InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Wild West and the Gang of Four Souls ❯ Mysterious Savior ( Chapter 13 )

(This is a repost for the story after some editing. Thanks so much to Aitu who got back to me so soon after I posted with mistakes I had made. You are amazing and I am really grateful for the help.)

(I rewrote this chapter many times, and I might have missed double checking a lot of places for grammar and all around flaws. I would REALLY appreciate it if you see anything that is wrong or doesn't make sense to tell me about it in a review.)

This chapter has been far too long coming and I'm sorry for that. I at least hope you like how long it is. Always remember to review at the end, I like to know people are actually reading my story.

-Eef aka Fefe

Last time-

Crack was the last sound the man ever made, as Inuyasha stepped his boot down crushing the other man's trachea. He turned around, his eyes glinting red and face full of rage until he heard a gun cock. That was when he finally realized he was completely surrounded.

-Great, just fucking great.-

- - - - - -

The sun was just setting in the town of Perdition, but the heat from the day still had a deadly and oppressive quality to it. The fading light made the world seem unreal and dreamlike. For the sheriff standing in the middle of the street, he could only wish it was a dream.

The dust was still settling around Inuyasha from his last fight, and already a knot had started to form in his stomach. It wasn't fear as much as frustration for the inevitable and the cruelness of fate. To put it frankly Inuyasha was really pissed off at the situation he found himself in.

Perdition as a whole was a town much smaller than Mercy. It had one main road with few streets intercepting it providing escape routes. All the buildings in town were of the common wooden structure of that time, which included porches on both the first and second floors, and fronts of the buildings that extended a little higher than the roof which provided good spots for sharpshooters. It was the perfect place to trap someone like a sitting duck.

Swallowing very slowly, Inuyasha started to turn his head to take in just how dead he was. As it turned out, he was standing in the center of the street with his guns ten feet away. Surrounding him were about thirty men posted on the roof tops, second story windows, and at each end of the street; every last one of them had their guns trained on him.

The gravel crunching under his boots was the only sound up and down the usually busy street in the town. Inuyasha calmly looked every man in the eye almost daring all of them to take him on.

"You reckon third times the charm, huh? Are you going to actually kill me this time?" Was Inuyasha's cocky response to what seemed to be the worst luck in the world.

What he needed was a distraction and a way to get to his guns, but even then the things weren't going to be even remotely in his favor. His shoulder was throbbing now and the arm and hand which belonged to that shoulder were dipping in and out of feeling. This meant that even if he did, by some miracle of God get to his guns, he would only be able to use one proficiently while waving the other around in hopes he would have enough feeling in the hand to find the trigger.

The men surrounding him were getting anxious; they were shuffling and chewing tobacco in a slow cud like method. They were waiting for him to move, to make a mistake that they would turn into a death warrant. No one dared to make the first move; that would leave them open to error that Inuyasha might turn against them. None of them were fools, they knew who they were dealing with, and no one made a mistake when they faced the Dog Demon Bandit and lived to speak about it.

One of the men, however, had a itchy trigger finger and when he misfired his gun Inuyasha saw the chance he had been waiting for patiently. He dove for his guns as the street filled with smoky, old fashion gun powder smoke.

- - - - - -

Miroku was at the edge of the street when he noticed men starting to take positions around the on going fight between Goshinkishi and Inuyasha. He quickly hid himself in the shadows of a near by building as a few men rolled a wagon in place blocking the end of the street. Letting out a deep breath and a prayer for protection Miroku found the closest door to him and silently slipped into what appeared to be a dress shop.

Once inside Miroku headed straight for the rear of the store to find the back way out. After thoroughly checking all the doors along the way, some of which he was immensely please by the views within mainly customers trying on dresses, Miroku made it through the back door and took off towards the stables.

As he neared the building, a rider went flying past him at such speed that all he caught was the black clothing and a covered face. The man was heading for the main road and Miroku figured it was another goon after Inuyasha. He grabbed his gun and almost fired at the rider but heard a sound behind him in the barn that distracted him long enough to loose the shot.

-There's someone else in the barn. If I capture him I'll be able to figure out what's going on.-

But as he stepped in through the barn opening, it ended up him being the one kissing dirt as he was swiftly taken out by the one he was suppose to be hunting.

