InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Phoenix Blade: Time Lapse ❯ Coral Reef ( Chapter 22 )

Disclaimer: I don't own anything… Just borrowing!

 

A/N: These chapters seem to be getting longer to write…must be putting too much fluff in `em…

 

The Phoenix Blade: Time Lapse

Chapter Twenty-Two: Coral Reef

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Sengoku Jidai

 

Inuyasha had been sitting up on the roof of Kaede's hut, sniffing intently every few moments for the last couple of hours. Kagome had been gone five days, during which she'd had the splint removed and been pronounced fully operational again. He had gone through the well last night and ended up hanging out with Okaa-san and Sota because his girl's presence was required at the Palace.

 

She came back with that splint thing removed…how's your score, hot stuff?

You'd know if I scored anything…

Along with the rest of the immediate vicinity.

Keh! She's too worried that the dead bitch will be listening in…Kikyo reeked like a graveyard, and her lips were cold…

Okay, didn't need to know that…

You know, Kagome smells even better when I nibble on her …

Thank you… too much information… It sounds like the river will be seeing us fairly frequently…

 

Inuyasha bounded up the stairs and headed into the forest, towards the well, where his nose told him that Kagome awaited, as well as several bags of supplies. She'd asked him to come back earlier that day, saying she wanted to spend some quiet time with her mother. He suspected she also wanted to nap some more, since he'd kept her up with a bit of exploratory activity after she came home from the Palace. It may not have ended the way he'd hoped, but his scent was all over her, so that there wouldn't be any confusion in anybody's mind that she was his.

 

Couldn't do anything about her mind, though…

 

It had been a beautiful orange harvest moon the previous night, and she had been at the palace for the Moon Viewing Festival. She'd come back very late, and very tired, but at least he didn't smell that Yashita anywhere on her. A tiny corner of his mind had been niggling at him since Shippo's comment in the hut, before Kagome found her way back to him. Once she'd peeled off all the layers of silk, leather and lacquered metal (with his willing assistance) and changed into those thin sleeping clothes, he'd curled himself around her, cupping her hips into his, his lips on the nape of her neck, and his hands…well, his hands couldn't help wandering over the soft fabric of her pyjamas and investigating under it. Naked would have been much better, but then things would definitely get out of hand. He grinned ferally. Miroku would be very interested in this medicine called `birth control'…too bad for the houshi only Kagome had access to it.

 

He loved the feel of her firm muscles sliding under her silken skin; he doubted any other woman felt quite like she did, as very few were firing arrows, tossing spears and swinging swords while dodging youkai attacks. He also really liked those soft, lovely mounds that were so delightful to cup and stroke, just to get her moaning softly and squirming her firm behind backwards into his crotch, while her delicious arousal scent filled the room.

 

Things were going very well, when suddenly, she'd frozen just as he was sliding his fingers under the waistband of her pants, and curled herself into a ball away from him. Cursing mentally, he knew what she was worried about, so complied and retreated to the foot of the bed. It was probably going to drive him slowly crazy, but it would be worth the wait…

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Kagome swung herself over the lip of the well, and nearly landed on a previously-tossed case of rations. She dusted herself off, and tugged the leather tunic straight, throwing her braid back over her shoulder, and cursing when it caught in the quiver. This new hairstyle was going to take some getting used to.

 

Dog-boy isn't going to like it.

Hard nuts.

He had those last night…you can't keep doing that to him.

You think I wanted to shut that down?

What if next time he doesn't stop when you ask him?

I'll remind him that we're pretty much on pay-per-view…

How are you going to deal with this?

Lots of cold baths…When I could have had it, I was too scared, and now that I can…I'm too grossed out! I must have done something in a past life…

Ahem…

Oh, fuck off. If I ever pin Inuyasha up against a tree, it'll be because I'm groping him…

 

The realization of exactly what Kikyo's words meant for her possible sex life didn't hit her until the evening of the day she came home without her splint. She was curled up in bed, twiddling the hair bracelet, dreaming about Inuyasha…her thoughts took a turn for the steamy…and then a little mocking laugh echoed inside her head, making her sit up and look around wildly. Of course, she imagined it…didn't she?

