InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Almost Perfect ❯ Identities Revealed ( Chapter 3 )

 

Chapter 3

 

Identities Revealed

 

 

 

A/N: I would like to dedicate this chapter to a friend of mine (you know who you are!), who has just moved recently, and my beta, Yun, who made this fic possible.

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

 

 

…

 

 

Kagome grimaced at the nauseous stench of the thug's shirt. Taking a deep breath, she tried to ignore how the man's large, coarse hands were touching her calves.

 

Eyeing the thug's sweat-soaked shirt disapprovingly, she silently wondered to herself if the man had even bathed in the past year or so. Wanting nothing more than to jump off and beat the bandits to death, Kagome reminded herself of all the other women that was captured by them, and of their fate if she did not step in to help.

 

Looking upwards, she sighed in frustration as she noted that the sun was about to set. No doubt her parents would interrogate her after her return. So much for all that effort in putting on that elaborate Kimono…

 

Heaving a sigh, Kagome once more thought about the strange man with the golden eyes that she had met a few hours ago. She hadn't exactly put much effort into the attack, but it was a rare sight to see someone dodge her well-aimed kick with such fluid grace.

 

Once more her thoughts drifted to the man's uniquely coloured eyes, their hue in comparison to that of the sun. She could almost recall how she felt like shrinking when his gaze was fixed on her. Kagome had no doubt that the man could give you a hell of a glare when angered.

 

After what seemed like an eternity of dealing with unpleasant ordours and rough carrying, Kagome mentally noted that they were passing though a small part of the northern woods.

 

Following a small stream, the two men eventually found their way to a larger river, just large enough to fit in a reasonably sized ship.

 

“Yo, Osamu! Pull down the board, will ya?” Kon yelled up at the ship.

 

Soon, some grumbling and swearing could be heard above, as a man came into view, staggering along the way.

 

“What are ya doing back so early?” hiccupped the man, obviously drunk, and reeking of cheap alcohol.

 

“We got lucky. Caught ourselves a pretty one.” the man carrying Kagome replied.

 

“Huh,” Osamu reacted groggily, “then maybe we should keep her for ourselves, eh?”

 

“I wouldn't go there, Osamu. This one's real feisty. I don't know if even you can tame her.” Kon answered bitterly, and Kagome saw out of the corner of her eye that he was still rubbing the spot where she had kicked him.

 

Allowing a smirk to cross her lips, Kagome impatiently waited for the two men to come aboard the small vessel.

 

Once on board, the smell of rotting fish and unwashed garments immediately greeted her olfactory system. Lips curling in disgust, Kagome didn't waste an extra second before ramming her knee into the man's stomach.

 

…

 

Inuyasha ran, stopping every once in a while to sniff for the girl's trail on the ground. Letting loose a string of colorful words, he couldn't quite quench the anxious feeling that something might've happened to her.

 

Running into the fringe of a forest, Inuyasha checked if anyone was watching, before getting down on his hands and knees to sniff for the girl's trail once more.

 

Inuyasha thought it was highly unfair that his brother never had to do anything this embarrassing. With a stab of resentment, Inuyasha wondered where his brother was at that moment—probably out terrorizing another one of his subjects. He chuckled at the mental picture of Sesshoumaru sniffing around on the ground.

 

Kami, how he would love to see his older half-brother get his royal ass kicked once in a while.

 

Inuyasha wasn't blind. He just happened to know that his half-brother and the older generals of the court thought of him as a dirty and worthless half-breed. They were always taunting him, muttering amongst themselves about how weak and pathetic he was.

 

Even though they obviously had a low opinion about his intelligence, Inuyasha knew that he wasn't exactly stupid. How else would he have managed to survive all those assassination attempts, then? He only took on the role of being mentally deficient to lull the nobles in his brother's court into a false sense of security. It had worked reasonably well. He was still alive and breathing, was he not?

 

Setting his lips into a thin line, Inuyasha hurried his pace as he picked up the girl's scent from nearby. Latching onto that scent, he followed it through the forest. Eyes widening as he saw a small vessel anchored by the side of a nearby river, Inuyasha hastily jumped aboard…only to collide into the body of large man as he was thrown overboard.

 

…

 

“W-what are you doing here?” Kagome questioned angrily, panting slightly from her recent workout.