- - - - - - - -

The smoke filled street was cast eerie by the last slanting rays of the sun as it worked its way down the horizon. The street was filled with shadows cast by no one and eyes were held at near useless value as the attackers squinted through the haze they created trying to find their target. It was fruitless however to depend on such an easily tricked sense, in this environment what was needed was a good ear and a quick mind; this was Inuyasha's paradise.

He crawled his way up onto a near by porch, and leaned against one of the support beams, finally allowing himself to truly breath. In the middle of the street he would still be spotted, but up against the shadows he was invisible for the time being.

Tightening his holster, he checked what supplies he had with him. Altogether it amounted to five bullets, two guns, and Tetsusaiga. It would take one hell of a plan to get Inuyasha off of death's door step.

-Does someone hate me up there?-

His first thought was to get the out of the street through the shops lining it. This fell through as soon as he realized every window and door on the street had been tightly bolted and reinforced during his original fight.

-I should have caught that happening. This whole Goddamn town knew this was a trap-

His escape root therefore was either end of the street, where men lay in hiding trying to catch him. This didn't particularly appeal to Inuyasha but with his last option being to scale the buildings with one arm; it looked like the plan he would have to take.

Any furthers thoughts were cut off as the smoke cleared enough for his attackers to launch another volley of bullets, one wising uncomfortably close to Inuyasha's ear. He needed to fight back, and with the street covered again in a haze of smoke he did. Remembering the sounds of where guns went off Inuyasha set to work to at take care of a few of his attackers.

First off were the men directly on top of the roof directly across from him. They had good accuracy and Inuyasha knew he didn't stand a chance if they got another clean shot at him. He stepped out from behind the pillar and listened carefully as me stared into the smoke shield in front of him. Just as the smoke started to clear, Inuyasha heard the unmistakable click of a safety; that's what he had been waiting for and so fired.

After dealing with four more men, Inuyasha finally resigned himself the fact that his position was continually getting worse despite his efforts. `One bullet left' started to sound like a mantra as Inuyasha repeated it in his head. It was then, just as he considering running screaming down the street to see how much God liked him that day, Inuyasha heard the hard pounding of an approaching horse.

Inuyasha crouched low against the pillar, and strained his fairly good eyes to see the horse back rider. He was of average to short height, dressed in dressed in a black dingy coat and had his face covered with a bandana. The horse was unknown, though struck a strange memory, and his riding style was the oddest thing that Inuyasha had ever seen.

The man rode straight down the street taking a few shots at the illusive hit men on the roofs, while standing in crouched position on the horse. As he passed a man that was giving him a lot of trouble, he sat down on the horse backwards and took a shot. The man must have been some type of circus performer, and he made Inuyasha nervous.

-I have way too many enemies to trust a guy whose face I can't see.-

The horse man was looping back around towards Inuyasha, who wasn't going to take any chances with this unsavory character.

Leaning back against the pillar one last time Inuyasha checked the last bullet left in his gun. Exhaling slowly Inuyasha stepped out from behind his safety, leveled his gun and pulled the trigger.

- - - - - - - - -

"Hmfrm" mumbled Miroku as he lay face down in the soft dirt of the barn.

"O, it's only you Miroku." mumbled a relieved Sango who was currently sitting on his back holding his arms pinned behind him, "You scared me to death I thought you were someone else."

Miroku quickly rolled over as soon as Sango released his hands and grabbed her hips keeping her sitting on top of him. "And just who do I have to be to have the pleasure of you pinning me down?"

Sango blushed a little, and then swiftly hit him in the head with a horse shoe. "You would have made the worst Priest in the world you little lech."

Sango get up and went to finish packing up the horses. -That man!!!! Who does he think he is?-

Miroku brushed the dirt off his clothes with as much grace as he could muster and walked over to Sango.

"I guess it's time to make our exit from this town it seems we have overstayed our welcome. Inuyasha will need our help in a minute so we need to hurry. Where's the lovely Kagome?"

Sango strapped down the last bag on Wind Tunnel and patted him on the nose. "Well we are ready to go now, and I expect to meet Kagome and Inuyasha a ways outside the town in about a half an hour. That is if we provide them with a big enough distraction that they won't be pursued."