 

Inuyasha just didn't get it…his attitude was that they should give Kikyo something to think about, just to show that they weren't intimidated; the very thought made Kagome shudder. It was a little too close to a twisted form of necrophilia… She tried to relax last night, honestly, but like a cold bucket of water, Kikyo's smirking face floated into her vision and nearly made her dive off the bed in a panic.

 

The big, tough Celestial Bodyguard, more afraid of peeping mikos in her head than Naraku.

 

Inuyasha's youkai prickled her senses, and she straightened, shoulders back, chin up, but her fingertips unconsciously fiddled with the hem of her tunic as she turned in his direction and smiled bravely. The hanyou entered the meadow, and stopped dead, staring at her, his dark eyebrows disappearing up under his bangs, and his ears perking, then flattening like an angry cat.

 

Kagome was encased throat to ankle in gleaming polished dark grey leather. The irregular pattern of scale-like curves covering it, and the silhouette of the tunic tickled something at the back of his mind, but he couldn't quite place it, in his shock that not an inch of finely muscled body was visible. The scuffed-toe black combat boots were familiar, the colourful obi with the cranky sword was the same, and the bow and quiver were visible over her shoulder. Gaping, he suddenly realized that her long, waist-length glossy black hair was missing.

 

It smells like my Kagome…but it sure as hell doesn't look like her.

 

“Oi, Kagome! What have you done, wench?” Her eyes widened in surprise when he grabbed her shoulders, and turned her around. He sighed in relief when he saw her hair uncut, only caught back in a thick braid that bounced off her buttocks. He gave it a gentle tug, and pulled it over her shoulder, twitching the tail in front of her nose. “What's with this? I like your hair loose.”

 

She shuffled her feet a bit, biting her lip, not meeting his eye. “It's more practical, Inuyasha…I thought it would also be better on the battlefield, if my hair wasn't flying everywhere.”

 

He might not be the brightest hanyou in the Sengoku Jidai, but realization thumped him upside the head. “You're hiding yourself from me, Kagome.”

 

Her grey eyes became the same dark shade as the leather; she looked at him for a long moment, and swallowed. Her voice was hoarse. “I look in the mirror and she's looking back, and when we're together, she's there too. She said…”

 

“Keh! I don't believe a word of it, Kagome. You said that you couldn't feel it when she kissed me…why would the connection only work one way? I think its bullshit, and she's only trying to mess with you. Remember I told you that she'll screw us up if you let her inside your head?”

 

Kagome's voice was very quiet; if he hadn't demonic hearing, he would have missed it. “Naraku said she chose to follow you in death…”

 

“Her choice, not mine…now you're starting to believe Naraku? Give your head a shake, wench...”

 

The girl nodded, and stepped into him, wrapping her arms around his torso, burying her face in his shoulder. Snugging her tight, he surreptitiously worked the thong securing the end of the braid out of its knot, and then discreetly loosened her hair with his claws. Damn, the collar of the jacket came up so high, he couldn't even nuzzle her neck to distract her, so he ran the tip of his tongue lightly around the shell of her dainty ear instead. This new hairstyle might not be so bad…He wondered what she was wearing under the tunic…and felt a cold hand squeeze his guts when he realized that he might not find out for a really long time.

 

Kagome released him, and then stooped to pick up the saddle bags. Her hair streamed loose over her shoulders; she popped back up, slightly annoyed. He smirked, and poked the leather thong down the neck of her tunic, then slung the saddlebags over his shoulder. They carried the remaining supplies back through the forest and down to Kaede's hut. Inuyasha hung back a couple of paces. The leather trousers were cut very close, and certainly emphasized her womanly curves, so maybe there was something good about this latest addition to her wardrobe after all.

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

The weather was crisp and clear for late October. The trees had lost most of their leaves, littering the forest floor with a colourful rustling carpet. There was a bite in the air that promised nights around the fire, hot stews and a slowing in the hunt for Naraku and the shards of the Sacred Jewel. The village was now fortified by strategically-placed Miroku-and-Kaede-approved sutras against any winter-spawned demons that may come looking for the shards Kagome carried in the pouch of her armour. Of course, Inuyasha was loudly hoping that a few would test the defences every week, so that he wouldn't get too bored. He was also hoping that he could talk Kagome into relieving the boredom a few other ways…if he could ever get her alone, that is, and without a weapon or two to hand.

