#connecting with people . when i had to fight and claw my way towards every meaningful thing that’s ever happened to me

[francisforever2014]

i know periods of loneliness come and go and i know that it’s Okay!!!! or whatever but also i’m really sick of it lmfao and it feels like it’s lasting Too Long this time and i really want a change but also every time this has changed i’ve just ended up feeling lonely in different ways . does anybody know what to do about this

[fuwafuwamedb]

The Questionnaire Pt 3 (Rin, Cu, Medb)

Previously: The Girls Complete A Survey, Why We Don’t Tell Archer First

___

Huh.

Cu Chulainn stared at the test in front of him, trying to figure out how best to address what had happened and where they were gonna go with the fact that Rin liked him. It was cute. Romantic even.

He wouldn’t be telling the truth if he were to say that he hadn’t thought about kissing the woman. Rin was a beautiful, strong, confident, and prideful woman with a keen gaze that sent the blood rushing south when she was all flush faced and spitting fire. There’d been dreams. There’d been fantasies. He had a lot of things in mind for what to do with that proud little steel spine of hers. He wanted to see her arching on a bed, pressing up to his body and pleading for more.

The fury could result in his chest being clawed.

Rin could demand rather than beg.

There’d been a few more fantasies of her slamming him down against the bed herself and stealing his lips away, tasting his lips and stealing his air. A smack to the ass was fine. A hand around his-

Well, there was a good reason he was starting this whole thing off with thinking about how best to talk to the woman.

Where he currently stood, he had no luck with Rin.

Rin would get flustered at his compliments. She would splutter at him kissing her hand or her cheek. She roared after him at his teasing. She would be told a riddle and spend hours thinking about it until she realized the answer was one big innuendo, to which she would come storming to his door and banging on it.

The yell and runs were getting old. She needed to come inside his room to yell at him.

Preferably in his bed.

“Oh Cu.”

A puddle of pink hair fanned out onto the table over the test, giving him a few of Medb’s face.

“You look so damn killable today.”

He almost told her to fuck off. Almost sent her running off after Mini Cu or his alter self, but the urge to make her leave was paused as he realized…

“I have an admirer.”

“You do. It’s true. I’m the sole founder of Cu love. And, I hope to be the means to which its destroyed one day. It’s a heavy burden, but I think I’ll manage-“

“No no… wait…”

No, he needed to focus on Rin.

“Medb, there’s someone here that likes me and has confessed on paper but won’t confess to me.”

“Oh… So like- Rin.”

Cu stared at her.

“Was this a secret?” Medb sat up, shaking her hair a little with one hand before she yawned. “Rin’s obvious. I mean, she looked into fishing, which only you care about. She wanted to learn about how to wield a lance, again, something that only few care about. She mentioned once that she likes red eyed people- again, not a lot of options. She hates overly noisy people. She tried smoking once with Alter, which was very annoying because I was also very horny so then I was angry AND horny. Do you know Fergus has been getting with Raikou? I did not. That threesome was awful. Downright awful. I don’t need that much tit in my face when I’m riding-“

“Medb. MEDB!”

“And then she does this thing where she finds your sweet spot too soon so then you can’t come together-“

“MEDB!”

The woman blinked.

“I need help with Rin.”

“Fuck her.”

Cu snorted, shaking his head. “Real advice.”

“Fuck… her?”

“How to grow a meaningful and deep connection.”

“You spread her legs and you fuck her.”

He stared at the pink haired woman, blinking.

She stared back, smiling proudly at her own suggestion.

“Right.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I’m going to just… go.”

“When you’re done, tell Rin she’s welcome to a threesome with Alter and I. The monster-“

“Goodbye, Medb.”

The woman waved happily before stealing his spot, her attention going towards watching Caster asleep in the corner.

Cu Chulainn made his way, meanwhile, to where Rin’s room was. He knocked gently, waiting a moment before the door opened at the woman looked up at him in her pajamas.

“Cu?”

“Came to check on ya. No one’s seen you today.”

She did a small spin before turning back towards her bed. “I am a bit sleepy from the blood drawing today. I figured I’d take a nap and hydrate.”

“Yeah?” He moved into the room, closing the door behind him.

“Mhmm…” The woman dove under her covers, fluffing her pillow. “You can come talk to me here.”

