InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ You Don't Know What You Have 'Till Its Gone ❯ Unexpected Protector ( Chapter 4 )

{Disclaimer: Inuyasha doesn't belong to me so don't sue. ::sighs:: unless someone would like to give him to me. I would have a ball playing with those ears.}

You Don't Know What You Have 'Till It's Gone

By Striking Falcon

Chapter Four: Unexpected Protector

"Rin, where are you?" Kagome called out over the meadow. She and Rin were playing tag on the outskirts of the castle when Rin disappeared. Kagome searched for her for a while, becoming more than a little worried about the child as time passed.

"Rin, this isn't funny! Come out, sweetie!"

She heard a shriek on her far right . Running toward the sound, Kagome ducked branches and bushes in her struggle to reach the frightened voice.

"Hold on, Rin. I'm coming!"

'Don't know what I'll do when I get there,' she thought bitterly. 'Sesshoumaru has forbidden me to use my bow and arrows.' She skidded to a halt at a nearby clearing, gasping in horror. Rin dangled a few feet from the ground by her foot. Holding her ankle was the largest monster Kagome had ever seen. With one eye and towering high above the trees, he glared down at Kagome, a smirk on its face.

"Another morsel for me," he rumbled, reaching down for Kagome. "And so very pretty too. It's not every day I get to eat such rich food."

Kagome scrambled out of the beast's grasp, diving to roll between his legs on the other side of the clearing. She jumped quickly to her feet, her legs spread shoulder-length apart.

"You let her go, right now!"

The monster laughed at her and reached for her again. Kagome ducked and ran to her starting position in the clearing.

"Why should I?"

"Because that child is a ward of the Great Demon Sesshoumaru, the lord of the lands you're trespassing!"

Kagome said. 'Hey, his name's gotta be for something.'

The monster shrugged his shoulders.

"Why should I care?"

"Because you never know when he's listening, lowly cur!" Sesshoumaru hissed as he darted through the air.

Kagome whipped around to follow him. 'I'd never thought I'd see the day when I'd actually be glad to see him!' she said to herself as he reached the monster's hand. With one swipe, he sliced off the monster's fingers, freeing Rin. She screamed as she dropped to the ground. Kagome positioned herself to catch her when a flicker of white intercepted them. Sesshoumaru landed beside her seconds later, holding Rin in his arms. He shoved her to Kagome before taking to the air again. Sesshoumaru carved through the beast's eye, blinding it. It sank to its knees as Sesshoumaru continued his assault. One after the other, he sliced and ripped through the monster until it ceased to move. Sesshoumaru landed in front of the girls, brushing a stray strand of hair from his face.

"Are you o. k. Rin?" he asked. Rin nodded happily and hugged his knee. Sesshoumaru patted her head, earning a very happy 'tee hee' from the child attached to him like a leech. Kagome stared at him in amazement.

"That was so cool," she breathed. Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar word, but, judging from the look on her face, figured it was some kind of praise. He brushed off the compliment, waiting patiently for Rin to let go so he could walk.

"What do you expect, human? I'm not that weak half breed you travel with."

Kagome scowled and put her hands on her hips.

"I should have known you wouldn't know how to handle gratitude, jerk!" She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Don't do that. Unless you intend to use it."

Kagome blushed furiously. Sesshoumaru shook his head in amusement and returned his attention to Rin. Kagome gasped suddenly, pointing behind him.

"Sesshoumaru, look out!"

Pain shot through his body as he was knocked down from behind. 'Damn that girl for distracting me!' he cursed to himself as he fell to the ground. Rin's frightened voice chirped in his ears as another searing volt derailed his thoughts. He felt hands drag him across the ground.

Kagome stopped at the edge of the clearing. Releasing Sesshoumaru and instructing Rin to keep quiet so she could think, Kagome took off the dark green sash around her waist and wrapped it around Sesshoumaru's torso. He winced slightly as she double knotted it. He tried to sit up, but Kagome nudged him back down.

"Leave. Take Rin back to the castle," Sesshoumaru growled, trying to stand up again. Again, Kagome gently nudged him back down.

"Don't be daft. You're hurt."

"I don't need you mothering over me like some silly hen."

"That's what it looks like from here, Sesshoumaru," called the monster, who was standing up again. He was still holding his eye. The rest of him looked like hell warmed over. Rin dashed forward, stopping at the beast's feet.

"That's Sesshoumaru-sama!" she hollered. Kagome lightly smacked her forehead.

"I can't believe she just did that."

The monster looked down at her and laughed.

"Excuse me, little one. Sesshoumaru-sama. Whatever. You all are still dead."

Kagome again nudged Sesshoumaru back to the forest floor. "Rin, get back here."

Rin scampered back, her eyes dark with unshed tears.

"Rin's sorry Kagome, but he wasn't saying Sesshoumaru-sama's name right."

