InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Something to Protect - Echoes ❯ Unconscious Decisions ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter Four

*~*~Unconscious Decisions~*~*

 

 

 

Inuyasha's feet barely touched the ground as he flew through the eerily silent forest. The muscles in his legs screamed in rebellion as he pushed himself to the limit. He crashed through the dense underbrush, ignoring the painful sting of the thin branches colliding against his skin.

 

Sunlight filtered through the trees creating a distracting array of shadows and light that continued to hinder his vision. The hanyou skidded to a halt for what felt like the hundredth time. This is taking way too long.

 

The patches of darkness were what bothered him the most. An enemy could hide easily in those concealed places.

 

Watching him.

 

Stalking him.

 

Laughing at his inability to protect what was his.

 

Whoa! His? When did I start thinking of the wench as mine? He didn't even want to elaborate on that random thought. Had her constant “osuwaris” given him some kind of head injury?

 

He didn't consider himself a possessive person. You had to have possessions to be possessive, right?

 

He'd never owned anything besides the haori on his back and the sword at his side. He couldn't imagine now becoming possessive after two hundred years.

 

Inuyasha, though perplexed, didn't even pause in his search. She's my. . .my responsibility, he amended, satisfied that duty was an emotion he could handle with little effort.

 

Calming himself and his wayward emotions, the hanyou leapt into the trees for a better view. How long ago had it been since she'd yelled out for me? Seconds? Hours?

 

It felt like an eternity.

 

Kagome's desperate scream echoed in his ears.

 

It would help if he knew where in the hell it had come from in the first place. This wasn't exactly the smallest place in Musashi and the raw fear in her voice had distorted his overly keen senses. Panic had caused him to become unusually disoriented. He knew this forest from the very top of Goshinboku's majestic branches down to the roots of the ancient tress that had come long before his time.

 

The fact that he couldn't locate one glaringly out of place twenty-first century miko only caused him further frustration. Where the hell is she?

 

He recognized that the speed he was using to vault from branch to branch was dangerous, even for him. Consciously ignoring the fact that slamming into a tree at this rate would probably send him spiraling unconscious to the forest floor, he crouched and leapt again, his pace only increasing.

 

There's got to be something. Stopping at breakneck speeds was an art he should have perfected by now, but he realized he'd stopped too suddenly when he almost toppled off of the wavering branch. Silver locks flew forward, momentarily impeding his vision, as he grunted in annoyance.

 

Claws digging into the branches in apprehension, Inuyasha desperately scanned his surroundings. His amber gaze immediately locked onto the trampled underbrush beneath him.

 

He often complained of Kagome's tendency to “create a path” where there was none. Sometimes the wilderness became a little too much for the Tokyo born city girl and these little temper tantrums against nature seemed to be the result.

 

Inuyasha's eyes widened in surprised recognition, as the young miko's unique scent enveloped him. A combination he'd never encountered in the feudal era until he'd taken a disbelieving sniff of her petal soft skin.

 

Cherry blossoms and vanilla.

 

The endless amount of “girly” products that Kagome insisted upon lugging around, and her penchant for bathing every five seconds had finally paid off.

 

In that moment he promised himself that he would never complain about that irritating habit again.

 

At least he would try.

 

Keh! Okay, attempt to try.

 

Taking an exaggerated sniff of the air around him, an involuntary growl rumbled from deep in his chest. Her sweet scent was slowly being overpowered by another. He jumped to the ground with an impatient huff.

 

The stench that assaulted him caused him to step back hastily, hand covering his recently abused nose. A putrid aura caused him to narrow his eyes slightly as bits of earth crumbled beneath his feet.

 

Something had definitely been traveling underneath the ground.

 

He took another sniff to be sure. Whatever it was, it was filthy, huge, and definitely demonic.

 

Fuck.

 

The landscape went by in a blur of muddy brown and dark green as he chased after her light scent.

 

Inuyasha didn't even pause when he caught sight of a familiar pile of odorous ash. She'd fired her bow, and killed. . . something.

 

Good girl. Whatever had targeted Kagome had sensed an injured defenseless girl and attacked. Demon purifications could be excruciating for youkai, and Inuyasha didn't feel even a twinge of sympathy.