 

“What am I doing here?! I came here to save your sorry ass, you ungrateful wench! So watch where you throw your toys!” Inuyasha yelled back, golden eyes flashing under the dim light.

 

“Why, you…!” Kagome trailed off as she elbowed Osamu under the chin.

 

As the thugs rolled around the floor moaning in pain, Kagome marched over to Inuyasha, and stood close in front of him so that they were almost nose-to-nose. She glared at him straight in the eyes, before continuing her furious rant.

 

As she bickered on with the strange man, Kagome failed to notice that one of the thugs had gotten to his feet, and unsteadily drew a knife out of his boots.

 

Charging at Kagome's back, Kagome turned one second too late, and prepared for the impact with her eyes squeezed tightly shut. Surprisingly, the pain never came.

 

Trembling slightly, she cracked an eye open when she felt two strong arms wrap around her waist. Blinking, she was shocked to find the silver-haired man was holding her protectively. She gasped however, when he suddenly crumpled to the floor, holding a wound on his side.

 

Staring stupidly for a second, she quickly regained her senses when she saw the large amount of blood poured from the man's wound. Running to his side, Kagome quickly began to inquire about his health.

 

“Go after them, you idiot!” the man screamed at her.

 

Still shocked, Kagome was speechless.

 

When she finally managed to snap out of her stupor, most of the thugs had already ran away. Seeing that then men had lost everything except the clothes on their backs, Kagome took pity on them and watched them go.

 

Turning back to the silver haired man, Kagome shifted uncomfortably under his intense stare. “Um…they got away.”

 

“Well they wouldn't have, if you weren't so damn stupid.” the man replied bitterly, looking a lot healthier than a few moments before

 

Kagome's eyes flashed in anger.

 

“Then excuse me, mister! What are you doing here anyways?!” Kagome yelled back, forgetting that he had probably just saved her life.

 

“Well I wouldn't be here if you weren't so weak to lose to two measly thieves!” Inuyasha retorted hotly.

 

“For your big fat information, I did it purposely!” Kagome bit out.

 

“Y-you wah?” Inuyasha replied intelligently, backing up a step.

 

Sighing, Kagome continued slowly. “I don't have time to be arguing with a baka like you. Come on. These men kidnapped some young woman. Give me a hand with them.”

 

Beckoning for him to follow her, she turned and walked away

 

Inuyasha, still fuming, ran after her. The thought that the ebony haired girl had a noble intention in getting kidnapped not only surprised him, but also earned his silent respect.

 

Following the girl, they came to a small hallway, where soft shuffles and whimpers could be heard. Even without his heightened sense of smell, Inuyasha knew that the girl would also be able to smell the disgusting stench of rotting food and unwashed bodies.

 

Following the narrow hallway, they soon came to a small prison cell. With his sharp eyes, Inuyasha made out the silhouettes of young women, all huddled together in fright.

 

Kneeling, Kagome said soothingly “Everything is going to be alright now, those men are gone now. Now, tell me where the keys are.”

 

Many frightened faces looked up, glimmers of hope shining in their eyes. For a few minutes, there was no answer.

 

“They p-probably left it in their chambers…”came the nervous response of one young woman.

 

“Alright, we will go look for the keys, and you will soon be out of here in no time.” Kagome said amiably, purposely adding `we' as to not leave the strange man in a cell full of frightened women.

 

“W-wait!” came the desperate cry from someone within the cell, “please, they took my older sister with them the last time they came, it is all my fault…they were after me…and she protected me with her very life. Please find her!”

 

Giving a solemn nod, Kagome replied, “We'll try.”

 

Knowing that the older sister might very well be dead, Kagome turned her face away before anyone could see the flicker of sympathy flash across her cold grey orbs.

 

Backing up to the other side of the hallway they came from, Kagome took silent comfort in her savior's presence, even though they had just met. She surprised herself when she realized that she had somehow come to rely on him.

 

Approaching what she assumed to be the thug's sleeping quarters, Kagome opened the first door only to find it empty of the young woman that was mentioned. Strolling into none-too-clean room, Kagome wrinkled her nose in distaste at the broken ale bottles that littered the filthy floor.

 

Opening a chest in the corner, her eyes widened at the sight of the gold and finery that was in them. Closing the lid, Kagome began to drag it out with her.

 

Feeling the heated glare of the silver haired man, Kagome turned to face him, only to be shocked by his cold words.