“I just came to tell you that I find you to be a beautiful, astounding woman and I want to date you. Possibly, down the line, also do some mana transfers.”

She pat the edge of the bed.

That was surprisingly easy.

Cu moved to sit down, finding the woman’s arms wrapping around his waist.

“You’re so warm,” the woman murmured.

“I would be warmer under the sheets.”

The sheets were thrown open, those blue eyes looking up at him with a sleepy but expectant nature.

“I’m wearing clothes-“

“Strip.”

Cu stared at her.

He had been going to say that he was wearing his shoulder blades. He was wearing clothes that were meant for fighting, not really resting. However, if she wanted him stripped…

He slipped under the covers a couple minutes later, listening to Rin give a small sound of pleasure as she nuzzled against his chest.

“You’re so warm, Cu…”

He’d be here every night from now on.

He pressed his lips to her forehead, proud of himself for coming here to simply tell her that she liked him rather than demanding to hear her emotions.

Her face against his face and her legs and arms around his body said he had hit the jackpot.

Later, after his time with Rin, he’d go thank that doctor. The man had made his life.

[dyaz-stories]

The Maid and The Bodyguard — Chapter Fifteen

First — Previous — Also available on fanfiction.net

A new chapter should be up on fanfiction.net soon!

Sitting around doing nothing wasn’t good for Inuyasha’s nerves. Sango seemed to be perfectly calm, but he could tell from the way her eyes darted all around them at the smallest sound that she was on edge, prepared for the worse. Perhaps it should have been reassuring, but all he could think about was what a strong opponent she’d be, in case he had to fight her. Yeah, they were helping them for now, but that didn’t mean there was any trust there. Just that he’d do anything if it meant he’d save Kagome — and the strength of that feeling was honestly scary to him.

“She’s not dressed like a priestess,” Sango commented after an eternity, without bothering to look at him.

“That’s ‘cause she’s not a priestess.”

She rose an eyebrow and this time turned very slightly towards him, not quite facing him but gauging his response.

“Even I can feel the power coming from her, and it’s far from being my specialty. Are you telling me you don’t feel anything? What about the kitsune?”

Inuyasha glanced back at Shippo who was silent, waiting by Kagome’s side, then briefly at Kagome. He realized he was feeling very self-conscious, now that they were around humans. He didn’t want to hear mocking insinuations, didn’t think he could stand having them say the same things the guards said about him and the princess. Talk about how pathetic he was for hoping for something, ask how he could even imagine someone as filthy as him would even be looked at by someone like her.

But when he looked at her, all he saw was Kagome. In pain. Suffering. Hurt because he hadn’t managed to protect her. He’d felt spiritual power before, he’d even seen her use it, but there was nothing like that now. She was just… Kagome.

He swallowed.

“She said she didn’t feel in danger when she was around me,” he said, voice rough, hoping he wasn’t letting her see too much and bracing himself for a mocking reply.

“That might just be it then,” she said instead, tone flat. “Spiritual power works in mysterious ways. If she doesn’t want to hurt you, she might just be able not to. It’s instinctive, from what I know. Same for the kid, I guess.”

He nodded silently, throat suddenly tight. It was just like Kagome, wasn’t it? Protecting and helping him without even knowing it. Sango watched his expression with interest. She despised the Queen’s watchdogs and she had yet to determine whether or not he was one of them, but there seemed to be more to this story than what met the eye.

Miroku removed his hands from Kagome’s head with a tired sigh, and Inuyasha jumped to his feet, but the monk only laid her down carefully.

“Why did you stop?” the half-demon growled, stepping in front of him threateningly.

“This is as much as I can do, I’m afraid,” Miroku replied, trying to appease Sango, who clearly didn’t appreciate Inuyasha’s attitude, with a smile. “The rest is up to her. We just need to have faith.”

“If she dies…”

“If she dies, nothing,” Sango snapped. “We’re doing our best here.“

Maybe it was unfair from her, as the glance Miroku gave her indicated, but she didn’t ponder on it, nor did she feel guilty for it. Death was a possibility, every step of the way. It was there. Always. The sooner people accepted it, the better.