Miroku looked puzzled for a second before recognition dawned on his face. "That was Kagome ridding out of here wasn't it." His face looked worried and nervous. Sango didn't seem to understand what type of hornet nest Kagome had just ridden into.

"I know that Kagome isn't the innocent we thought her to be earlier, but do you believe that she can actually get Inuyasha out of there? I was planning on blowing up a few buildings to provide coverage and mix everyone up a bit, while we both went in to save him; Kagome going in by alone with no back up is crazy."

Sango smirked a little, "You still don't know who or what Kagome is, do you?"

- - - - - - - -

Inuyasha's gun went off. The rider ducked just to the side of bullet avoiding it by a mere inch, almost as if he was expecting the shot.

"DAMNIT INUYASHA!!! I swear if you shoot at me again I'm going to sit you down and make you wish you were never born!!!"

-That voice, I know that voice, but it can't be. I've just been thinking about her too much, that's all. Besides, I've never seen anyone ride like that, much less someone who rarely rides.-

As the horse skidded to a halt beside Inuyasha, the rider turned to cover Inuyasha as he jumped on the horse behind the unknown rider. He might be paranoid and even a little cynical towards help, but he wasn't stupid, and he would never let a get away chance like that slip by. Grabbing on to the horse's saddle, he threw himself on behind the mystery rider, and kicked the horse into a gallop.

The horse they were riding proved not only to be remarkably fast, but also quite resistant, having no problem carrying both riders' weight. Inuyasha was impressed but didn't really have time to think because as they neared the end of the street, with many men still standing in wait there, a breeze started to clear away the protective haze.

Without the coverage that the smoke provided, they wouldn't be able to make it out of the death trap street. There were too many men to take care of with the ammo both the riders had, and the chance of a peaceful passage stood about as much of a chance as a snowball in hell.

When the were ten feet from the barricade and looking down the barrels of at least a dozen shotguns the rider in front of him crouched down against the horse and gave no hint of slowing. As Inuyasha closed his eyes and murmured one last prayer the sound of an earth shattering explosion tore threw the air.

- - - - - -

"So you think this will distract those guys back there enough to get Kagome and Inuyasha out of there?" Miroku questioned slowing his horse into trot next to Sango as they near the ranch's main entrance.

"It should. Can you think of a better way to get peoples' attention?" Sango muttered back making one quick check of her supplies.

All she needed was one carefully placed explosive to make her plan work, but if she came up against any opponents her entire plan was done for. Kagome had her good gun and her other one was in desperate need of repair. All Sango had at this point were a couple daggers and her home made version of TNT with wicks.

Sango handed Miroku a few explosives. "Remember the wicks only give you a few minutes so after you light them you better get out of there fast. Are you sure you want to do this with me? I can go by myself."

"You were always quite an explosive woman Sango but this takes it to new levels." Miroku answered with one of his winning smiles, "I would never let you have all the fun. You don't have to do everything on your own, you know. I'm going to be right there protecting and helping you."

"You don't have to baby sit me." Sango shot back at Miroku. "I'm not a helpless little girl."

"Helpless is the last thing I would ever consider you. Who said I just don't enjoy your lovely company?" Miroku said with a brilliant smile. "Now let's go make a nice distraction."

Sango watched as Miroku kicked off his horse and headed into the complex. She blushed a little despite herself, but quickly wiped any romantic thoughts from her head and followed her partner in crime.

The plan was simple. Ride in and drop enough explosives to catch the weapon storage, which Sango and Kagome had found, on fire. The difficulty wasn't going to be doing it; it was making it out of there in time so that they didn't go up with the ranch.

Sango did expect the leader of the Black Spiders to actually stay on the ranch, it was in too plain sight and far too easy access, and so hoping to catch him in the blast too didn't really cross her mind. What she wanted to do was allow her friends to escape with their lives while putting a serious dent in the Black Spiders' supplies.

Miroku and Sango split half way into the complex and took different routes to the storage building. This way if any one decided to chase them, they would be split into two groups. People following them didn't seem to be the problem however, because from what she could see the Ranch seemed practically deserted.