 

“So you were in it for the money, huh?” the man said, his golden eyes piercing.

 

Lips thinning into a frown, Kagome replied as calmly as she could. “This is for the women here who have lost everything, I have no need for money.”

 

Walking after the girl, Inuyasha suddenly felt ashamed. The girl's intentions were pure, yet he had accused her otherwise and thought it impossible for anyone to risk their lives for no gain.

 

Entering the next room, they found a small form huddled in the rough straw bed. Walking closer, Kagome saw that it was the form of a young woman, barely covered and struggling for breath.

 

Putting her hands on the young woman's back, Kagome helped her to sit, but as soon as she sat up, she stared at Kagome in terror and slapped her hand away.

 

“H-hey! What's your problem? I'm only trying to help!” Kagome yelled in her defense.

 

“Leave her alone, don't you see that she has gone through a lot?” the silver haired man said, reaching to the side of his belt.

 

“Here, drink this.” he said simply, handing a leather flask to the young woman, gradually helping her sit up.

 

Seeing the young woman's grateful eyes, she suddenly felt a small pang of jealously; he was so kind to her…was she so repulsive that no one cared enough to do that for her?

 

Turning away, Kagome said frostily “I'm going to go to the next room to see if they hidden any treasure in there,” and walked out of the room.

 

In fact, there was treasure hidden in all of the rooms, dragging them all out behind her, Kagome clutched in her hand the most valuable treasure of all, the keys.

 

Eyes blazing at the thought of what the three men did to obtain all this, Kagome was surprised when she felt someone else helping her drag the gold out. Looking up, her now sapphire eyes met with liquid gold. Locking their gaze for a while, Kagome quickly turned away before he could see her face heat slightly, and muttered a quick thank you.

 

Carrying all the gold above deck, Kagome went back to the prison cell and freed the prisoners, each thanking her gratefully in return. Letting them devour whatever food was on hand, Kagome was leading them on deck to split the gold when she heard the sudden scream of someone's name.

 

Turning to look, Kagome froze for a split second when she saw that Inuyasha carrying the young woman that was found in the thug's room. The girl was more clothed then when they first saw her.

 

Her hair was matted over her face and her frail body was bruised, plus the corner of her mouth was swollen, causing the lip to bleed slightly. Even with all her injuries, Kagome could easily tell that the girl was beautiful. The girl was trembling slightly and squinted at the sudden sunlight. Clinging to the youth's neck as her lifeline, she buried her face in his chest and tightened her grip.

 

Whimpering slightly when Inuyasha put her down, the young woman began to wobble on her knees and almost fell, when Inuyasha caught her. Looking away, Kagome divided the gold among the women there and gave a little extra to the young woman and her sister.

 

Soon, all the women left. Climbing down the half broken ladder, Kagome found that the young woman was still talking to the silver haired youth. Gritting her teeth, Kagome blinked in surprise. When did she start to care about what the guy did with his life? She'd only known him for what, two hours?

 

Walking up to the `couple', Kagome gently prompted the girl that her sister was still waiting for her. Reluctantly, the young girl begged for a few more minutes and said she would soon leave.

 

Sighing slightly, Kagome picked up her bow and got off the ship, and began to pace impatiently. If anything, she really needed to get going. Looking up once more, Kagome saw the silver haired man take something out of his pocket and gave it to the girl, before leaning over to whisper something in her ear.

 

Soon, the girl climbed off board with the help of her new found `friend,' and gave a wide smile before running off to join her sister.

 

Seeing the silver haired man walk closer to her, Kagome looked towards the ship and drew her sword.

 

“Are you going to try to pick a fight with me again?” the silver haired man asked, his tone uncaring.

 

“No, just thinking of the best way to sink this ship” she replied evenly.

 

Shrugging, the silver haired man reached out his hand. “Give me your katana for a moment?”

 

Eyes narrowing, Kagome look at him straight in the eyes, searching for any sign of deception. Finding none, Kagome cautiously handed her katana over to him.

 

Taking her katana, the man seemed to examine it for a moment. Then with one great leap that Kagome couldn't even catch completely; he slashed a calculated blow on the bottom side of the small vessel. Soon, in the matter of seconds, the ship had almost completely sank below the surface of the lake

 

Trying to keep an unimpressed façade, Kagome found that she couldn't keep in how surprised she really was by his skill. Sheathing her katana as it was handed back to her, Kagome began to walk away.

