She waited for a reply.

 

He said nothing.

 

Weird, she thought. He would talk to the other youkai, but he hadn't said a word to her all night.

 

“H-He was going to capture me. He said that I was going to be his slave and that he would kill me if I ever tried to escape.” She brought up her bag and clutched it. “So thank you, mister hanyou, for saving my life.”

 

“The name's Inuyasha,” he said. “And it's no big deal.”

 

Inuyasha. So that's his name. Kagome thought it was a nice-sounding name. She appraised him again, taking in his white hair and puppy dog ears, and briefly considered asking if she could touch them. She decided against it, this not being the time or place. She then saw his claws; they were still wet with blood. This boy was a youkai, a monster that one ought to be careful around.

 

Kagome pulled her bag straps around her arms and hoisted it onto her back. It would be best if she left now. She stepped out from under the tree and measured the darkness. From somewhere deeper in the forest came the droning of night birds. She saw three paths going in different directions, and hoping that it would lead to a town, she chose the one in the middle and proceeded to make her way.

 

“Wait,” said the hanyou.

 

“Yes?”

 

“My prize?”

 

“What?”

 

He put his hands into their opposite sleeves. With his eyes shut, he harrumphed.

 

“I won the battle. The winner of the battle gets the prize,” he stated matter-of-factly.

 

Her heart missed a beat. “What do you mean? Are you saying you're going to capture me too?”

 

He opened one eyelid and gazed down at her.

 

“Maybe.”

 

Showing her own teeth, Kagome's anger began to rise. She pointed a thin finger at him. “Now you look here! I'm a human being!” she said as she tapped her other hand to her chest. “I'm not something you can trade between youkai just because you won a fight! Why, I have a mind to -”

 

“How about just a kiss?”

 

Kagome was taken aback. “A what???”

 

“A kiss. It's what a man and a woman do sometimes, right?”

 

“B-But why? Why do you want to kiss me?” she asked while her hand instinctively went to her hair.

 

Both of his eyes were on her now. “I saw you earlier, in town. What I noticed first about you was that you looked a lot like someone I used to know.” He let his hands fall to the sides, his posture slumping slightly. “She died a long time ago.”

 

“I'm sorry,” Kagome replied earnestly. She thought something like that must have been tragic for him. But then, something nagged at her. “So you're saying I remind you of this woman?”

 

“I guess, you remind me a little of her.” He brought up a claw to scratch his nose. “But now that I have a good look at you, I think she was much prettier.”

 

Gawking, Kagome instantly formed an opinion of his attitude. “Well excuse me for not looking pretty! You are the one who wants to kiss me! And now you're saying I'm ugly???”

 

“W-Well, I didn't mean it like that.” He lifted his chin again, quite snootily, Kagome thought. “All I'm saying is that I won the fight. And I should have a prize.”

 

What's he getting at, she wondered? He had a soft face; and his hair - it was of a supple whiteness that was as unique as anything she had ever seen. She supposed he was a handsome boy. Perhaps it was her fear of not getting out of here alive, perhaps it was that she wanted to get to know him better, but she had decided.

 

“Just a kiss, right?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“All right. Then here I come.”

 

Kagome was only a stride away before hesitating. “You're not going to slash me with those claws are you?”

 

“Feh! No! What kind of youkai do you think I am?”

 

“I don't know. But from the ones I've met, they all seem pretty frightening.”

 

Just then, he closed the distance and wrapped an arm around her waist. As if she wasn't startled enough, he pulled her body to him. And then something more astounding occurred to her: he had been gentle in his forwardness. She looked up into his golden eyes and confirmed that yes, he really was just a boy. But, is he really going to kiss me? she wondered. This is just too fast! We only met today!

 

He pressed his lips to hers. Soft, was the first word that entered her mind. The air suddenly didn't seem as hot as it had been; instead, the warmth of his body mingling with the warmth of the night made her feel quite comfortable. She took in a breath and found it astounding that it wasn't the air she inhaled, but rather his own breath, something foreign that at the moment was sustaining her. She thought she could stay like this for a while. Her hand floated upwards and rested on his side. It was rapture.

 

And then it was over. Kagome felt him pull away, his arm dropping from her waste. Her eyelids fluttered open to see the hanyou turning away. His head was down, and he sagged heavily, no longer owning the confidence he had displayed up until this point. Above all else she thought he looked sad.

 

“Have I fulfilled my obligation to you?” she asked, and then immediately wondered where her tact had gone to.

 

“Feh. I've had better.”

 

“What?”

 

He inhaled deeply as he looked off into the dark woods. With his hands once again conjoined into their opposite sleeves, he said nothing, seemingly lost in a world of thought. She wondered what those thoughts were about. Surely he was not human, surely he had the strength to kill her in an instant should he ever decide, and on a whim. But her curious instinct told her that it wasn't so. This one was different. This one would never harm her.

 

“You had better get out of here,” he finally said. “The scent of all these youkai will definitely draw others to this area. See that trail over there?” His chin lifted towards the path to the right, one over from the one she was going to take. “Not far down that way is a town. You should be safe there.”

 

“But, what about you?”

 

“Me? I'm heading off too.”

 

“Where?”

 

He gave her a sideways glance.

 

“Why? Are you interested?”

 

“N-Not necessarily.”

 

“Then, goodnight.”

 

He bounded into the air. With a gusty flutter of his red coat, she saw him leap from one high branch to another, and then another, until he was gone.

 

Kagome brought her fingers up and touched her lips. My first kiss. A smile came to her. It wasn't bad. In the moment when she had first seen him in the town, it had been as though she ought to have known him. She stood momentarily, wondering just what to make of the boy. After a while she turned and headed towards the path he had pointed to.

 

The light of the moon was barely enough to see. She picked her way through the darkness, stepping around rocks and roots that stuck up from the ground. She tried to remember his name as she stepped onto the trail.

 

What was it again?

 

Oh yeah, it was…

 

Inuyasha.