-It's like they knew we were coming and just left without a second thought.-

As Sango neared the building she saw Miroku who gave her a thumbs-up then grabbed a match to light his wicks. She did the same and tossed them at the storage house; her bombs weren't all that strong but they were enough to get the rest of the explosives to go up in flames.

"Well that was a little too easy." Miroku said as he rounded the corner, "Would you like to race my lady so that we can make this all a little more exciting?"

"You really want to lose don't you." Sango was off in a flash and Miroku close at her heals.

They pounded down the main road from the ranch not caring about stealth anymore, only caring that in less than a minute everything they were riding over would be up in flames.

As they jumped the gate and both headed off the path into a dried river bed an explosion rocked the air and a shudder took the ground, both racers were thrown from they're horses into a group of bushes.

- - - - - - - -

In town the explosion could be heard, and felt even by those already asleep. A strong gust of wind blew through the Perdition carrying with it ash and smoke that burned people's eyes and chafed their throats. Everyone ducked down and covered their faces protecting themselves as much as they could from the oppressing cloud that settled over the town, but even through the haze, a glowing could be seen coming from where the ranch once stood.

It was amidst this chaos, Inuyasha and his mysterious savior, road to safety out of the streets of the town and into the wilderness and peace.

They worked their way through the dry under growth eventually making it to a small path that wound its way up a hill. The path became nearly imperceptible near the end being covered by underbrush that was now dead so to the dry spell the desert was under. As they passed through the last clump of bushes, a ground dropped away before them and they stood on the edge of a west facing cliff.

The bushes had left an area free of its winding branches, and so where they currently were was a perfectly protected clearing with a view for miles across the desert. It was the perfect place to hide for the time being.

The horizon was still lightly tinted with the last rays of light as the rider stopped and slid off the horse. After looking around to see if they were followed, the man let out a deep sigh and sat down on a rock.

Inuyasha watched his savior intently for a few seconds. He knew those mannerisms, he knew that sigh. Then the rider did something surprising, he jumped up quickly, as if remembering something, and let out a piercing whistle.

Soul Stealer made his way out of some bushes not too far away, and trotted over to stand near the rider's horse.

-O hell no. That man thinks he can control my horse. There are only two people that he'll even let touch him, me and Kag…-

Inuyasha walked over to the other rider and stood in front of him.

"Who the hell do you think you are!!!" Barked Inuyasha facing the still masked rider who he already knew too well.

"I'm the one who just saved your butt that's who." Snapped back a voice who Inuyasha knew as well as his own.

Stepping back, he grabbed the clothe covering the riders face and threw it to the ground. He let lose a sound that sounded eerily like a growl as he stepped back and turned around briefly.

"KAGOME!! DAMNIT WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!?!" Inuyasha knelt down and hit the ground with his fist. "YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!!!"

Kagome was furious. She walked over to Inuyasha, crouched down and poked him hard in the chest," YOU UNGREATFUL DOG!!! If I hadn't been there you would have been killed!!!"

"Who cares, you could have been hurt. What were you thinking doing something as stupid as riding into that street alone?"

"I care," Kagome cried back, "have you ever even considered what I would go through if you died?"

"From what I saw today I think that you can get by just fine on your own." Inuyasha scoffed a little bitterly, "I don't think it really matters at all to you since I don't even know who you are."

Kagome looked as if he had just slapped her, "That's not fair Inuyasha. My life is complicated; I didn't need you to get mixed up in it too."

"Let's see I have been shot, beat up, and mobbed a number of times because I obviously am not mixed up in it now. I wonder what would happen to me if I actually had anything to do with what is going on. I don't think that's it Kagome; I think you think I'm too stupid and untrustworthy to know your big complicated life."

Kagome looked stunned and hurt by the accusation, but Inuyasha was turned away and didn't notice. "I don't want you to be worried about my problems alright. I don't want you to have to deal with them too."

Inuyasha turned around and looked Kagome. His face was a mixture of anger and pain. "What if I want to know your problems? What if I want to be a part of your life?"

Kagome stared at Inuyasha open mouthed and a little puzzled. He continued, "Ever since I met you I've tried to protect you from something you would never tell me. You know more about me than any living person, and I probably don't even know your real name. Kagome, who are you?"

