InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Fire and Ice ❯ Keeping Her ( Chapter 6 )

"…A broken rose and laughin' eyes
You're a mystery
Always runnin' wild
Like a child without a home
You're always searchin'
Searchin for a feelin'
But it's easy come and easy go…

Oh… I'm sorry but it's true
You're bringin' on the heartache
Takin' all the best of me
Oh, can't you see
You got the best of me
Whoa can't you see…" - Bringing on the Heartbreak, Mariah Carey

Fire and Ice

Chapter Six

Keeping Her

by: bs~

::GROOWLL::

"Did you hear that?!" Sango hissed to Kagome, who slowly sat up and stared at the stiffened back of the ex-cook.

"What?"

::AROWORRRRRRRRRRRRRR::

"That!" Sango spun around and slid next to Kagome. The girl, quite irritated, slowly pulled off her blankets and tossed them aside.

"Yes. And?" she said tersely.

"Wolves!" Sango threw her arms up in frustration. "There are wolves out there! Aren't you worried?" Kagome looked at Sango and arched an eyebrow. "Come on! Tell me you are! Oh shit..."

Kagome shrugged and got up, gently treading the dirt in their tent. "Sh…" she put up a finger to her lips to silence anything Sango was about to say.

"Oh…" Sango breathed and quickly caught up and was behind Kagome in a flash.

Kagome slowly untied the string that was encasing them in the tent. Sango rushed over to the opposing side and helped. Then, slowly, both girls left the tent. Kagome motioned for Sango to follow her and they quickly snuck around to the back of the tent.

When another howl pierced the thick silence.

::AREOOOOOOOOOOOOOWRERRRRRRRRRR::

"Eeep!" Sango squealed a little, but was quick to clamp a hand over her mouth when Kagome snapped her head around and gave a vicious glare. Sango mouthed an apology, but it was unneccessary, seeing as they were doing what she had planned without any hitches.

They continued creeping until the reached their destination. Some shrubbery blocked them from view, a few feet away from the back of their tent.

And there they saw what was howling.

^.~

Kagura slowly opened her eyes, her mind still hazy over what had happened to cause her to fall into such a deep sleep. Her eyes widened and her lips parted as she breathed a small word. "Fuck."

"Damn right!" a deep, smooth voice from behind her barked. "It's about time you woke up anyway! You've been sleeping like a pig!" Kagura immediately sat up, making sure to have herself covered modestly with tatters of what once was her beautifully sewn kimono.

She turned and glared at the wolf youkai, who had, by the looks of it, gone somewhere rather dusty before coming back to wake her up. She narrowed her eyes in extreme anger and she saw red.

Before she knew it, she had flown into a rage and was trying to beat up Kouga with her fists, her kimono barely staying on and just there in covering her up.

"Hurry up! We've got to get a move on it! Naraku's calling!" Kagura slanted her eyes at Kouga, still a bit sore from the rough treatment he had given her earlier. She was going to kill him. However, Kouga had other plans.

Impatient, he reached down and pulled her up roughly by the wrist. Wide-eyed with shock Kagura was too stunned to move and he quickly threw her over his shoulder and ran off, following the bees as he quickly picked up pace.

^.~

Sango twitched. Kagome watched, deeply amused.

Sango took a deep breath. Kagome settled herself out of harm's way.

Sango screamed, and ran full speed at Miroku, who had turned at the loud screech Sango had let out.

Kagome watched with amusement dancing in her eyes as she watched Sango maul Miroku. It was quite enjoying, and Miroku WAS getting what he deserved.

" - YOU STUPID IDIOT! KEEPIN' ME UP ALL THAT TIME JUST TO TRY AND GET INTO MY TENT! STUPID BLOODY BASTARD!" Sango was screaming directly into the wincing monk's ear. Not only was she irritating Inuyasha, who had lazily popped an eyelid up to watch the rucus, but the men in the tents were starting to stir. And… they were OH so not happy campers… quite in a literal sense.

"Oi. Sango. Keep it DOWN!" Inuyasha barked from the tree. Sango did a thing that made Kagome very very very amused indeed. She raised a special middle finger to Inuyasha and went back to making Miroku deaf in one ear.