Inuyasha pursed his lips in anger, and Miroku set a calming hand on her shoulder. He’d noticed, as he always seemed to notice, the way her grip on the Hiraikotsu had tightened.

“We should go and gather what we need to make a bow and arrow,” he said with a soothing voice. “It would be better if she had something to channel her power into.” He nodded politely at Inuyasha. “We’ll leave her with you.”

Inuyasha growled as an answer. He wasn’t sure he liked the implications of the man’s words. What, did he mean they were entrusting her to him? Who the hell did they think they were? He turned around to kneel by her side, rudely presenting his back to them. He pointedly ignored the way Sango rolled her eyes and how Miroku pulled her away. Shippo hesitated for a couple of seconds before stepping back. He didn’t want to abandon Kagome, but even he could sense that Inuyasha needed a minute here.

When the clearing quieted, slowly, carefully, he reached out to run his clawed fingers through her hair. He’d thought about that for— a long time now. Touching her, knowing she wouldn’t be horrified, and last night had made him think she… wouldn’t be. He took off his haori, draping her in it as carefully as he could. Wouldn’t want her to get cold. Well that was, if—

He sucked in a deep breath, closing his eyes. He couldn’t think about it. Refused to imagine it. He couldn’t— couldn’t lose her. He’d never had someone like her in his life before. The closest would have been Kikyo, but Kagome was nothing like Kikyo. He didn’t think there could be any replacing her, ever. She’d turned into the brightest light in his life and he couldn’t see it go out.

“Kagome,” he called out, voice raspy. He hadn’t cried in years, hadn’t even cried when his mother had died. But now? He was coming close to his breaking point. “You have to fight. Please. I can’t—” What couldn’t he do? He didn’t expect her to stay by his side after this. Hell, he didn’t expect her to want to stay by his side. This wasn’t what this was about. He just needed to know she was alive. “I can’t do this if you’re not here.” If you’re not around anymore. If there isn’t at least one person in this world who I can think about and know she makes a difference. Know she’s better.

Know she smiles. Know she’s happy. Know she’s bringing joy to those around her, because of fucking course she does. Know she’s pushing through, day after day. Know she’s still fighting.

“You can’t give up on that, Kagome.” His eyes were burning. “There’s so much for ya out there. You can’t go. You’re stronger than this.” And now the lump in his throat was so big he could barely talk anymore.

You can’t go because I love you.

But even now, even when she couldn’t hear him, he couldn’t say it, because what kind of fucked up reason would that be? It didn’t change anything. Not for her, not for him. She shouldn’t want anything to do with him, and his life was sworn to someone else, even if he’d been doing a pretty terrible job at keeping that promise recently.

It didn’t matter that he loved her, and maybe that was the worst part of it all. Admitting it to himself didn’t change anything to who he was, to what he was, and to what they had together.

“It’ll kill the kid if you go,” he said instead. “And what ‘bout your mother and brother? It’ll break their heart. You need to keep fighting, Kagome. Please.”

But she didn’t move.

He stayed next to her for hours. Miroku and Sango returned, exchanging a meaningful look when they realized Kagome hadn’t woken up, but he pretended he didn’t see it. Who the fuck were they to condemn her? They didn’t know her. If anyone could do it, she would be the one who made it through.

They started working in silence, building the bow and the arrows. Miroku seemed to have a bunch of arrowheads on him, which Inuyasha deemed a bit strange, but then maybe it was a monk thing.

Kagome didn’t wake up through the whole thing, nor when Shippo finally walked closer, curling himself up on her chest, both to bring her some heat and to try to pretend that she was here, that she was okay, that she wasn’t in that horrible space between life and death and he couldn’t do anything about it, just like he hadn’t been able to do anything about his father and his mother before him.

Once they were done, Miroku set the arrows next to Kagome, watching her intently. Inuyasha didn’t miss the change in his attitude and straightened himself. The world stopped for a couple of minutes, until the monk sighed, defeated, and turned around to sit by Sango’s side.

And that’s just when it happened.

It wasn’t an impressive movement in any way, but she reached a trembling hand out, and closed it around the bow. Inuyasha immediately jumped to his feet, prepared to help her in any way she might need. Her face had been perfectly still for hours and it was now distorted with either pain or discomfort, which chilled him to his bones but still meant she was there. Alive.

