InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ This Wasn't In The Job Description ❯ Attack in the Meadow ( Chapter 22 )

Chapter 22

 

Attack in the Meadow

 

Spluttering, her hair hanging in her face in a wet tangle, Kagome broke the surface of the river. Next to her, InuYasha quickly surfaced. As she shoved her hair off her face, Kagome turned to look at InuYasha, and saw he had lost his bandana. Well, now that they were in the demon realm, she guessed that didn't matter anymore. Soon, Miroku and Sango popped up behind InuYasha, gasping and coughing as they spit out water. In trepidation Kagome started to look around.

 

“InuYasha, I lost my backpack bow and arrows,” said Kagome nervously.

 

“Looks like that fucking Kouga has escaped,” growled InuYasha. “I'll go after your stuff.”

 

As InuYasha swam off in the direction of the river's flow, the wake he caused made Kagome, Sango, and Miroku put their arms in front of their faces so they would not get splashed.

 

“Let's get out of the water, shall we?” said Sango sourly.

 

“Need any help, Sango?” said Miroku.

 

“No, I'm fine, I just want to get out of this river before I freeze,” grated Sango.

 

The three of them headed for the river bank, and pulled themselves out. Both Sango and Miroku had managed to keep their weapons, because they were strapped securely to their backs. They put them down and started to wring out their clothes. Kagome stood and looked in the direction InuYasha had taken, straining to see if she could spot the hanyou.

Just when she was debating whether they should go look for him, he came into view walking towards them with her backpack, bow and arrows. Tessaiga was still at his side.

 

“Oh, thank goodness!” said Kagome, as he put the items down.

 

Squatting down, Kagome was so intent on opening her backpack and checking the safety of its contents, she didn't notice the way InuYasha was looking at her. Her jacket was open and the t-shirt she was wearing clung to her chest, her nipples hardened by the cold river water. Try as he might, InuYasha couldn't look away. Miroku finished wringing out his clothes and looked over at them, grinning as he saw what InuYasha was looking at. The hanyou glimpsed Miroku watching him and flushed, scowling.

 

“Well, everything seems to be here,” said Kagome in satisfaction, and looked up, smiling at InuYasha. “But my towels are all soaked.”

 

Sango walked up to her, clutching her arms around herself, her teeth chattering.

 

“Can we find a warm spot in the sun to dry off?” said Sango.

 

“Might as well,” said InuYasha, reaching down to pick up Kagome's backpack and shouldering it. “Come on, let's go.”

 

“Hey, Sango,” said Miroku, coming to her side, “why don't you let me keep you warm?”

 

The agent's hand went out and caressed Sango's ass.

 

SLAP!

 

“Guess not,” said Miroku, putting his hand to the red hand-shaped mark on his face and grinning foolishly.

 

The group walked away from the river bank, and into the dense, surrounding forest. That is why they were not there when their pursuer fell out of the portal and into the river with an annoyed sound. The stalker got their bearings, and then headed for the riverbank. After hoisting themself out and shaking off the water, they headed into the forest in the general direction InuYasha and the others had taken.

 

At first, the members of the little group were even colder, because the forest was thick and the trees let in little light. Sango and Kagome started shivering, and InuYasha felt frustrated and angry at their situation. He had to find a way out of the forest, soon. The way Kagome, Sango and Miroku were looking around, he could also tell that they felt the difference between the forest of this realm versus the human realm. They may not be able to put it in words, because it was a subtle combination of sights, smells, and even energies that permeated this place that made it so different.

 

“Will we be out of the forest soon?” said Kagome to InuYasha, looking at him with big, solemn, but brave eyes.

 

InuYasha looked back at her, face pinched with concern, and made a frustrated growl.

 

“I'm trying to find a break in the trees,” said InuYasha. “Can you stand it a little longer?”

 

Her eyes downcast, Kagome shrugged.

 

“I guess,” she said softly.

 

InuYasha longed to take her in his arms and comfort her, but didn't dare. Instead, he began to move faster, clenching and unclenching his fists irritably. But Kagome, Sango and Miroku were being left behind.

 

“Wait for us!” said Miroku. “We can't keep up when you move that fast.”

 

The hanyou turned around, and looked at his friends, who he could barely see because of the foliage separating them.

 

“Over here,” said InuYasha. “I smell a meadow ahead.”

 

Impatiently, InuYasha waited for them to join him, where there was a break in the trees. When they finally got to him, they saw a sunlit meadow before them, with long grass and flowers nodding in the bright sunshine.

 

“Oh, how beautiful,” said Kagome in delight.

 

“And warm,” said Sango gratefully.

 

The two women went ahead of InuYasha and Miroku and into the meadow. They raised their faces to the warm sunlight, smiling and turning in circles.

 

“A beautiful sight, eh, InuYasha?” said Miroku, grinning.

 

“A meadow is a meadow,” said InuYasha. “Don't know what's beautiful about this one.”