Kagome looked away from Inuyasha towards horizon concentrating on the light glow as if it held the answer to his question. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. When she opened her eyes she looked at him. In a frustrated and exhausted voice she answered. "I was only trying to protect you."

Inuyasha would have laughed at that if Kagome hadn't been so serious. Some protection he had gotten being surrounded and shot at in near death situations twice in the last week. Not to mention the fact that she was trying to protect him, the feared Dog Demon bandit! The half savage most people wouldn't even stand near. More people wanted his head on a platter than Kagome had probably met in her whole life.

"Kagome I don't need protection, and look what good that has done me so far." He walked up to her and looked straight into her face, as if examining the lines on it would tell him what he needed, "I always knew you weren't who you said you were and I never asked you for the truth, but now I am, and you sure as hell better tell me the truth."

Kagome rolled her eyes at the last comment, "You know sometimes you really are nice, and then you have to go be an insensitive jerk."

Walking over to the rock she was sitting on before, Kagome and sat down. "Come on sit down, I'll tell you everything. I don't know where Sango and Miroku are, so we have some time."

Inuyasha walked over and sat down cross legged next to her. Kagome looked back at the answer giving horizon, and started her story.

"My name is Kagome Miko. I was part of the famous and amazingly wealthy Miko family that had such a stronghold on the West for many years.

"I was born in England and moved here with my mother and father to join the rest of the family when I was four or five. We were a very close family, and all lived on the family ranch about twenty miles down river from Mercy. There were only six of us; my grandfather, my mom, my father, Uncle Richard and my nearly identical cousin Kikyou. When I was ten my little brother Souta was born but there were still only six of us, because my father died shortly after from consumption. It was us six that were the heart of the Miko family.

"As soon as we moved to the West I started training along with Kikyou. My grandfather was a brilliant man but also paranoid. He never trusted body guards, and believed that any member of his family should be able to defend themselves against any attackers, so at the age of six I learned to ride, rope, fight and shoot with any gun or bow I was strong enough to hold. Many people criticized him for his methods saying that it was crazy to teach such things to girls and at such a young ages, but in the end his lunacy was what saved my brother's and mine's life.

"I heard Sango talking about the training we went through and our fighting skills the other day when you had her tell you about the Mikos, but she only got it half right. Kikyou was amazing in everything while I could never live up to her. It was the way we wanted it, she was focused and driven and I was more of a little crazy kid. I was never jealous, originally, and she didn't rub it in; we were actually near inseparable for most of our childhoods. You could say we were like a ying and yang.

"All the trouble started about a year before the ranch was attacked, when Uncle Richard was killed. You probably didn't know about it, no one did. He was going to take over the Miko family business interests within the next year because grandfather was getting to old to handle everything, but he was taken out by a sharpshooter one day while he was out riding with Kikyou. She didn't handle it well; she shut down and would walk around in a half daze. She started snapping at me that I didn't try hard enough in training and that one day I would end up just like her father. We got into a lot of fights that last year and we starting to compete in everything.

"Outside the family the problems started getting worse too. Grandfather tried to hide it from us but we all knew that he was worried and that something was going to happen. There were rumors of an insider on our ranch being a traitor, and everyone was on edge. My grandfather started taking measures to protect, or at least hide everything he found of extreme importance. Any of our wealth that was not in banks across the country was transported to caves he had turned into vaults and the Shikon-no-tama was given to Kikyou for special protection, though I never did see it."

Kagome stopped her narrative for a second. Her face was completely blank, but her eyes were heavy with pain and sorrow. Her breathing was getting faster and her hands were clinched in tight fists that were shaking a little. She had never told this to anyone, not even had she run over the events in her head.

Unlike Sango she never sought revenge, she sought peace but it was the one thing she could never have. Her past would never just leave her alone; it would always haunt her.

Inuyasha was starting to feel bad about making Kagome go through all of this. He reached out his hand and touched her shoulder but she jumped and scooted away in response.

"No, I have to do this. I need to get it all out."

Closing her eyes a brief second she started again.