Fighting.

Miroku and Sango might have missed it, if it wasn’t for Inuyasha’s reaction. They both stood still, watching as Kagome battled until, finally, she managed to open her eyes.

She tried to prop herself up, and Inuyasha moved to help her without a word, the gesture completely natural to him. He didn’t even question it, despite the eyes watching them, didn’t think about the way his hands lingered on her waist and shoulders, comforting her without even knowing it. He was displaying an intimacy that would have been inappropriate in the human world, and he didn’t even notice it. It just felt… right.

“Inuyasha,” she whimpered, hands tightening on his arms.

“’m here,” he mumbled, voice low, not letting go of her as long as she needed him by her side. “You feeling okay?”

She nodded, very slowly. She felt better. She had managed to silence the voice in her head, though it wasn’t completely gone yet, but there was more. The world… was different. Felt different. Full of life, and of something she couldn’t quite identify, of— power, maybe. She could feel her own strength flowing around her, towards the bow and arrows, could feel at least two other connections to things around her, one going deep inside the forest, but the other much closer.

Her eyes landed on the black-haired monk and the tall demon slayer.

“You helped me,” she commented, frowning. Her voice was thick and the words were coming out with difficulty, but she didn’t feel weak anymore. Quite the contrary, in fact.

“Indeed,” Miroku replied with a bright smile. “But it is always my pleasure to help someone quite a beautiful as—”

There was a loud smack, and Sango didn’t even bother commenting. He could flirt with anyone, for all she cared, but girls who had just been brought back from the verge of death or had half-demons protectors who were clearly smitten with them should have been an obvious no-no.

And she wasn’t jealous at all.

She took a step towards the girl and studied her, even as Inuyasha growled and shielded her with his body. She didn’t blame him exactly, there had been tension between them since the beginning after all. The girl — Kagome — had bright eyes, and her power was even more obvious than before. None of that really mattered though. Instead, Sango looked at the way she touched Inuyasha. There was no disgust, no hatred. If anything, there was deep care there. Trust, even.

Huh. So maybe there was still some hope for the Kingdom.

“Are you feeling better?” she asked. She knew her voice sounded harsh, and for the first time in a long while, she wished she’d been able to use a kinder one. The girl didn’t wince though, and she couldn’t help but smile when she thought that she’d probably gotten used to it, if her half-demon companion was anything to go by.

“I am,” Kagome replied, managing to smile. “Thank you.”

“I didn’t do much,” Sango replied honestly, kneeling in front of her as Inuyasha reluctantly moved out of the way to let them talk, “and I’m afraid you’re not quite safe yet, but…” She glanced at Miroku, who was dramatically massaging the back of his head. “You said she was the only one who could free herself.”

Realizing he wouldn’t be getting any sympathy from her, he dropped his hand and sighed. “Well, yes and no. She needs to follow the connection to her attacker herself, but then I suppose anyone could kill them.”

Inuyasha growled, cracking his knuckles. “Then let’s do this. Kagome, you feeling anything?”

Sango smirked at his words. They may have gotten off on the wrong foot, but she certainly liked the way his mind worked.

“He’s right, isn’t he?” she asked, glancing at Miroku. “The sooner the better. The longer the connection’s there, the more energy it’ll drain.”

The monk hesitated, looking unsure for the first time. “Well, yes, but…”

“What is it?” Inuyasha asked, tensing up.

“I’m by no means a specialist when it comes to those connections,” he replied slowly, “however I do fear it could be used to control her.”

A chill went through Kagome. The voice had said something like that, hadn’t she? “It’s a miracle you haven’t burned the half-breed yet, but don’t worry. That time will come soon.”

“So what?” Inuyasha practically barked. “’s not like we have a choice if we want to save her, do we?”

“No,” Miroku admitted, still looking uncomfortable. “No, I guess not. But there are risks—”

“Fuck risks,” Inuyasha spat. “Kagome, can you feel anything?”

Her eyes darted towards the forest, and she shivered, with Inuyasha immediately tightening the haori around her in response, arms around her. The warmth of his body seeped through the cloth and spread inside her. She took a deep, calming breath, letting herself relax a little in what was almost an embrace. Yes, she could. There was something there. It didn’t feel like demonic energy, or rather not exactly. It was nothing like Shippo or Inuyasha, and it felt— it felt disgusting. Gross. Wrong.

