Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

Basic Instinct 2	By : SplendentGoddess Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > InuYasha/Kagome Views: 12070 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi or VIZ Productions, and I do not gain financially from my fanfic in any way.

Chapter List
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- 2
Chapter 1 - Hell Hath No Fury
The walk back to camp should have only taken them around five minutes, but at Inuyasha's current pace, it would take them nearly twice as long. He was in no hurry. Not when he had the girl of his dreams, the woman he loved...his mate, currently snuggling so closely against him, as she rode on his back, arms wrapped around his neck, legs gripping him tightly. Brazenly, Inuyasha adjusted the position of where he held Kagome's legs, shifting his hands to creep just a tad higher up her inner thighs.
"Hentai..." she murmured playfully, though she made no move to dislodge his hold.
Chuckling quietly, the hanyou found himself wishing that Kagome was wearing her school uniform, instead of her flannel pajama bottoms. Oh well, maybe next time...
All too soon, the peaceful tranquility of their morning walk came to an end, as they met up with their friends back in the clearing.
"Good morning, you two." Miroku greeted with a smile, trying to act as nonchalant as possible while he and Sango finished breakfast preparations.
"Morning." Kagome replied as she slid down from Inuyasha's back, moving to rummage through her backpack for a change of clothes. "Be back in a sec." she said as she disappeared behind a large tree, uniform in hand.
Glancing around camp, Inuyasha couldn't help but notice the way Shippou started sniffing after Kagome. It wouldn't take the kitsune long to figure out what the change in her scent actually meant. His own scent was different now, too, since he had done more than merely drink Kagome's blood. He'd already bitten his tongue in preparation to fuse his own blood into her system, so while he drank from her he had also taken her blood directly into himself via that same bite, taking her blood straight into his veins. It didn't matter that she was human; the magic of his own youki was all that was needed to take and capture her scent, making it a part of him, forever. The hanyou knew that Shippou had come to think of Kagome as a surrogate mother of sorts, though he'd never say so out loud, but nevertheless, Inuyasha suddenly realized in that moment that he would need to let the kitsune know that he wasn't going to take Kagome away from him.
Crouching down and gaining Shippou's attention, Inuyasha waited until the boy shifted his wide eyes in his direction, and then quietly, so that only Shippou would hear him, he repeated the woof that the kitsune had said to him the night before.
"Pack."
With a huge grin breaking out over his face, Shippou nodded his understanding.
Standing and turning to face his other friends, then, Inuyasha mentally cringed at the awkwardness he could feel between himself and the two humans who were currently unsure of how to act around him. After all, they were still under the impression that he didn't remember anything from the night before, but then...just like he had had his own temporary dilemma of how to act around Kagome, he wondered what they thought had been his initial reaction upon waking up with Kagome away from camp, assuming he had no memory of Kikyou's actions. Had he truly not remembered, then a fight between himself and the future-born miko would have probably been unavoidable, as he would have kept on demanding to know what had happened, while she would've kept on refusing to tell him. The monk and slayer had probably been caught off guard by how pleasantly he and Kagome had returned to camp. Sighing, Inuyasha knew he had never really been a dishonest person. A private person, yes, but there was a big difference between deliberately deceiving someone, and simply telling them to butt out. He would not let their minds continue to wander in invalid directions, embarrassment or no.
"Just so you two know, Kikyou was wrong about me not remembering anything. I remember everything, but you don't gotta go walking on eggshells 'cause of it. I'm fine."
Immediately sighing in relief, Sango sent a genuine smile his way as she stated "Well, I'm very glad that you and Kagome appear to be getting along all right. I would have hated for you two to have gotten into a fight because of this."
Ears lowering a bit at the slayer's words, Inuyasha decided it wouldn't hurt to omit the part where he'd acted like a total baka, snapping at Kagome upon first waking up before deciding to drop the routine. An unspoken truth was not a lie, right? He was just glad that he'd kept his voice quiet enough so that they hadn't heard him.