 

Arashi snorted, sending steaming clouds of vapour into the air. They were going out on a long patrol in a wide arc from the village, one of the last they would do before the weather closed in. The jingles on Miroku's staff sounded louder than usual as he paced alongside the mare, ostensibly meditating, but in reality he was getting as good an eyeful as he could of Kagome's backside.

 

Kagome had discovered that she'd been given the gift of camouflage with the battledress. Between Arashi's dapple-grey hide, and the odd, scale-like indents on the surface of the grey leather, she could fade into the undergrowth quite nicely. Of course, any demon would be able to smell her, but for humans, it worked just fine.

 

“Hey, Ship-dip! Want to help me with my archery?”

 

“Sure, Kagome…what do I have to do?”

 

“Tie this around your waist… and run like hell!”

 

The hanyou and the houshi were soon snorting with helpless laughter as Shippo, with Kagome's bright obi streaming behind him as the target, did his best to out-deke the girl's aim. He really got into the spirit of the assignment, zipping up and down trees, diving across branches, and generally being a snickering blur. At one point he dove between Inuyasha's legs, and the hanyou froze at Kagome's smirk as she aimed a bolt directly at his crotch, holding it for a heartbeat before swinging the tip away. “Target acquired…too small…”

 

“Keh!”

 

Miroku doubled over laughing, and couldn't dodge the hanyou's swipe that put him into a prickle bush.

 

Shippo blew past like greased lightning… but not so fast that he didn't have any breath left for insults.

 

“Nyaah! Nyaah! You shoot like a girl!”

 

“So I've been told…” With a series of loud thwacks, the kitsune found a bolt in his path, one in his escape route, and then was swinging upside down, giggling, against a tree trunk, as the fluttering tails were pinned securely by a sharp hunting bolt. Inuyasha yanked it out of the bark, and handed the whole chortling bundle back to Kagome. She untied the kit, and gave him a sweet out of her saddlebag and a kiss between the ears. “Thanks a lot, Shippo. You were really tough to hit…but don't go anywhere near Inuyasha again, okay? I really prefer his voice in the range it already has…”

 

The kit smirked and stuck his tongue out at the hanyou. “Dog-breath needs to acquire a bigger target, first…”

 

Swatting Shippo and tossing him back to Miroku with one hand, Kagome was in the process of turning in the saddle to take the other two bolts from Inuyasha, when the combined demonic aura hammered her, nearly toppling her off Arashi. The hanyou steadied her, and she pointed upwards, gasping.

 

The huge, roiling demonic host jabbered and screeched, squealed and screamed as it streamed overhead in the pale sunlight. Kagome felt weak from the combined dark power…just like what Naraku felt like, only more so.

 

“They're all juiced up with blood lust…there's gonna be a hot time somewhere tonight…any Jewel shards, Kagome?”

 

“None…but we have to help, Inuyasha! People are going to die tonight if we don't stop those demons!”

 

He growled lightly and rolled his eyes. “Here we go again…”

 

“I agree with Kagome-sama…innocent souls will be sacrificed, and we must help.” Shippo was the only one who agreed with Inuyasha, but he kept his mouth shut, wrapped his arms around Kagome's neck and tucked in tight to her. The girl thudded her heels into Arashi's sleek sides, and the mare surged forward into a canter, following the red haori into the forest.

 

The demons had left an obvious miasmic vapour trail that allowed both Kagome and Inuyasha to track them easily. They went at a full run, Arashi keeping pace with the hanyou, until Shippo noticed that Miroku was falling behind. Kagome was surprised at the monk's speed in the beginning, but realized that he wasn't a hanyou or a horse.

 

“Inuyasha! Wait up…Miroku's tiring.”

 

The hanyou returned as the monk puffed up to them, and stood, his ears twitching, his face grim. Then, without warning, he caught Kagome's wrist and yanked the startled girl off Arashi. Kagome, spluttering, hauled off and punched him in the chest, more in reaction than anything. Casually blocking the next blow, he turned his head to address Miroku. “I know you can ride, houshi, so you and the runt…” he dislodged Shippo from his perch on Kagome's shoulder and tossed him to the surprised monk “…can bring Arashi. Kagome rides with me.”