"BITCH!" Inuyasha growled and leapt off the tree and onto the bundle of cloths that was Sango and Miroku.

"GAH! YOU IDIOT! WHY THE HELL DID YOU - HOUSHI! DON'T. TOUCH. ME. THEREEEEE!"

::WHACK::

Kagome cringing inwardly and watched with fascination. The hanyou was sprawled on his butt and sulking while rapping his claws into the dirt, watching the ex-cook beat up the ex-monk with a half bored expression on his face.

"…But… OW! Your arse is just so OW!"

"DON'T YOU DARE FINISH THAT SENTENCE!!!"

The men had begun to clear out of the tent and settled themselves around the brawling Sango.

Kagome couldn't help but be amused and grin, thinking…

This must happen a lot.

^.~ [not that it relates to the story in any way, but I'm eating marshmallows right now. mm…. marshmallows…]

Sesshoumauru narrowed his eyes at the lizard youkai before him. "Say that again." he said calmly, after a moment of silence.

The reptile before him cowered. "Please! Lord Sesshoumauru! I beg of - "

"I said repeat what you said!" he roared, his eyes flashing a deep crimson red.

"I… I said… that I was passing through Fort Shikon, one of Lord Inuyasha's sanctuaries, and I smelt it in the air milord. It was your scent! Blood, pain, death! Mixed in with your scent!" the youkai began to talk animatedly, chattering with nervousness. "…and it was all over milord! The blood! The bodies were littering the grounds! The castle was completely ransacked and destroyed!"

"Where did my scent lead away to? What direction? Was anyone else with me?" Sesshoumaru inquired, putting the sweating lizard under his piercing gaze.

"I…I'm not sure milord. I tried to follow the scent… track it down someways yet… yet…"

"Yet what?" Sesshoumaru growled, impatient. He leaned down and grabbed the kneeling youkai up by the collar of the crude, brown shirt the lizard was wearing. The lizard squealed and whimpered in protest.

"Aye! Milord! Please, put me down! Please! I beg of you!"

Sesshoumaru's hold on the shirt only tightened and a ripping sound signaled that holes had been born through the weak fabric. "Answer my question."

"It disappeared! It vanished! I rounded the site for hours and hours, but it just vanished! It was as if you had leapt into the air and flown off! Milord… ACK!"

Sesshoumaru had tightened his grip, to the point where he was clutching the youkai's neck. "S-sire!" the youkai wheezed, his hands grappling at Sesshoumaru hand, trying to loosen the grip, "P-please! I-I can't… can't…"

"Can't WHAT?" Sesshoumaru growled at the defiancy of the lesser youkai.

"…can't…can't…" the lizard wheezed. "b..bre…ath…" and Sesshoumaru threw the youkai at the wall, where he hit it full on with a sickening thud.

The youkai, knelt onto the ground, and supported himself with one hand on the ground, the other pressed against his neck, and breathing loudly. "Th-thank you milord!" he gasped between breaths.

"Go." Sesshoumaru growled, his eyes flashing crimson red for a moment.

"Yes milord!" and the lizard scurried out of the tent. Jaken must have been spying, because a second later, the toad was scuffling into the tent, bowing towards Sesshoumaru.

"Milord!" it squeaked. [yes, I categorize Jaken as an it.] "I've sent some wolf youkai and tracked down the place they called Fort Shikon! They have reported it exactly as that idiot lizard has said! The area reeks of your scent milord! And it seems recent!" the toad squaked the last part, looking for any emotion on his face. Apparently, it found one. "AH! MILORD! DO NOT BE UPSET WITH MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!" as Sesshoumaru kicked him out of the tent and it went soaring into the sky.

So it appears there is a third party involved with this war…

^.~

"YOU BASTARD!" Kagome growled loudly and shocked Sango.

Inuyasha snarled and turned around to shut the prisoner up and saw a very amusing sight. Very amusing indeed.

