Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Golden Gaze ❯ Chapter 4

Golden Gaze

By:

Goijh

Chapter Four

Kagome felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she held onto Inuyasha. She clung to him as if her life depended on it. Afraid that if she let him go he would disappear and she would realize that it had all been a hopeful dream. The miko was unsure if everything was really happening because she was relatively sure that Inuyasha would never return her embrace so openly. But to hell with that. She didn't care. All she wanted was for this moment to last forever.

Distantly she was aware of Inuyasha's hand stroking her hair in a soothing fashion. His other arm curled around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She could feel something wet on her face. It was then that she noticed that she was crying softly into Inuyasha's haori. Tears of relief and pent up fear freely cascaded down her cheeks, staining the inu's firerat with their moisture.

Kagome could hear a voice whispering something to her. She couldn't understand the words or really make out the voice, but she knew that it was Inuyasha. He was pleading with her gently to calm down and cease crying. She felt herself smile a little inside.

He always hated it when she cried. It was one of the little ways that he let slip, alerting her to the fact that on some level he really did care for. At least as a friend.

Sniffling she planted her hands on his strong chest and reluctantly pushed away. Forcing a smile to her face, Kagome stepped back and met her savior's eyes. His golden orbs flashed with some hidden emotion and for a moment it appeared that was as disappointed with the lack of contact as she was. It quickly passed though before she could place her finger on it. In its stead was his usual scowl, though she noted that it was only half-hearted.

"Oi, wench. What did you think you were doing running away like that? Because of you we've missed out on valuable shard collecting time." Inuyasha snapped at her. His voice was not really harsh though.

Kagome's lips trembled slightly as she looked down for a moment to brush away her tears. Raising her head her sapphire eyes, glistening unnaturally in the evening light, stared into his amber orbs. She could tell that he had been worried about her. And she also knew enough about him to know that feeling that way made him think he was weak and vulnerable. She had learned that that was his motive for always acting so cruel to her. It was the closest he could come to saying he cared.

The smile stayed on her lips as she closed the distance between them once again. Snaking her arms around his torso, she laid her cheek against his shoulder. She could feel hear his heart racing. Vaguely she wondered if she caused the speeding in his pulse or if it was due to running. She hoped it was the former but let it drop at that. She would not disillusion herself.

"Thank you Inuyasha." She whispered quietly, but knowing that he could here her. "For finding me."

"Feh."

The smile became genuine at his familiar noncommital response. "I'll take that as a 'You're welcome'" she said with a giggle, pulling away once again before Inuyasha's grouchier side could completely return. Once again the inu glanced sadly down at her, mourning the loss of her warmth but knowing that this was the way that things had to be. He did not allow the sorrow to show on his face though and instead kept his deep-set scowl.

Kagome's smile weakened when she saw the dark look on Inuyasha's face. Worried that something she had said or done might have offended him, she desperately tried to change the subject and get his mind off of it.

"Where are Miroku and Sango?" She asked as she looked around, for the first time noticing that they weren't there. Her plan seemed to work as Inuyasha immediately smirked and puffed out his chest in an arrognant gesture.

"Feh. They were too slow to keep up with me!" He announced proudly.

Kagome stifled a giggle at his display, but allowed some of her concern for her friends to remain. "But they will be able to find us right?" She asked a little nervously.

Inuyasha inwardly smiled at her concern. Kagome was always thinking of others before herself. Including him. He couldn't help himself as he pulled her in for another embrace. He knew it was out of his character, but he was so glad to have found Kagome. He had never known that he could worry about one person so much....And now that he had found her, he only wanted to hold her.

At least until the others came. He couldn't let them see him acting soft like this. It would ruin his reputation.

Kagome gasped lightly in surprise when Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her again, but she found herself unable to protest when it felt so right to have him hold her like this. She sighed and relaxed again, leaning her head upon his shoulder, only to tense up and pull away.

The miko had that feeling again. Like she was being watched.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome peeked at her surroundings. Secretly she scanned the forest, unable to see into the trees due to the night's darkness. Was someone out there watching her?

No.

There couldn't be right? If there was Inuyasha would have noticed-wouldn't he?

It was probably just her imagination.

But somehow she didn't think that it was.

Almost against her will, Kagome found her thoughts returning to the silver haired kitsune. She didn't even notice Inuyasha gently shaking her shoulders, trying to ask her what was wrong.

'Youko Kurama' she whispered in her head. A small frown played at the corners of her mouth. She wondered why her thoughts kept returning to him. 'He's such a mysterious figure,' she mused. Oddly enough she found that to be quite alluring. But there was just something she couldn't put her foot on. Why had he just given her his shard of the Shikon Jewel? Not that she minded or anything.

She just found it...odd.

Could he be out there watching her?

"Oi! Wench, are you listening to me?"

Kagome started a little at the sound of Inuyasha's voice so close to her ear. She jerked her head up and found herself inches away from his questioning molten stare. "Huh?" she managed with a weak grin.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and took a deep breath, relieved that she seemed to be fine. 'She must have just zoned out,' he reasoned as he prepared to repeat his question, still wondering what she had been thinking about. "What I was saying was-"

Kagome began to feel uneasy as the hanyou's eyes grew wide. His nose moved closer to her and twitched as he delicately began to sniff her. His eyes darted up to meet hers before he continued to sniff her. The miko stood still in confusion, watching as he circled her, occassionally drawing closer in order to smell her better.