"It's o. k. Rin. He doesn't know any better," Kagome said, motioning for her to come closer.

"Rin, I want you to do something very important. I want you to hug Sesshoumaru, o. k. ? Hug him tight, but not too tight or you'll hurt him."

Rin kneeled beside Sesshoumaru and, with Kagome's help, held him up in a tight embrace.

"Like this, Kagome?"

Kagome nodded. "Yes, very good Rin. Now you stay here and protect Sesshoumaru."

Rin giggled. "Sesshoumaru-sama protects Rin."

Sesshoumaru snorted in agreement as Kagome stood up.

"Where are you going, wench?" he asked as she walked away from them to the monster's feet. Kagome looked back.

"If I were you, Sesshoumaru, I'd stay with Rin. She's the best protection you have."

Kagome turned back around, facing the monster again. She closed her eyes, focusing on the hidden power Kaede always said was inside her.

'Let's see now, when I need it the most, it just shows up. I need it now. Let's see if I can get a little more control over it.'

Kagome balled her fists in concentration, not aware that the monster picked her up and was preparing to toss her into the dark abyss he called a mouth. Kagome's eyes suddenly flew open. Glaring at the beast for a second, she turned around to register Rin's position on the ground. Sesshoumaru, with his superior vision, blinked in shock. 'What is this?' he wondered as Kagome smiled down at him. Kagome's eyes, once a dark bluish-gray, were now an iridescent cerulean silver. She started to glow as she turned around. Her head shot back, her arms spread wide as the crystalline light poured from her over the clearing. It radiated in waves off her, pushing so far as the castle walls. Rin gasped and stepped in front of Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru made a move to reverse their positions, but stopped when the waves of energy parted in front of her and went past them. Sesshoumaru stared at the ground before glancing up at the source of the power.

Kagome shuddered under the onslaught, her head jerking slightly as the waves continued. The monster tried to drop her, but his hand refused to obey. Slowly his skin started to melt, it splashing to the ground like sludge. The beast screamed, shaking its hand in a last ditch attempt to get rid of the corrosive girl. For its efforts, the waves became one single bomb-like energy, eradicating the hand and its owner from existence. Kagome floated slowly back to terra firma, the energy seeping back to its hiding place. Her eyes opened as her feet touched the ground, the same iridescent shade they were when she was in the monster's hand. Her hair billowed around her, the ends of her jade green kimono flowing behind her like a cape. She glanced at Sesshoumaru and Rin. Recognizing them, Kagome gently shook her head. When she looked at them again, her eyes were back to their normal hue and the power that destroyed the beast was gone entirely from the clearing. She looked down, her face the perfect picture of disgust.

"Ewww…why did I have to melt him?" she bemoaned as Rin rushed to her. Sesshoumaru stood up, glaring at Kagome accusingly.

"Is that Inuyasha's power?"

Kagome scratched an itch on her neck thoughtfully. "No, that's all mine."

"Why have I never seen it before?"

"I'm just learning how to use it."

Sesshoumaru blinked, his face masking the utter shock going through him. 'Does Inuyasha realize how powerful this little human girl is?' He smiled to himself. 'Probably not, given what she said when I brought her here. She could be useful.' Something was still bothering him though. Turning back to the teenager, who was scolding Rin lightly about how rude it was to poke fun at another's demise, he walked to her. He silently commanded she look at him, which she did reluctantly.

"Why did Rin have to be in front of me?" Sesshoumaru asked. Kagome blushed and muttered something so low even he couldn't hear.

"Louder."

"I wasn't sure what would happen, but I knew that Rin wouldn't be harmed. I asked her to stay in front of you just in case I couldn't control it." Sesshoumaru's confusion flashed across his face for a split second before resettling.

"I don't understand."

Kagome's blush deepened as she stared into his eyes.

"I didn't want to hurt you," she whispered, darkening all the way to the roots of her hair. Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes.

"Foolish human."

He turned to walk back to the castle, Rin and Kagome following behind. As Rin cheerfully told Kagome about the pretty butterfly that lead her away from the game of tag and started the whole mess, Sesshoumaru glanced back at them every so often.

'She didn't want to hurt me,' he thought to himself. 'Stupid twit. She can't hurt me. I'm a demon, after all.' He recalled her talk with the monster before he showed up, his back straightening a little under the memory. 'She even said so. So why would she be worried that some trick would hurt me?' He brushed his hand carelessly through his hair. Sesshoumaru's hand stopped, tangled in something. He tugged a few strands to his face for closer inspection. The ends were melted against each other, still smoking. Sesshoumaru stared in total awe. 'It would have destroyed me.'

He stole a glance back at Kagome again as Rin jumped on her back. 'Why didn't she want to hurt me? Could their be more to the wench than I thought?'

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Kagome: Do I get to say it now? {::SF nods::} Ok. Keep going!