 

Without further ado, he bent, twisted and swung the irate girl onto his back, gripping her thighs firmly, but waiting, bent slightly, until she righted herself. “You…” Kagome hissed through her teeth, and pounded his shoulder. He jerked forward, and she would have ended up in a very awkward position except she dug her fingers into his fire-rat, and used it for leverage to scrabble upright.

 

“Comfy?”

 

“All you had to do was ask, dog-boy…not make a bloody production out of it….”

 

“Keh! You wouldn't have gripped your legs so tightly around my hips if I'd asked nicely…”

 

“I swear, you're turning into a hentai…” She scooped her arm under his mass of hair, and turned it over, twisting it away until she could pull it out from between their bodies and drape it back over herself. She wriggled a bit, until she had wrapped herself snugly against his back and around his shoulders, and he was very, very aware of how close she was, even through the leather and fire-rat. Kagome smiled archly, a cheeky glint in her eye. “Comfy?”

 

“Now who's the hentai?... As long as I don't face-plant, I'll be okay…Miroku? You got things under control there?”

 

“Arashi-sama does not seem to mind my presence, so I suppose we are ready.”

 

Kagome was giggling at the dubious tone in Miroku's voice when she felt Inuyasha's muscles tensing like a coiled bowstring, and then they were gone. With Arashi's hoof beats drumming steadily along behind them, they led the way through the forest. Kagome murmured directional changes to him to keep them on track, but didn't really need to, as the demonic horde had left a signature trace that was a mile wide.

 

They halted at the foot of a cliff, looking upward at a wooden stockade far above their heads. There was an access path hair-pinning its way up the cliff face. Kagome noticed that the watchtowers were empty, and the cantilevered main gate was standing askew. “This really looks bad, Inuyasha…”

 

“It's too quiet…we're too late.”

 

Miroku, Shippo and Arashi caught up; the monk concurred with their conclusion, and dismounted to better lead the mare up the narrow path. Inuyasha preceded Kagome, his ears twitching as he tried to detect any sign of battle or life from the fortress. Just outside the gate, Kagome grabbed a javelin from the case hung on Arashi's saddle, and drew her katana. Inuyasha cocked his head at her, then took the spear from her hand and shoved it back in the case. “You're better with the sword and the bow, so don't complicate your stance with that thing…come on.”

 

Inside the gate, Kagome recoiled instantly from the scene of massacre laid before them, fighting the instinctive response to flee. Shippo squeaked, and turned green, scuttling outside to `check on Arashi'. The scent of blood, heavy and coppery, hung on the air. When Kagome smeared the tears from her eyes, she realized that it wasn't all human blood…the place was awash in demon ichor as well. Demonic carcasses were hung from the cross-bracing of the watchtowers with spears spattering their brains, were pinned up against the stockade with arrows, were blown to pieces by crude firearms.

 

The human devastation was heart-wrenching. Men and women of all ages, children in family groups, all lay slaughtered where they stood. Miroku began intoning prayers for the dead as he moved among the bodies. Kagome sagged against the gatepost, screwing her eyes shut, beginning to gasp from the shock. Suddenly, her face was against warm fire-rat, and a long-fingered, strong hand was gently stroking her back.

 

“First time you've seen something like this, isn't it?”

 

She nodded, trying to control her breathing and stomach, while absorbing as much strength from the hanyou's calm presence that she could. Some kind of soldier she was, having this reaction to a real battlefield…she just couldn't stomach the deaths of children. Some were mere babies… Kagome wrenched herself away, dove back through the open gate, and emptied her stomach into the bushes. After a few rounds of the dry heaves, she sat back with shaking hands and blurred vision. Shippo crept over to her with a canteen in his hands; she gratefully took a mouthful, swished it around and spat into the bush. She wrapped her arms around the kitsune, and leaned her head against his.

 

“Well, Shippo, what a pair we are, huh? I'm supposed to be the official tough bitch around here, and the first sight of that, and I'm gone…”

 

“You wouldn't be the person you are if you didn't have that reaction, koishii.” The hanyou's low voice carried from where he lounged against the gatepost, obviously waiting for her to settle down. Kagome shoved herself upright, and staggered a bit, before picking up Shippo and putting him on her shoulder. She took another mouthful of water and swallowed, before returning the canteen to the saddlebag. Shippo hopped over onto the mare's saddle.