"I remember very little of the night we were attacked. The heat that summer had been as oppressive as it has been recently and everything seemed to be at a boiling point that night. I couldn't sleep because of the heat, so instead I was wandering the compound trying to cool off. I remember walking back slowly to the main house and being pulled into a storage closet by Kikyou. She had been out training and so wasn't in the main building with the rest of our family. She said that we were under attack and most of the servants were already killed. We didn't know if the rest of our family had been able to make it out of the building that was now crawling with Black Spiders.

"I am not sure everything that happened after that, but we some how made it into our sleeping quarters and we split up. I went to go find Souta who had, by the will of God, fallen off his bed that night and was curled up under it. Grabbing him and a blanket I wrapped him up and carried him out since he was still too drowsy to think on his own.

"By that time, most of the building was over run by the Spiders frantically searching for something. I finally found a way out and just as I was approaching the door, the leader of the Black Spiders stood in my way. His face was one of the devil, and he started taunting me saying that there was no way out and to just hand over the Shikon-no-Tama. I turned and ran.

"After what seemed like an eternity I found an open window and climbed out. I started to wander around, trying to keep hidden from all the people still looking for Souta and me. It was then that I saw and talked to Kikyou for the last time. She said that we were the only ones left, and that I needed to get Souta to safety. I pleaded with her to come but she said she would follow later and right now her job was to slow everyone down. She handed me her necklace that she barely let anyone even look at, and told me to keep it safe for her. The last thing I remember was looking back at her as she lit a flaming arrow and aimed at the munitions storage.

"Something must have hit me in the head from the explosion, because when I awoke it was just breaking dawn and I was slumped over a grazing horse, soaking wet with Souta still in my arms. After a few days of wandering and begging food off in towns and trying to keep a low profile, we came across one of the traveling Western shows. They were making a brief stop in the West to recruit people before heading back to the East coast and Europe. I auditioned as a performer and got taken, along with Souta, with the show.

"We spent five years traveling with the show. I learned to trick ride better than almost anyone else with the show, and my shooting talent was always one of the best. We went throughout the east coast and over to Europe. It was a good life, and since I almost always wore face paint and we never stayed in one place long, it was the perfect place for Souta and me to hide.

"After five years our luck ran out however. On our tour back to the West I was given my own act that I couldn't refuse. It wasn't a big act but it was still put on some of the posters in the towns we went through, and that was how they found us again.

"Souta got attacked one night while he was walking outside after a show. I found and saved him just in time, but it was still too dangerous to stay with the show. We escaped that night and spent a few months wandering place to place. By chance we came across an older couple that had lost their son and need an extra hand with their small ranch. I made Souta stay with them but I couldn't; it put them all in too much danger.

"A few months later I wandered into Mercy where you found me and took me to the Shrine Inn. I shouldn't have stayed as long as I did in Mercy. I knew they were close on my heels, but I just couldn't leave Mercy. It was the first place I felt truly at peace and happy since my childhood. I was so stupid to let my guard down and it almost got you killed. I'm sorry."

Kagome looked at the ground. She didn't feel like seeing what might be on Inuyasha's face, she didn't want to see him looking at her as if she was a completely different person. All she wanted was to go back a few weeks when she would be sitting on the back porch with Inuyasha fighting over something completely stupid while Miroku would be speaking of some new woman he had met.

Kagome sat there dreading whatever words Inuyasha might say next. She didn't want pity and she didn't want more questions, but neither came as Inuyasha scooted over closer to Kagome. The only thing he did was put his arms around her and let her lean against his shoulder.

There they sat for a long time not thinking about anything, just relaxing and staring at the sky as stars started to slowly appear.

- - -

PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!

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To past reviewers-

FF.net-

HellKeeper, Squeekers, Mini Nicka, bakaonna, inuyasha88, "Pig" Josh, Shadow of an angel, queeney, A. Nonny Mouse, Mika, and Ana. All of you guys are amazing (especially those of you who review on almost every chapter). It's really nice to know people are actually reading my story.

Media Miner-

Thanks to Aitu, Aurora_thorn (you are right, all made up characters will have western names. it makes it easier to realize what characters are taken from Inuyasha and which ones will probably not have a big part in the story), Y(your criticism and non pushy nature is extremely helpful) , Cindyve13, and Rokage. You five write more in your reviews than any other people. Always much love to you.