 

Soon hearing footsteps close behind her, she knew the silver haired man had caught up with her.

 

“You know, you could be a bit more polite to me. I just saved your sorry butt out there,” the silver haired man said reproachfully.

 

“Well,” Kagome snapped back in her defense “I wouldn't have needed to be `saved' if you didn't com-” stopping suddenly, Kagome realized that the man standing before her had taken knife wound for her.

 

Face tinged slightly pink, Kagome turned away and asked “H-how's your wound? Does it…still hurt?”

 

“Keh, of course it doesn't. Its probably already healed now.” the man replied, turning his face the other way.

 

“Oh, ya? Then explain why it doesn't look healed.” Kagome said stubbornly, as she poked the wound.

 

“Ouch!” hollered the man.

 

Raising an eyebrow, Kagome said smugly “See? It does hurt.”

 

“It doesn't hurt! It should be healed by now, and what hurts are those absurdly long nails of yours!” the man responded angrily, “Look. It is already— it's not healed…I don't understand…”

 

“Well duh, you just got it didn't you? And speaking of long nails, you are the one who should cut your nails. They look like they can kill.” Sighing slightly, Kagome continued “Come on, the wound probably didn't heal so well because it was infected. I'll help you clean it up.”

 

Kagome lead the man to a large nearby tree. Bidding him to lean against it, Kagome ordered “You'll have to leave that wound yours out in plain view before I can clean it.”

 

The man looked at her with a puzzled expression. Looking away, Kagome knew she didn't know how to explain it better then that.

 

Turning back a few seconds later, Kagome noted approvingly that he somehow got what she was trying to say and had taken off part of his outer garment, leaving his injured side exposed.

 

Ripping off a piece of her kimono, Kagome dipped it in her drinking flask and wet it before gently cleaning out the wound. Before fussing about what to wrap the wound in, she suddenly remembered that Kaede had given her some poultice for her injured knee when she had last seen her.

 

Biting her lips, Kagome hastily dug it out of a pouch that hung by her side. Opening it, she couldn't help but cringe a little at the strong, bitter smell. Looking over at the silver haired man, she noted surprisingly that he looked about ready to faint.

 

Moving in closer to apply the poultice, the silver haired man gave her a skeptical look, looking slightly blue from the strong herbal scent. Carefully applying the poultice on the injury, Kagome noticed that the man didn't look very old, perhaps no older then herself. For some strange reason, he seemed to be avoiding her gaze, and was now gazing intently at a patch of grass nearby.

 

Looking around for something to wrap the cleaned wound with, Kagome's eyes fell on the soft white cloth that was wrapped around her new bow. Gently unwrapping it, Kagome took the cloth between her teeth, before tearing it into a single long strip. Firmly wrapping the makeshift bandage around the man's torso, she made sure that it wouldn't fall off. Feeling his eyes on her, Kagome hesitated a moment before she lifted her face to stare at him.

 

“I'm done,” she stated simply.

 

Standing, Kagome offered her hand when she saw that he was struggling to stand up.

 

Taking her hand, he said “Keh. I don't need your help.”

 

Walking together in comfortable silence, Kagome inwardly cringed at the thought of the inevitable meeting with her parents, but then again, they wouldn't really get mad at her for it, would they? Tomorrow was her birthday after all.

 

Finally reaching a spot where the road divided into two forks, both of them stopped. Kagome said, “This is where I turn. You really shouldn't have come after me, but thank you anyways.”

 

“You must to be the most unreasonable person I ever met” the young man mumbled, surprising Kagome with a boyish grin.

 

“So...I guess this is goodbye then…” Kagome half whispered.

 

Turning her back to leave, Kagome quickly remembered something. Whirling around, Kagome shouted after the departing man “Hey! What's your name?”

 

“Inuyasha!” was the reply. “What's yours?!”

 

“Kag--Saori!” Kagome caught herself, knowing better then to give out her real name.

 

So…her new friend shall know her by what all the commoners acknowledged her as.

 

 

 

…

 

 

A.N. I am really sorry how late this chapter came out, but my evil English teacher gave me an assignment which took me 13 hours to complete, then on the same day I handed it in, I came down with the flu. I know I shouldn't make excuses, but I hope everyone will understand I also have my own life outside of the fanfiction world, gomen!