 

“I'll stay out here for a while and keep Arashi company…” Kagome ruffled his hair and nodded, before taking a deep breath, straightening her tunic and turning to march purposefully up to Inuyasha.

 

“Let's do this…”

 

“They accounted well for themselves…I don't think a demon in that horde escaped alive. Come on, we'll start digging, Miroku can do his thing, and we'll leave them to rest in peace.” Inuyasha kept an arm around Kagome as they picked their way across the village, and began looking in huts and sheds for shovels and picks. Finding what they were looking for, they selected an area that was relatively clear of destruction, and after marking out a large pit area, they began to dig in silence. Kagome remembered what seemed like days of fatigues while out on manoeuvres, digging trenches, and tried to disappear into the useful movements of cutting the earth and shovelling it to the side so she wouldn't think too closely of the reason why she was doing it in the first place.

 

Miroku finished his lengthy prayer, and fetched Shippo and Arashi, leading the mare to an undamaged stable and giving the kitsune the task of rubbing her down and making her comfortable. He then joined the girl and the hanyou at their grim task. When the first pit was complete, and deep enough, the job of moving the bodies began. Inuyasha carried them by himself; Miroku found a wheelbarrow and had Kagome search the huts for fabric to cover the dead before burial. They tried to put family groups together, if at all possible to determine them. Shippo finally came out of the stable, and Miroku suggested that Kagome join him in locating a hut where they could light a fire and have something to eat later; they were only too happy to comply.

 

They ran out of daylight with only about a quarter of the human remains taken care of. While Miroku covered the unburied dead with the blankets, kimonos and other bits and pieces of brutally-ended lives that Kagome had gathered, Inuyasha built a bonfire out of wood from damaged huts, and proceeded to burn the demonic remains. By mutual agreement, they made sure that neither Kagome nor Shippo were in the vicinity as they carefully sifted out the pieces of human flesh and added them to the common grave.

 

It was late when they were done; Inuyasha jammed the gate closed, and went on a perimeter check of the stockade, just to make sure they hadn't missed anything or anyone. Shippo was sloshing back from a well with canvas buckets full of water; he gave the kit a hand taking them inside to a very quiet Kagome, then went to check on Arashi. The manger was full of hay, and Shippo had already watered her. The mare nickered, and rubbed her muzzle against his sleeve; he stood quietly, stroking her neck, and calming himself before he went back to Kagome.

 

Miroku was standing before the grave mound, murmuring, his hands gesturing eloquently. The hanyou stood back, and looked up at the twilight sky.

 

Why this village?

Didn't you recognize the armour that some of the men were wearing?

Not really…

Think hard, hanyou. You've seen it before.

Keh! Hey…What's that…?

 

“Miroku! Incoming!” Whipping out one of Kagome's useful words as well as Tetsusaiga, he spun to face a large cat-like youkai that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Flames licked around its paws, and enormous fangs glinted. It threw its massive head back, and roared to the sky, before fixing the hanyou in its red-eyed sights and beginning to slink forward. Inuyasha gathered himself for a spring, to bring himself over top of the youkai, when a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

 

“Stop, Kirara! It's Inuyasha-sama…thank goodness!” He started, paused, and then a sharp jab on his cheek had him slapping the offended surface. Miroku, keeping one eye on the ear-flattened and fangy cat demon, came over to prod the flea-demon flattened on Inuyasha's palm.

 

“Who's this?”

 

“A free-loading retainer belonging to my family…”

 

“You have retainers? Why did he call you Inuyasha-sama?”

 

“Ask Kagome, if you want the full story. And don't you start with the `sama' shit, either, houshi.”

 

Kagome tumbled out of the hut, sword drawn. The red and green coils slid down the blade as she ran towards Inuyasha and Miroku, putting herself between the fiery sabre-tooth cat and the men.

 

“Kagome-sama! How utterly delightful to see you again!”