“Yes,” she said, swallowing with some difficulty. “Yes, but…”

She didn’t want to die, obviously, however she also didn’t want to hurt him, or even risk hurting him.

“Then let’s go,” he said, interrupting her. He refused to waste any more time. They’d get rid of whoever was behind that, save Kagome, and then he’d worry about the rest. “You can’t feel it, monk?” he asked, calling out to Miroku.

The man shook his head. “I’m afraid not. If we don’t take Lady Kagome with us, I doubt…”

Inuyasha ignored the rest of his sentence. “’m sorry, Kagome, but we really need to go. Feeling up for it?”

She smiled, weakly but with determination. She had concerns, of course, but right now, Inuyasha felt unstoppable, and she wanted to believe in him. She was choosing to believe in him.

“Let’s do this.”

Kagome was fighting hard to remain conscious. Inuyasha was leaning forwards as he ran through the forest, doing his best so she wouldn’t have to hold on to him too tightly. She’d wrapped her arms around him but they were loose, as she couldn’t put any strength in the gesture. Her heart was beating loudly in her ears, but unlike previous times during their travel, it mostly had to do with fear. She also had to focus on the connection, on guiding him, and still, fight against the things in her head.

Miroku and the woman whose name she hadn’t caught were following close by. The demon slayer had brought a whistle to her lips and a big, white catlike demon had come out of nowhere with fire under its paws, and they’d jumped on its back. The woman had attached a mask over her mouth, and Kagome had watched with interest. She’d noticed her eyes wrinkling, and she’d guessed she was smiling to her.

They seemed nice. She barely knew them, but so far they were probably the people who had been the nicest to them — or, well, to Inuyasha — since the beginning of their travel. Who’d have thought that it would be here, in the middle of the demon lands, that they would finally encounter some humanity?

“Inuyasha?” she called softly.

“Hm?”

“What that monk said, about her being able to control my body…”

“Yeah?”

“She said she’d use it to hurt you.”

“Yeah.” His voice was calm, probably calmer than she’d ever heard it. “I figured. When we stopped earlier today… You said you didn’t want to hurt me.”

Her arms tightened around him just a little, which was as much as she could do in her current state.

“I don’t.”

He knew that, and right now, that was the only thing that mattered to him. He wasn’t feeling completely at ease, if he was honest. Despite what Sango had said earlier about her power, he could sense the bow and arrows. The energy was different there, not fully hers anymore. He could only guess it was the point, but something told him that that could hurt him. It wasn’t all that important to him though. He wanted her to live. No matter what. Knowing that if anything happened there was no way she would have wanted it to happen was enough for him.

“Don’t worry ‘bout it.”

She sighed heavily. He didn’t know what the world… felt like since she’d woken up. Not too long ago, she had no control whatsoever on her powers. She didn’t really know how to use them still, but she could tell that she’d be able to. And that terrified her.

“Hey, you’re not blaming yourself, are ya? None of that shit’s your fault.”

No. But what happened next might very well be. Still, his attempt brought a sincere smile to her lips.

“Thanks, Inuyasha.”

Sango watched the pair with attention, noticing the kitsune’s tail but well-aware that those two were in their own little world at the moment.

“Her arrows…” she started.

“Dangerous,” Miroku replied immediately, naturally completing her thought, something they’d achieved after years of working together in situations similar to this one. “You don’t— They’re basically drenched in her power. Normally it would take much longer, but she’s practically overflowing with it. She… might have a problem when they go back.”

She let out a joyless chuckle. “Look at them. They’ll have a problem. As long as they stay in Queen Kaede’s kingdom, they’re basically doomed.”

“We could…” He didn’t finish his sentence. Sango was the harsh leader, and he was the hopeless romantic — in love, by the way, with said harsh leader who would never have eyes for him.

But that was not how she felt this time. Sure, her opinion didn’t have much to do with romance, however the village built by her ancestors had been made with exactly that type of situations in mind. So that people who couldn’t be happy elsewhere would have a refuge. Still, she couldn’t let just anyone in, nor give them the location of the village if she didn’t trust them fully.

“I’ll think about it,” she mumbled thoughtfully.