Sango was trying to keep Kagome away from the little orange bundle which was currently sitting on Miroku's head. Kagome had taken to growling and clawing at the air right before the kitsune's face. "STUPID IDIOT WOMAN! LET ME GO THIS INSTANT! AOIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" The screams were rather irritating, not to mention the fact that Kagome's tone full of anger. "LEEEEETTTTTTTTT MEEEEEEEEEE GOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" but her screams were really bothering Inuyasha's conscience. They had so much anger in them that it… what was he THINKING?

She was the PRISONER and he was not going to ease her pain by letting her mutant pet dog go!

"AOOOOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIII!!!!!!!!"

Then again… maybe he wouldn't have his conscience bother him after he had gone deaf listening to all this screaming…

[oh… just do it. I know you want to. I find the fact that she screams `aoi' is funny. you try it. it sounds like you're saying `owie'! ^_^]

"Yo! Inukurro!" a deep voice, one deeper than Inuyasha's, called out. Inuyasha jumped up as if he had been bitten by a snake on his buttock. [^_^]

"You stupid bastard!" Inuyasha shouted. Sango stopped pummeling Miroku and looked up from her position on the ground. Unwise mistake.

Miroku, taking her offguard, took the chance to place his hand on one of Sango's more feminine spots. Sango immediately cuffed Miroku and went back to slapping him around as they ran around in circles.

"Oi. What are those two up to again?" the man stepped up next to Inuyasha and surveyed the `battle'.

"Eh. Usual. Stupid bloody monk tried to get into her tent." Inuyasha grunted, grinning and watched as his ex-cook beat his ex-monk.

Kagome watched both parties, aware this situation occurred often for them. After awhile, the new comer turned to Inuyasha. "So what was it you wanted me for again?"

"You know about the war. Kouga, I'm sorry to ask this… but I need your help."

The wolf youkai grinned widely, baring his fangs. "Finally learned your place mutt face!"

Kagome took this opportunity to leap up at the orange bundle sitting idly in the trees. "AH! SANGO! HELP ME!" the little bundle screamed and ran straight into the arms of the woman.

Kouga and Inuyasha took this chance and dragged Miroku away from the murderous woman. They were none too gentle either. "Ow! Hey!"

"Kagome!" Sango said sharply, "just what do you have against this poor kitsune! She's probably not even old enough to understand what's going on!"

The kitsune in her arms reacted violently to this. It twisted and turned and manipulated itself so it was stationed on top of her shoulder. "I'm not a girl! And I'm not stupid either! You're with that stupid bitch!"

"Sango! Get away from him NOW." Kagome eyed the kitsune warily and motioned for something behind her back.

"Hey!" Inuyasha called out, narrowing his eyes at the girl. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Saving your cook. That kitsune. Not a child. Illusions are their forte, no? Well, that isn't a child." Kagome said grimly before disappearing in a flash of blue light.

"FUCK!" And with that, the kitsune leapt behind Sango, a blue fire flaming about him, before calming down to reveal a rather handsome young man, with redish tinged hair, and pulled Sango close to him, a knife at her throat. "Damn you bitch!" the young man growled. He looked to be a much older version of the young kitsune Sango was holding earlier. "Now why'd you have to go and spoil my fun? I was having fun with you," and he tilted the dagger upward and forced Sango to lean her head back and face him a bit, "being held and all."

Sango went red in the face, and her expression twisted to that of an angry one. She gritted her teeth, but she did nothing. She was not stupid… she wasn't in a position to fight back right now.

"Scolding me for ruining your fun. How typical. How childish. That IS what you are… isn't it? Why else would you always prefer to take the shape of a child then?" Kagome answered evenly, coolly.

Inuyasha growled and stepped in front of Kagome. "Look you stupid fox. I have no time nor the patience to deal with your stupid meddling tricks right now. Get away from my cook and leave us and I shall spare your life. Stay and try to overtake me and you shall be smited."

To Inuyasha's annoyance, the kitsune only laughed. "Smited? What kind of an idiot still uses the word `smited'? You are really out of the times! How old are you? 1,000 years old or something? Seriously! Who the HELL uses the word SMITED?" the kitsune began to chuckle.