 

The girl stopped in her tracks, and rotating on the balls of her feet, stared at the flea-demon. “Hullo, Myoga-san…if you're here, it can't be too dangerous…Yikes!” The giant cat suddenly transformed into a dainty wee cream-and-black kitten with huge red eyes. Kagome was too startled to react when the tiny creature, meowing happily, began twining around her ankles like a long-lost friend, and then jumped lightly to her shoulder-guard, rubbing her muzzle along the girl's jaw line. “Ummm, Myoga-san…what is this?”

 

“That is Kirara, a neko-youkai. She belongs to Sango-sama, the most skilled and most beautiful demon-slayer of this village.”

 

“Demon slayers? That's the armour they were wearing…”

 

Myoga cocked an eye at Inuyasha. “Yes, my lord…I believe you encountered some from another village when you were much younger, correct?” He received a curt nod in response.

 

The kitten had made herself at home on Kagome's shoulder and was purring loudly. Kagome shrugged awkwardly. “There's hot water to wash with, and Shippo's made tea…”

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

“What have you been up to, Myoga-san? Haven't seen you since Inuyasha defeated Sesshomaru for the Tetsusaiga.” Kagome looked up from where she was feeding Kirara small pieces of canned fish, the kitten daintily accepting the morsels, licking her fingertips clean while purring noisily.

 

“I decided to research the birth of the Shikon Jewel, Kagome-sama…by the way, that's rather interesting leather armour you are now wearing…”

 

“Thanks…its my fall/winter look. What have you learned about the Jewel?”

 

“I arrived only shortly before the attack, so all I've learned is that the Jewel originated in this village, and that it has something to do with the story of the priestess Midoriko, who battled demons some centuries ago.”

 

Miroku looked thoughtful. “This cannot be a coincidence…that the Jewel first appeared here, in a demon slayer's village…”

 

“The best slayers were away at the castle of the local lord when the demons struck. The defences were a little thin…”

 

Kagome and Miroku exchanged an old look. “Also too much of a coincidence. Smells like a set-up…what do you think, houshi-doushi?”

 

“I am completely in agreement with you, Kagome-sama. Myoga-san, how long ago did the slayers leave?”

 

“Two days, as I recall.”

 

“Keh! I feel another sideshow coming on…”

 

Kagome glared at the hanyou. “People died here…their kin have a right to know…or would you rather meet a bunch of professional demon slayers at their own front gate and give them the news?”

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Kagome tossed and turned restlessly in her bedroll. The gory images of the slaughtered village, and the contents of the fresh graves just outside the thin walls of the hut, combined to chase away any hope of sleep. She was startled by a cool hand on her cheek, and a glowing pair of golden eyes.

 

“Come here, wench…you won't sleep otherwise.” Inuyasha lifted her, bedroll and all, into his lap and tucked her head under his chin. Kissing the crown of her head, he proceeded to purr softly. Kagome slid her hand inside his linen shirt; just the feel of his warm skin, his strong reality, helped calm her nerves. She listened to the comforting rumble, and was sound asleep in minutes.

 

Myoga appeared on Kagome's knee, eyeing the sleeping girl before turning his attention to Inuyasha. “Kagome-sama is as lovely as ever…tell me, Inuyasha-sama, how did she come by her leather armour?”

 

“Brought it back from her time…I hate it.” Inuyasha grunted, thinking about how it covered everything that he was interested in. He wasn't prepared for the flea's next comment.

 

“Brings back memories, I suspect.”

 

“Keh! What the hell are you talking about?” The hanyou's tone of voice was dangerous; Kagome whimpered slightly in her sleep. Myoga flapped all of his arms.

 

“Well, it resembles the armour worn by the guards of your father's fortress, my lord. I know your memories of that time are not happy ones…ummm, sorry…” He hastily disappeared into a crack of the floor.

 

Inuyasha stared after him, slightly in shock.

 

That's why it bugs me!

All your father's guards wore it.

Something smells bad about this…how the hell is that Armoury coming up with something like this?

 

He protectively cuddled Kagome closer, and settled himself by inhaling her warm scent, but sleep was denied as images of the graceful stone and wooden keep of his childhood, his mother's tears, his brother's icy tones ordering them from the safety of the walls, all poured in and made his chest constrict painfully.