For now though, they should be focusing on one thing and one thing only, and that was the fight ahead of them.

They slowed down abruptly when the trees disappeared. Inuyasha and Sango exchanged a silent look, instinctively recognizing one another as the leaders for the battle to come. They lingered in the forest for a few moments, hesitant to step into the grass.

“She’s here,” Kagome said with conviction. “Up there.”

Sango gritted her teeth. They were facing a hill, on top of which they could vaguely see the shape of a house. This wasn’t good. Whoever was in there would absolutely see them coming. They could probably feel Kagome anyway, but she still would have liked to keep some element of surprise. On top of that, houses were rare in this land. And if you managed to preserve yours, it had to mean you were pretty strong.

Great. This was just great.

“I see,” Miroku mumbled.

All eyes immediately darted to him.

“What is it, monk?” Inuyasha asked tensely.

“It’s Miroku,” Miroku replied with a glare, eliciting a smile from Kagome who could definitely see herself in that struggle. “Lady Kagome, I guess you can feel it too. The person up there… is a dark priestess.”

Kagome nodded slowly. It made sense. She wouldn’t have been able to put such a name on it, but now that he’d said the words, it felt completely obvious.

“Meaning?” Inuyasha snapped.

“Meaning a priestess who’s given her soul to a demon in order to gain more powers,” Sango answered with the same tone, certainly not appreciating his attitude.

She missed Miroku’s smile at seeing her getting defensive for him. Kagome, even in her state, did not.

“So?” Inuyasha insisted. “We still have a chance?”

Sango couldn’t help but grin. He was infuriating, but once more, she definitely liked the way he thought.

“We do,” she said seriously. “I’ve handled dark priestesses before. They’re trickier than your average demon, but the good news is they don’t really have spiritual powers anymore, so it’s not like it’s anything more for you to worry about.”

“Keh. Just gotta worry about destroying demons then? Piece of cake.”

In theory, yeah. But in reality… Sango’s eyes flew towards Kagome. She was doing her best, but the potential control of the priestess on her was a worry. They didn’t know how strong she was, and realistically, without any training, she doubted she’d be able to do much. The blame wasn’t on her obviously, but no matter what Miroku said about her strength, there was no way she’d be able to shoot an arrow efficiently at this point, which meant they couldn’t count on her all that much, and yet she could still be a distraction from the fight.

She wasn’t sure she liked those odds.

“Miroku, would you mind staying back with Kagome behind a barrier?” She sighed when Inuyasha started growling. “Oh please, is this necessary? She needs protection, and we can’t be doing both. A barrier is probably the best solution.” To protect her… and to protect us from her. “Are we good with that?”

She would have added something about how they couldn’t afford to get distracted, but the truth was she didn’t even fully trust herself with that. She knew for sure that Miroku could handle himself, she’d seen him in action. Wouldn’t stop her from worrying, though.

“You okay with that, Kagome?” Inuyasha asked, glancing over his shoulder.

She gave him a tired smile. She was holding on, but she didn’t know how long she could stay conscious — and she didn’t know what would happen if she lost consciousness again. Staying behind did feel like a good idea.

“Sounds good to me,” she said softly.

Inuyasha turned back towards Miroku and narrowed his eyes at him. The guy had helped them, sure, but to say that Inuyasha wasn’t trusting by nature would have been an understatement. He certainly didn’t want to entrust him with Kagome, but it didn’t look like he had a choice.

“If anything happens to her…” Sango clicked her tongue, but he ignored her. “If anything happens to her because of you, I will kill you.”

“Ah, but I would never let harm happen to such a beau-”

Sango’s elbow suddenly colliding with his gut interrupted him once more. “Don’t worry about it. Miroku’s capable.”

Inuyasha’s frown told her he wasn’t convinced by that, but it wasn’t like they had much of a choice.

“I’ll be fine, Inuyasha,” Kagome’s voice whispered, and he closed his eyes. He wanted to believe that. He needed to believe that so, so desperately.

“Yeah. I’ll make sure of that.”

They didn’t bother trying to hide themselves as they charged towards the hovel. While Sango hadn’t had much hope for the possibility of surprising whoever lived there, she still cursed silently to herself when she saw the silhouette standing before them. Okay, the sun had set down merely moments ago, but was it too much to ask for demons to sleep sometimes?