 

What worried him was the fact that the stench was not fading, but growing stronger. His excellent vision urged him to speed up as he struggled to piece together the scene forming in front of him.

 

If his eyes weren't playing tricks on him then Kagome was in the process of being attacked by the biggest damn snake he'd ever seen!

 

Inuyasha watched in horrific fascination as the reptile's tail coiled around the girl's neck and actually slipped into the opening of her mangled shirt. What the fuck?

 

If Inuyasha had been in an even semi-rational mood, which even he would admit was a rarity, he would have realized that the youkai was reaching for the Shikon shards that the miko wore around her neck.

 

But all he could see was Kagome's head hanging limply to the side. Leaves and underbrush tangled in her disheveled midnight tresses. Skin as pale as death.

 

Inuyasha felt his face heat. He didn't know if it was out of pure anger at the youkai or out of utter humiliation for Kagome. The slimy thing was all over her. The reason behind his reaction ceased to matter as he catapulted himself off of the nearest tree in an angry streak of red and silver.

 

His clawed hands curled around Tetsusaiga's throbbing hilt as he brandished it with a blinding flash.

 

It wasn't until he was bringing the legendary sword down in a lethal arc that he realized that the snake had wrapped itself around Kagome and a nearby tree. Providing itself with a massive anchor.

 

It wouldn't save him from death, but it was sufficient enough to hold Kagome in the path of the blast long enough that she also would not survive.

 

With the weight of the heavy sword already descending Inuyasha had no choice but to do the unthinkable.

 

He released Tetsusaiga.

 

The unguided sword clattered to the dirt with a resounding clang, that immediately alerted the youkai to the hanyou's presence.

 

Which was just fine with Inuyasha.

 

Haven't used my claws in a long time anyways.

 

The burning yellow acid that flew past missed his face by mere inches.

 

Eyes rolling in annoyance, Inuyasha dove to the side with a growl. An unmistakable message to the youkai to release his hostage.

 

Ignoring the fiery tempered boy it curled its tail around the cord that held the shards secure around Kagome's neck. It snapped the cord with a vicious yank, and a disgusted glance at Inuyasha. “Worthless hanyou!”

 

Inuyasha glanced at the steamy glob that lay a few feet away, considering hurling the muck back into the youkai's face. The corrosive substance was currently eating through a clump of unfortunate bushes it had landed on.

 

Poison youkai, Inuyasha thought with a sigh. That's just great.

 

His hate for poison youkai had begun at an early age and had festered for years.

 

An unwanted image of Sesshoumaru's arrogant smirk quickly came to mind. Worthless, huh? Well, we'll see about that!

 

Ignoring the irritating memory, Inuyasha flexed his claws and lunged at his enemy with renewed determination.

 

Fully expecting to dodge another wad of acidic saliva he leapt to the side when the youkai flinched.

 

It never occurred to him that it would hurl an unconscious Kagome at him.

 

Well, where I would have been standing if my damn dog reflexes hadn't sensed an attack and insisted that I dodge.

 

“Fuck!” Inuyasha dragged a clawed hand into the ground struggling to reverse his direction as quickly as possible. Launching himself full speed through the air at Kagome, he chose to ignore the fact that the youkai obviously intended to take complete advantage of his apparent inattention.

 

Inuyasha caught Kagome a moment before her abused body would have collided with the unyielding ground. Inuyasha used what was left of his momentum to crouch and leap clear of the acid that the youkai hurled at him.

 

Shielding Kagome from the brunt of the attack, he released a hostile growl in the direction of the snake. The ferocity of it surprised even him, as crimson soon leaked into his vision. What the hell?

 

Inuyasha had never kept his own conscious mind when his demon half chose to assert itself. And he rarely, if ever, had memory of the times he did vaguely recall. But right now he could literally feel his youkai surging. Moving like a drug throughout his limbs. Bathing him. Strengthening him. His deadly claws tightened around the fragile woman in his arms.

 

Damning him.

 

His furious eyes completed the transformation to blood red momentarily, but Kagome's soft breathing against his chest stilled his movement. Her tiny inhalations filled his ears and soon he found himself matching their tempo. It was only then he managed to reign in the unsuspecting urge to rip apart anything that moved, and the red miraculously faded as quickly as it had appeared.