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Waking up in Inuyasha's arms was very nice, Kagome thought, but not when it put a crick in one's back because he was holding one so tight, like a drowning man clutching a life preserver. He had her locked against his chest, his face buried in her hair, her own hand trapped between them and threatening an award-winning case of pins-and-needles. From his breathing rate, she wasn't sure if he was sleeping or trying to stay calm.

 

Gently wriggling her fingers against his chest, by degrees she brought him back to consciousness from somewhere very far away, and he relaxed his grip on her slightly. Sliding her hand up to cup his cheek, she tilted her head back to look into his face. Something dark and painful flickered behind his eyes, and he responded almost aggressively to her gentle morning kiss. They were interrupted before she could pull back and ask questions.

 

“Geez, they're at it again…don't look, Kirara, `cause it might put you off your breakfast!”

 

Shippo grinned cheekily, and pushed over two bowls of thick rice porridge. The couple untangled themselves, and Kagome squirmed out of her bedroll to eat the hot food. Kirara sidled over, and curled up in Inuyasha's lap, purring mightily. The hanyou was surprised, but didn't eject her.

 

“Isn't that cute…Guess you just have a way with animals, dog-boy,” Kagome cooed.

 

He leered. “Felines especially… wench.”

 

Kagome was still mildly choking when Miroku came through the door, looking thoughtful. Accepting a bowl from Shippo, he settled by the fire, and then caught Kagome's attention. “I discovered something that will be of interest to you…this village also contains a forge and an armoury.”

 

“The slayers make all their weapons and armour from the bones of demons, Miroku-sama.” Myoga appeared from behind the kitsune, and held out his tiny cup for a drop of tea. He stayed on the other side of the fire from Inuyasha, who looked like his fingers were itching to do a little flea-demon extermination themselves. “Sango-sama, for instance, wields a large Hiraikotsu made of fused bone.”

 

“A hirai…what?” Kagome was puzzled.

 

“ `Flying Strength'. It is taller than she is, yet she handles it as easily as if it were a feather.”

 

“Let's move it…if we're going to meet up with them, we'd better get going. We'll help them finish burying their people. Myoga, how do we get to the castle?”

 

“It lay to the north of here, the headman said. They only expected to be away for a couple of days, so they are late on their return, as well.”

 

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Kagome was about to saddle Arashi, when Inuyasha interrupted her. “Forget it, wench…we'll leave her here for the day. She'll be all right.”

 

Biting her lip, she looked at him. “If you're expecting that I'll ride with you again, how will Miroku and Shippo keep up?”

 

“The terrain to the north of here is too rough for horses…we ought to meet up with the slayers fairly close to here, so we'll walk until we find them.” He smiled crookedly at her. “I'll carry you if you get tired…and even if you're not.”

 

She grinned back. “I've done more than a few miles on route marches, dog-boy…I think I can keep up.” Later, she shook her head when he offered to carry her a couple of hours into their hike, instead sliding her hand into his. It may have been less intimate, but it worked for her. Kirara had claimed her shoulder as a perch, her little claws digging into the leather while one of her two tails curled around Kagome's neck. Shippo was hanging over Miroku's shoulder, and the two of them were chatting animatedly about something.

 

The attack came without warning, was nearly silent and almost as deadly.

 

One moment they were upright and slogging up a steep incline, and the next, Kagome found herself pinned intimately under Inuyasha with cat fur in her mouth, as trees fell around them and a shockwave marked the passage of something huge through the surrounding vegetation.

 

“What in all the hells?”

 

“Are you Inuyasha?” called a female voice.

 

“Who the fuck wants to know?”

 

“Answer the question, hanyou…are you Inuyasha?”

 

“How many other hanyous do you expect to be in this vicinity, bitch?”

 

“Die, you bastard! Hiraikotsu!”

 

Inuyasha grabbed Kagome, trusting Miroku to keep Shippo out of the way, and dumped her behind a large rock, before dodging the weapon on its return path. Tetsusaiga blossomed in his hand, and he used it to block a sweep of the Hiraikotsu that would have cut him in half.

 

Kagome edged around the rock, and finally got a good look at the owner of the voice and the weapon. A tall, slim figure dressed in a tight black bodysuit, with contoured armour plates on the shoulders, elbows, knees and torso. An ornate muzzle-like perforated metal mask covered the lower half of the woman's face.