The woman had long, white hair and bright red lips curved into a mocking smile. She’d clearly been expecting them. Her eyes immediately focused on Kagome and Inuyasha, and the half-demon protectively tightened his grip on the young woman.

“He did say a half-demon would probably try to bring the princess back,” she commented, her voice deep and warm, matching her beautiful appearance.

“You work for Naraku,” Inuyasha growled.

His adrenaline was spiking already, his claws itching with the need to fight. He set Kagome down just as Miroku and Sango jumped from the cat-demon. The monk wasted no time to get by their side, helping Kagome to the ground as her legs failed her. Just as Inuyasha stepped away, he rose the barrier, staff firmly planted in the ground.

“Naraku said I should bring him your head,” the woman added matter-of-factly. “He didn’t mention the others, but he’d certainly be happy to get a monk, a priestess and a demon slayer as well. The kitsune will just be a bonus.”

Shippo shrieked and jumped behind Sango. With Kagome behind the barrier, he recognized her as his best chance of survival. Not that he particularly thought she’d be stronger than Inuyasha. Just that she might actually want him to live.

She gently patted his head.

“Kirara, keep an eye on him,” she ordered the cat-demon, who nodded in response.

When she spun around, she threw the Hiraikotsu. She hoped that would surprise her, even if just a little, but if it didn’t it would at least cut the pleasantries short. She had no interest in hearing that stuff. Inuyasha understood her plan immediately and didn’t miss the the opening she’d given him, running in the boomerang’s wake. Even if she managed to avoid it or push it away, he’d follow right behind, and that might just give them the advantage.

The woman smiled.

Without a warning, dozens of demons started coming out of her eye, fodder for the Hiraikotsu, but slowing it down enough that it went back towards Sango before reaching the dark priestess. She caught it with a grunt. Inuyasha was abruptly stopped by a larger, doglike demon, who clearly worked on separating them. The thing was huge, and though it wasn’t particularly fast, it did a pretty good job of pushing him aside. His claws were proving to be useless against it. Not that they didn’t make any damage, but definitely not enough to incapacitate it.

While the two of them were battling, the woman turned her eyes towards the monk and the priestess. A barrier? Cute.

Kagome’s scream cut through the night, and Inuyasha’s blood ran cold. He spun around, forgetting where he was for a second, and was right in time to avoid the arrow coming straight towards him. Behind him, the demon, about to attack the back he now presented to him was obliterated by its power, and the dark priestess hissed in annoyance.

“Inuyasha,” Kagome sobbed as her hand reached for another arrow. “You have to go.”

Sango glanced back, still fighting off the small demons. What on Earth was Miroku waiting for to stop her?

Despite herself, her body froze for a second when she saw him laying on the ground. The moment of inattention earned her a cut, fortunately stopped in part by her armor. Kagome’s arrow must have shattered the barrier, she reasoned, and the shock had probably knocked him out. He was fine. She needed to believe that for now — she’d take care of it after the fight. That was what her entire education had led to: prioritizing. Even if it killed her not to be able to check on him right this moment.

“Inuyasha,” Kagome cried again as her trembling hands nocked another arrow and she took aim with a precision that couldn’t possibly be her doing.

With a feral growl, the half-demon turned towards the dark priestess. She was the one doing that. He just had to take her out, and everything would be over. Next to him, Sango was finishing off the small demons with, he had to admit, a ferocity and a skill he didn’t think he’d ever seen before. Pretty impressive, if you asked him.

The woman paled. Her stupid mistake had costed her the strongest of her demons, which threatened not only her chances to make it through the fight alive, but also her life after that. Naraku would have no use for her if her strength was gone, and you did not want Naraku to lose interest in you.

Her eyes went back towards the young priestess, and she tensed. She’d let her guard down for only a second, and the little bitch had used it to drop the arrow. She’d also fallen back to the ground, and was now watching her with furious eyes. Maybe she’d underestimated her a little, she conceded. She seemed to have a lot of fight left in her — but she was untrained, right? She wouldn’t be able to do anything.