 

Miroku rolled his eyes and shook his head. `Figures InuYasha would say that', Miroku thought. `He can be so dense.' It wasn't worth explaining it to him - the hanyou would either get angry, embarrassed or both.

 

“This is nice,” said Kagome, her voice tinged with uncertainty, “but we need to take these wet clothes off and dry them - and our selves - out.”

 

`Yeah, I'm still cold,” said Sango. “But how can we do that?”

 

They turned and glanced back at Miroku and Inuyasha who were watching them. The agent smiled and waved, while InuYasha stood with his arms crossed, leaning up against a tree with an inscrutable expression on his face.

 

“I see what you mean,” said Kagome ruefully, and turned back, thinking.

 

“InuYasha!” Kagome called. “We need to dry off!”

 

“So, dry off,” said InuYasha. “That's why I found this meadow.”

 

“No, we need to take off our clothes and get dry,” said Kagome. “Can you and Miroku turn around and promise to not peek?”

 

“Sure, no problem!” said Miroku, grinning.

 

InuYasha turned to look at him, one eyebrow raised in doubt.

 

“Are you sure that's safe?” said Sango nervously. “We don't know what may be around here, and frankly I don't know what is worse; the threat of youkai or peeking by the pervert.”

 

Taking a quick look back at InuYasha and Miroku, Kagome bit her lip thinking Sango may be right. There was a certain gleam to Miroku's eyes she didn't trust.

 

“Don't worry,” said InuYasha. “C'mon, let's patrol the meadow's perimeter to make sure they aren't disturbed.”

 

“But - .” Miroku made to protest, but InuYasha grabbed his upper arm and hauled him stumbling away.

 

Just to be safe, Kagome and Sango waited a few more minutes, until they were fairly sure the guys were gone. Then they put down their weapons, took off their shoes and stripped to their underwear. Flattening down some grass, they laid their clothes down to dry, and then themselves. Without the wet clothes, they were warming up a lot faster. Kagome chuckled to think that she and Sango were sunbathing together in a meadow in the demon realm. What a strange turn of events! They smiled at each other and then turned their faces back up to bask in the sun's warm rays.

 

While lying there and relaxing, Kagome thought she felt a strange vibration in the ground. As she was trying to decide if it was real or she was imagining it, it began to get stronger. When she opened her eyes and looked at Sango, it seemed the other woman had noticed it too, by the wary expression on her face.

 

“What do you think that is?” said Kagome in a hushed tone of voice.

 

“I'm not sure,” said Sango slowly. “But I don't have a good feeling about it.”

 

Suddenly, it felt like the earth was shaking directly beneath them, and they had no time to react. A huge worm youkai with stubby legs, sharp teeth and pincers came up beneath them, throwing them into the air, screaming in terror and surprise. Its mouth was open wide to eat them.

 

“Kagome!” InuYasha bellowed, breaking from the trees at a run, followed by Miroku.

 

The hanyou plucked Kagome from the air, while Miroku managed to ease Sango's fall by virtue of being directly underneath as she fell on him, flattening him on his back. After putting Kagome down safely, InuYasha drew Tessaiga to face the oncoming worm youkai. The sword immediately transformed, and Sango and Miroku gasped, having never seen this before.

 

“Stay back!” InuYasha yelled, as he faced the oncoming youkai.

 

It opened its jaws and swerved down, intending to grip InuYasha in its pincers and swallow him. The hanyou leaped high in the air, until he was directly above its head, and then brought the blade down. It cleaved the beast in two, from head to tail, and the two halves fell away, spurting blood and gore. Everyone, including InuYasha, moved away quickly as the mess that was the worm youkai came crashing down. The hanyou flipped in the air, and came down in the midst of his friends. Kagome was awestruck as she gazed up at him, her arms crossed protectively over her breasts. This was the first time she had ever seen him use his power, speed, and agility - not to mention the huge leap he made with such ease.

 

“Everyone all right?” said InuYasha, sheathing Tessaiga.

 

“Yes, I'm fine,” said Sango, trying to be strong despite the fact that she was blushing furiously while wearing only her partially dried underwear.

 

“Um, InuYasha, we lost our clothes and other belongings when the worm youkai struck,” said Kagome, blushing and looking at the ground.

 

“Uh…” said InuYasha, and started to blush himself as he looked at the half-naked women. “Here, take this.”

 

Stripping off his jacket, InuYasha put it around Kagome's shoulders, and she looked up at him and smiled gratefully. He pulled it closed around her and smiled back.

 

“Stop leering at Sango and give her your fucking jacket, Miroku!” InuYasha snapped, and Miroku looked sheepish and complied. “I'll go look for your stuff,” said InuYasha, and stalked into the remains of the meadow.

 

The silent pursuer peeked out carefully from between some trees, and watched as InuYasha left the group. Careful not to draw attention to themself, they stepped back into the forest and out of sight, moving away so InuYasha's keen senses would not pick up their scent. They circled around to stay downwind of the hanyou, but did not leave the environs of the meadow, waiting to see what InuYasha and his friends would do next.