Miroku swore by the book that steam rose out of Inuyasha's ears. "Why… you… little… PUNK!!!!!!" he roared and leapt straight into the air.

They watched as he soared out of sight.

"He can jump pretty high when he wants to eh?" the kitsune grinned, nudging Sango's neck. "I suppose I was just too much for him to han - mpyh!" the kitsune was suddenly slammed into the dirt and a red blur sat on him quite firmly. Inuyasha grinned and cuffed the kitsune on the head a couple of times, emitting from him strange whines.

Sango, who had been shoved aside when Inuyasha had snuck up on Shippou, now lay tangled on the ground with Miroku. "Gah!" and in an instant she was off of him. Luckily, Miroku was knocked unconscious when Sango had abruptly landed on him and did not realize what had happened.

"Eh…?" Miroku blinked groggily and turned himself face up on the ground. "Why am I lying on the dirt?"

"Shut up and get over here idiot!" Kouga snarled, quickly striding over and pulling up Miroku none too gently and grasping Sango by the arm, leading them away to where he was observing the whole scenario.

"How galiant and brave of you Sir Kouga." Sango remarked dryly after a few seconds.

"It beats being in that kitsune's spot."

Miroku nodded. "What wise thoughts Kouga. I'd thought that to be quite above you!" he cheerily stated before sulking back when the wolf youkai cuffed him on the head.

"I SWEAR I'M GOING TO SKIN YOU ALIVE YOU LITTLE BRAT!!!" Inuyasha screeched. Sango rolled her eyes and shied further away from Miroku, still red in the face from their close contact from a few minutes before.

She looked over to where Inuyasha was and looked a bit to the right. She was sure she had seen something moving there...

There is was again! Oh - they had forgotten about Kagome!

As Sango monitered Kagome's movements, or what could be called movements... the girl was just sort of leaning low to the ground, one arm placed on the ground to help balance her as she did a rather awkward crab walk edging closer to the backs of Shippou and Inuyasha.

" - I'LL TEACH YOU SOME MANNERS YOU STUPID LITTLE BRAT!" Miroku and Kouga were enraptured and very entertained by the 'lecture' that the oh so very very wise Inuyasha was giving the kitsune. During the 'lecture', apparently the kitsune had reverted to his orginal form. As a child.

"AND ANOTHER THING! WHY THE HELL DID YOU GIVE AN ILLUSION AS A GROWN KITSUNE? HOW STUPID!" Inuyasha growled, giving him cuffs to the head and punching him about every other word. Kagome had snuck herself very... very close to Inuyasha. She was slowly straightening herself, standing up so that she was positioned right behind the kneeled form of the hanyou.

Inuyasha, being so focused on 'drilling the lesson' into the kitsune's scowl, was completely unaware of her actions. Sango was postive of that fact, as Inuyasha did not like having anyone he did not trust, or have chained, so close to him. As he liked to refer to it, his personal square.

Miroku had once asked him about the square business and was briskly replied with a "Bubbles are for wussys." Sango had not even bothered to question Inuyasha... or Miroku. Men were such strange and complicated creatures...

"I SHOULD SKIN YOU ALIVE FOR YOUR IGNORANCE AND FOOLISHNESS YOU FOOL!"

"...that was original you old fart!" the kitsune finally shot back. He lept back a step, but the space was quickly closed as Inuyasha took a step further, and whacked Shippou on the head.

"I'm not THAT old you ignorant brat!" Inuyasha hissed. Kagome wrinkled her nose, a bit irritated that those two had momentarily given her a hitch in her plans as she scuffled another inch closer.

"Well, you look it!" Shippou was getting braver and braver with every word. Both, however, were still ignorant of Kagome. "I mean, look at your freakin' HAIR! It's white! What kind of self righteous person would WANT white hair?!"

"IT'S NOT WHITE!"

"Tell youself that."

"IT'S SILVER YOU BRAT!"

"That's what they all say…"

::TWHAP::

In a blink of an eye, Kagome had pounced on Shippou and had him pressed against a tree, hand strangling his throat. The little kitsune was turning blue… purple… red… blueish purple… blueish red…

"THAT'S ENOUGH KAGOME!" Sango yelled, running across to where she was. She pulled hard on Kagome's grip on the fox, trying to loosen it and to no avail. "STOP! STOP!"