"Kagome..." His nose twitched a couple more times as he finally stopped in front of her. His amber stare captured her own, concern and confusion swirling in the molten depths. His mouth opened as if to say something, but then it closed again.

Inuyasha leaned forward, his nose all but brushing against Kagome's skin. She could feel his hot breath caressing her face. Involuntarily she shuddered at the sensations it caused.

His nostrils flared slightly as he took another whiff of the foreign scent slinging to Kagome's body. He saw her shiver and sensing that his proximity was making her uncomfortable, drew away again. He watched her for a moment, for the first time really taking in her appearence. He had noticed earlier that mud and dirt caked her clothes and hair. He had also seen the few holes and tears that now speckled her uniform. But he had not truly realized just how much of a bedraggled state she was in.

How could have not noticed that scent earlier?

He felt his blood begin to boil at the thought of someone attacking Kagome.

And he hadn't been there to protect her.

"Kagome?" he tried again. Bewildered she looked at him. But she did not say anything. She only stood there. Patiently waiting for him to finish whatever he was trying to say.

"Why do you smell like kitsune?"

*********************************************

Youko knew that his stalking was getting out of control.

He was becoming obsessed with the girl. A ningen! It was beyond all reasoning. At this moment in fact, he was struggling futilely to keep from running to where she stood and breaking up the physical contact that was being shared between her and the inu. His possessive and protective insticts were screaming at him to slay the one that would dare touch his woman.

'MY woman?!' Youko's eyes imperceptibly widened at the thought and he became frozen as if pertrified. WHERE had that thought come from. That young woman was nothing to him. NOTHING! She was merely a passing fasination. Once he figured out what it was that intrigued him about her, he would lose interest and leave.

That was the pattern, and he stuck to it like it was life itself.

He had an uneasy feeling in his bones though. His normally steadfast confidence in himself was wavering. This ningen was affecting him like no other before had ever been able to. What if things were different this time.

"Kagome?"

The inu's voice broke the thief out of his stupor, drawing his immediate attention back to the pair that stood before him, unaware of his lurking presence. Even from that distance that he watched he make out the concern in the youkai's features. Could it be...?

"Why do you smell like kitsune?"

Youko heard the words while something akin to horror played upon him. He knew that dog demons had a much stronger sense of smell than kistune, but it was second nature for him to mask his scent. How was it that this..Inuyasha, she had called him...this Inuyasha could catch his scent. It should not have even been present at all. He had never let his guard down, and even if he had, it was practically instinct to hide that one thing that was more unique than a fingerprint.

If a youkai could catch his scent, than they would automatically be able to identify him anywhere...Provided that they lived to remember it.

The kitsune's entire nody tensed in preparation to attack. The inu would have to die. 'Just the inu?' that annoying voice came back to ask. A mental growl goaded it back into hiding. The inu would have to die. The girl...there were still somethings that he needed to know about her.

Youko crouched low to the ground, his eyes never leaving the pair in front of him. He only needed the perfect moment to present itself. He had no idea how the dog had been able to smell him, but it was no longer of any matter. He would kill him and that would be the end of that.

He could not help but watch in genuine interest though as Kagome stood silent, still recovering from being caught off guard by Inuyasha's question. With unfeigned curiostity he found himself wondering what she would tell her companion. Would she reveal his identity? Would she keep their meeting a secret? Would she reply at all?

"Kitsune?" Kagome finally said, her eyes still a little wider than normal. Inuyasha only nodded in confirmation. The girl smiled weakly up at him. Youko could tell right away that she was going to try to play it off. And he knew just as quickly that the dog demon would not believe her. It was only painfully obvious that she was not a good liar at all.

Kurama contined to watch as she shifted her weght nervously from foot to foot. His claws were out and ready to dig into the other youkai's flesh, but he remained hidden, anxiously awaiting her reply.

His eyes shifted targets though as the youkai moved. Inuyasha brought his hands to rest on each of Kagome's shoulders and squeezed encouragingly, trying to assure her that it was alright.

"Kagome, were you attacked?" He asked. The worry in his scent was so thick that it was practically suffocating. It was almost pathetic that he should care so much for the young girl. But Youko was somehow finding it hard to scoff at the inu's concern. It dawned on him with sudden discomfort, that he too would be interested in the girl's safety.

"Well, I wasn't actually attacked..." He could hear her reply. Her voice was soft and slightly hesitant. She was definately the worst liar that he had ever come upon. It was kind of amusing.

Youko found his window of opportunity. The inu's guard was completely down now that he was entirely absorbed in the girl's welfare. Her answer had nudged him towards dropping that last of his awareness until all of his attention was focused solely on her. If Youko Kurama had been more of a sentimental type, and not so dead set on eliminating the one youkai that could now identify him, he might had found it almost touching. As it was, he thought it foolish, but was grateful that the young woman was able to unwillingly provide a distraction.

Instinct told him that the youkai before him was not an oppenent to trifle with.

With speed that was practically unrivaled, Youko went for the kill.