Playing her final card, she threw her hand forward as a snake escaped from her sleeve. The half-demon and the demon slayer turned around to follow it in horror, both unable to catch it before it reached her, and Tsubaki smiled. She needed to disappear right this instant if she wanted to make it out alive, but she couldn’t resist the urge to witness her triumph on this meddlesome group.

Kagome barely looked down at the white snake sliding towards her.

“You bitch,” she growled in a way that would have made Inuyasha proud.

She refused to go down like that. Not here, not now, not by her hand. She’d taunted her for hours, toyed with her, called her weak. Well, it was time to prove her that she wasn’t.

She didn’t think, instinct moving her hand as she used the bow to strike back.

The smile disappeared off Tsubaki’s face, and there was nothing she could do when her own cursed hit her. She’d planned on using it for death, and her own lack of mercy was what cost her her life.

Inuyasha didn’t worry about her any longer, jumping back to Kagome’s side in two large leaps. Sango took the time to make sure the woman was dead before following him, rushing to Miroku.

“I’m fine,” Kagome said, her voice surprisingly assured.

Checking for himself, Inuyasha realized that she was telling the truth. Her limbs weren’t trembling anymore, and though she looked exhausted, she at least didn’t seem ill anymore. He took her hands in his, gently.

“I’m sorry I shot you,” she whispered.

“’s okay. I made it out alright.”

“Yeah, but…”

“Kagome. I said it’s okay. I know ya didn’t mean to. ‘m just…” Without thinking, he brought one of her hands to his lips, just briefly. “’m glad you’re okay.”

She had difficulties breathing now, and it had nothing to do with what had happened just before. The moment was intense, squeezing her heart in her chest in the most delicious way, but most most importantly, it was theirs. And she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

They settled around the campfire while Kagome treated Sango’s injury. Miroku had offered, but she still felt pretty bad about the whole knocking him out thing, even if it wasn’t technically her fault. The Queen’s balm was slowly but surely declining, and she hoped she hadn’t been too presumptuous in its use. Somehow, encountering someone who worked for Naraku only made it more real. They would be facing him soon.

“How far are we from Naraku’s castle?” she asked while bandaging the demon slayer.

“Less than a week,” Sango replied calmly.

She studied the young woman with attention. She had to admit, the stuff she’d pulled facing the dark priestess had impressed her. She didn’t know much about spiritual powers — she was sensitive enough to it, but still couldn’t use it — but she could have sworn that this wasn’t something that you could just do, if it was even taught. In her experience, the ability to follow your instincts was one of the most useful thing for battle, and she wouldn’t have been surprised if that was what had mattered there. Which meant that giving her and the half-demon an invitation to join the village wouldn’t be simply charitable. It could be useful. And that changed everything.

“So what are you, if you’re not a priestess?”

She hoped she didn’t sound too rude. She wasn’t used to interactions with completely new people. Apart from the children and the very rare people who were brought in, her village was mostly sheltered.

“Oh.” Kagome chuckled awkwardly. “A maid, actually. I work at the Queen’s castle, but I was chosen to accompany Inuyasha.”

Sango nodded, but couldn’t help frowning. That made it sound like she was expendable, nothing more than— a currency. She didn’t like it. Not that she was surprised, coming from people who could take children from their homes to turn them into soldiers.

“The two of you seem close,” she commented.

There was a brief look of horror on Kagome’s face before she softened, realizing Sango hadn’t meant anything by it.

“We are,” she replied quietly. “I think. It’s kind of hard to tell with him but… But I’d like to think we are.”

Sango shook her head, amused. Considering the displays of affection she’d just witnessed, she couldn’t imagine how Kagome could not think that. But then, maybe the half-demon found it better to pretend. She could understand that, particularly if they were to go back to the human lands after what would only be, in the end, a nice interlude.

The thought was still dancing in her head after they had eaten, when she watched him sit down next to her, almost touching, clearly watching over her for the night. It was obvious she was like a magnet for him, that he had to refrain himself from touching her every step of the way, and it was unfair. That could have been enough for her to extend a hand towards them.

But he was the princess’s bodyguard. If anything about the village came back to the royalty, he could doom them all, and she couldn’t threaten the people who lived there. So as hard as it was, she needed to keep quiet. For now. And hopefully, he’d prove to her that there were things he held higher than the person who would sit on the throne.