 

The hanyou reached out for his discarded sword, grasped the comforting blade, and re-sheathed it quickly. His fury grew as he watched the frightened youkai slither into the trees, the cord attached to the jar of Shikon shards clamped securely between its fangs.

 

Every instinct screamed at him to race after the annoying creature, and wipe that smug look from his face with Tetsusaiga.

 

Then why aren't I moving?

 

Kagome's shallow breathing answered his own question.

 

He couldn't risk going after the youkai with Kagome in tow. What if she's seriously injured? Leaving her here alone was not an option. She was helpless and half dressed.

 

More so than usual.

 

Inuyasha struggled and failed to suppress the unwelcome blush that appeared on his cheeks. The youkai's rough handling had ripped the girl's shirt nearly in two. He berated himself for looking, but couldn't help a momentary glance at the exposed creamy skin.

 

As many times as the miko had accidentally shown herself to him, he'd never looked. Really looked. His eyes were glued to her delicate frame and the swift gaze he trailed over her was unexpectedly heated. What the hell am I doing?

 

If she ever found out I did this. . .

 

Inuyasha winced as he imagined the “Osuwari!” that would follow.

 

Removing his fire rat haori, Inuyasha quickly bundled Kagome safe within its folds.

 

She looks so fragile. His fingers moved of their own accord and removed one of the many leaves entangled in her hair. Inuyasha jerked in surprise as confused slate blue eyes met his concerned amber gaze.

 

“You're okay now,” Inuyasha grumbled, voice gruffer than he intended.

 

She didn't seem to mind though as a ghost of a smile played across her lips and she allowed her eyes to close with a sigh of relief. Inuyasha stood slowly, ignoring the emotion raging inside him. He gathered Kagome in his arms with a small sigh of his own, and walked away from the Shikon shards for the second time.

 

 

 

 

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

 

 

 

Alone.

 

I'm all alone. There's no one left.

 

No one left that matters anyway.

 

The small girl fell to her badly bruised knees in exhaustion. The tall grass shielded the girl from the imminent death that pursued her.

 

The tears that she had grown so accustomed to shedding just wouldn't come. Do I have no tears left?

 

Had she used them all up when she realized that there would only be one other person in the world who loved her? Who would even tolerate my existence.

 

Had she cried them all when she was bartered away like an unwanted possession?

 

Or was it when she realized that even family was not obligated to feel anything towards her?

 

It must have been when she'd finally lost the only person she'd ever mattered to.

 

By the time her village had erupted in blazing fire and choking smoke she'd not had a tear left to spare.

 

Especially for them.

 

She was on her own now. A hopelessly dangerous place to be. She had been trying to take care of herself, but already she was in way over her head.

 

Her initial courage was fleeting and had lasted but a moment. Deep down she knew the damning truth. I can't do this alone.

 

Alone. The choking despair washed over her again, and she was surprised to feel wet drops on her copper skin.

 

Perhaps, she had a few tears left.

 

I will not be alone!

 

An image flickered through her grief wracked mind.

 

A red garbed protector with fire in his golden eyes and a ready retort on his mocking lips.

 

And his hair.

 

Flowing white hair that eerily reminded her of her own.

 

Would he even help me?

 

The rapidly approaching footsteps made her decision for her. She quickly shoved herself achingly to her feet, her battered body plunging through the thick grass as the footsteps of her pursuer faded away.

 

She headed west blindly. Towards the one who was so much like herself.

 

The one who could not harm me.

 

The one who had just put newfound determination into her tear filled lavender eyes.

 

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

 

 

 

Author's Note

Hope I gave a little more depth and feeling to how Inuyasha was feeling during this scene. It was bugging me a bit, but hopefully I got the kinks out of it.

 

Special thanks to Mmoirai and Inufan625, the Dynamic Duo of Betas!

Keep the feedback coming! Thanks so much to those who have reviewed! It means sooo much to me! It motivates me to keep writing. Thanks again!

 

 

* * * Blanket Disclaimer: Inuyasha's mine? Keh! I wish! I'm just borrowing 'em * * *

 

 

 

What the heck do these words mean:

 

Youki- Demonic Aura

Kami- God