 

Above the mask, dark eyes glittered fiercely, almost feverishly. Sango.

 

Kagome flinched away from the hatred practically radiating from the woman, but could admire how she handled her huge weapon, even while chips of wood and rock rained down on her from its deadly path. The slayer was screaming insults at Inuyasha, demanding vengeance for…her people? Inuyasha concentrated on repelling the huge weapon; the fact that he wasn't returning verbal fire told Kagome that it was taking more effort than usual to fight. Miroku and Shippo worked their way up to her rock, the kitsune tucking himself against the monk's side.

 

“Miroku, she thinks that Inuyasha destroyed her village…how could she know about it, if she was away?”

 

“I do not know, Sama, but we must stop this weapon of hers…Vortex!” No sooner than he had loosened the prayer beads, then a nightmarish cloud of hell wasps swarmed out of seeming nowhere. “Wha…Naraku!”

 

There was no dark aura; Kagome wondered how she was missing it. The familiar, mocking voice purred from behind Sango…and then they glimpsed the white baboon pelt.

 

“Is it not as I said, Sango? The bloodied hanyou that killed your people, accompanied by the false monk, who offered them salvation and then smote them, and the demonic miko with a sword steeped in blood…you will avenge the lives of hundreds with your blow.”

 

Kagome snarled; beside her, Miroku tensed, hissing, then dumped Shippo to the ground as he moved swiftly around the fighting hanyou and slayer, towards the white pelt-clad figure. Kagome grabbed the shivering kit and the kitten from around her neck, and pushed them both down behind the rock. “Stay back, Shippo, and watch over Kirara…keep an eye on that weapon, because it might get you on the return path. I'm gonna take this chick outta commission.”

 

Edging to the left of the combatants, Kagome looked for an opening, but was startled when Inuyasha leapt away from the girl and charged at Naraku, who was engaging Miroku in hand-to-hand combat, sword against staff. A length of weighted chain snaked out, wrapped around his ankle, and he was yanked to the ground and dragged backward.

 

“I am your opponent, demon!” hissed the slayer.

 

Inuyasha was close enough to smell the acrid tang of her sweat, and the pervasive scent of … blood? She's drenched in her own blood…how is she still moving? His heart jumped into his throat, choking off his voice, at what she did next.

 

The slayer pivoted, and sent the Hiraikotsu spinning straight at Kagome. He couldn't shout, couldn't curse… could only watch in horror. His girl then reminded him that she had depths he was barely familiar with. Instead of diving flat, Kagome tensed, waited… and then leapt over the waist-high whirling scythe and raced straight at Sango, pulling out her katana in a smooth sweep and holding it, honed edge outward, as she charged in at flank speed. Sango drew her own sword, and went into a crouch, but she was knocked off her feet by Kagome's momentum when their hilts collided, sparks flying. Kagome took the opportunity to grip and tear away the slayer's face-mask, sending it bouncing across the rocky clearing. The leather-clad girl drove in her attack; Sango regained her feet, parried, and the girls began circling each other like a pair of lithe panthers.

 

Grey eyes clashed with intense brown over gleaming steel. Kagome made a quick lunge; Sango knocked her blade away. The slayer was slowing; large red drops pattered like rain onto the ground as she stepped, and she was purely on the defensive. Kagome wanted to end this confrontation quickly, because the longer it took to get Sango to the village, the less likely she would survive…and Kagome was determined the other girl wouldn't die as a result of anything Naraku had set up. She also had to quickly level them both to avoid the Hiraikotsu's return trajectory. Moving in a burst of speed, Kagome swept her blade up against Sango's katana, and barrelled bodily into the other girl, knocking both of them to the ground, just as the Hiraikotsu whistled overhead, cart wheeling to a stop against some rocks on the other side of the clearing.

 

Sango found herself on her back, her sword arm pinned above her head in a vise-like grip, her other arm twisted under her, and a blade across her throat. The grey-eyed girl had effectively pinned her body by lying on top of her, and caging her leg between both of hers. While Sango took a moment to process this information…her brain seemed a little slower than usual… the other girl grinned rakishly.

 

“Hi,there; I'm Kagome…come here often?”

 

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