"Leave it." Kagome hissed. She noticeable loosened her grip on Shippou and glared at Sango, eyes completely black. "You don't know what he's done. Who he's killed." she hissed as she returned to strangling Shippou. Aoi, who had woken up from being drugged, snarled dangerously and yanked away hard at the chains that bound him.

"Let Shippou go Kagome!" Sango cried, standing right next to her, but powerless to do anything.

"Let Aoi go Sango." She replied in an even tone, staring at Sango, but ever so slightly tightening her hold on Shippou. Shippou, it seemed, was able to breathe. It seemed hard, but it was obvious she was letting him breathe. She turned her head away from Sango and focused her unnerving and unwavering gaze upon the fox. It seemed this scared him, for he thrashed and flailed his limbs wilder and harder. "Why do you protect him?" she whispered as an eerie silence claimed the campsite. It seemed even the men in the tent were awake and aware there was danger afoot. Inuyasha could hear them silently taking offense positions, if necessary. They were going to defend their lord. "You do not even know him. So why protect him?"

Sango seemed taken by surprise by the questions and seemed at loss for words. Miroku stepped up for her.

"He is just a child, Kagome. I'm assuming that's either your name or one of Sango's fetishes. Leave him be. He cannot possibly have done so much harm to you."

Kagome suddenly let go of Shippou, who was startled by it and fell uncerimonially to the dirt floor. Kagome kicked him hard into the tree, effectively knocking him out. She turned to Miroku. "What do you know? How can you possibly know the sins he had done? The crimes he has committed? The blood he has shed? How can you possibly know?" Kagome cried. She looked beyond angry, her whole body frame trembling and her gaze upon the floor. No one dared move.

"K-kagome…" Sango started weakly.

"How can you possibly know the pain that he has caused? He slaughtered an entire village of helpless farmers! He killed all livestock! He burned down their houses." Kagome's voice was becoming calmer with every word she spoke. As she winded down, she was back to the old, monotonous voice she had used when they first captured her. "He ravaged all their crops. You cannot have pity or sympathy for that creature. He saved the children for last. He tortured and mutilated their parents. They were still alive to witness the death of their children. So now… you know. Do you still want to save him?" Kagome looked up from the ground and stared unwavering at Miroku. He was wide-eyed, as was everyone else who had just heard her. But Miroku was down right gaping. His jaw slackened and he gaped at her and then forced his gaze upon the unconscious kitsune, who looked like an innocent child, sleeping and dreaming.

"Wh…what?" he asked hoarsely. "He did what?"

"You heard me." She turned her gaze to Sango. "I could leave now, but I shall stay. If he stays with us Sango, I willkill him and leave. If he leaves, we shall meet another day for his death and I shall stay for as long as you wish. That is all." She gave Inuyasha a cold glare before striding into the tent she and Sango shared.

Everyone stood still as if time itself stood still. "Oi Inuyasha. I'll get back to your fort first. Seems like you have it cut out for you here." Kouga said roughly and briskly as he ran off in a whirlwind.

Inuyasha cleared his throat before nodding a quick yes to the wolf. As soon as Kouga was out of sight, he began. "Sango. Get that kitsune outta here as soon as he wakes up. Miroku, you go sleep. Sango, just make sure to keep her," and he nudged his head in Kagome's direction slightly, "chained up from now on."

"Okay."

"Sure thing Yasha."

"Rest up." Inuyasha nodded, leaping onto the nearest tree.

We've got us a big day ahead tomorrow…

~*~

AN: Okay… I've waited for like… a week and my beta never e-mailed me back, so excuse any mistakes!!! Oh! And I'm sorry for the lack of updates, but if I want this story to STAY ON THE PLOT LINE, I gotta concentrate because… well… I tend to screw around if I get bored of the story. Like DYLM?

Yeah. And then it becomes all fucked up. So yeah… well… hope you enjoyed this chapter!