"I was kind of embarrassed, at first." he admitted, leaving it at that as far as his initial reaction was concerned. "But Kagome and I are definitely getting along all right. In fact, much better than all right." he added sheepishly, unsure of how to broach the subject.
"Do tell..." Miroku chimed in with his trademark lecherous grin.
"Well..."
"Would you like me to tell them?" Kagome asked her mate sympathetically as she reappeared from behind the trees, fully dressed in her school uniform with her pajamas in her hands. She knew how uncomfortable it could sometimes be for Inuyasha to discuss certain things openly, and this subject, especially, had to be way more private than anything he had ever divulged in the past.
"Please, by all means." Miroku stated while gesturing to Kagome with his hand that the floor was all hers.
"Kagome?" Sango spoke up, noting the girl's sudden nervousness as she fiddled with the zipper on her backpack after putting her pajamas away.
"Okay...well...you see...the thing is..." Closing her eyes and counting to three, the miko took a deep breath and blurted "Inuyasha and I are mate-bonded."
Eyes widening in disbelief, it took the slayer a moment to truly comprehend her friend's words, and seeing the taijiya's silent request for confirmation, Kagome moved her hair aside to reveal her mating mark.
Miroku's grin widened tremendously.
While the houshi had finally confessed his feelings to Sango several months back, and he and the slayer had plans to settle down together once Naraku was defeated, he hadn't honestly expected his baka-headed friend to ever make up his mind regarding his supposed obligations to Kikyou versus his obvious love for Kagome. Yes, Miroku had known for quite some time that Inuyasha was in love with the future-born miko, no matter how many times the hanyou claimed otherwise. To do this now, to bond with Kagome so permanently, it was much more than merely confessing his love, much more than merely asking Kagome to be his wife in the human sense. Miroku knew that the mating bond could never be broken, and that the scar on Kagome's neck meant that Inuyasha had unwaveringly chosen her, for all eternity. All lecherousness aside, he was tremendously happy for his friends. Though that wasn't to say that he wasn't thinking anything lecherous.
Inuyasha, you ol' dog you... he mentally chuckled, the double-meaning intentional.
Of course, their hanyou leader was not the only canine member of the inu-tachi.
Happily jumping up into Kagome's arms, Shippou offered the miko his biggest, warmest smile as he enthusiastically stated "This means we'll be together forever!"
"Why yes, yes it does." Kagome answered the kit, smiling and chuckling a bit as she cuddled the boy in her arms.
"Wipe those thoughts from your mind, bouzu." Inuyasha spoke up then, glaring at the monk's telltale grin.
"I only marked Kagome." Inuyasha stated, explaining "Yes, she knows what it means, and yes, she's my life-mate now, but I ain't gonna just rut her in the woods. She deserves better than that."
"Gee, thanks." a red-faced Kagome murmured into her hand, her face in her palm.
"Well you do!" the hanyou defended, causing Miroku to laugh out right.
"Then why not wait until the timing was more...appropriate, before doing something so drastic?" asked Sango, her voice more than a little scolding. The slayer knew that what was done was done, but why did Inuyasha always have to jump headfirst into everything?
"Actually..." Kagome spoke up then, feeling she better come to her mate's defense. "Once we got our feelings out in the open, I was actually the one who told him to mark me. I just didn't see the point in waiting. We love each other, and we want to spend our lives together. I don't regret it for an instant."
Sango's eyes searched Kagome's for the truth of her words, and clearly seeing the young miko's sincerity and love, the slayer's gaze softened after a moment, as she nodded her understanding before stating "So long as you are happy, then I am happy for you."
Outwardly, Inuyasha appeared calm, but on the inside he was borderline flabbergasted. To be perfectly honest, he hadn't really thought about what their friends' reactions were going to be. Well, Miroku he had pretty much assumed was going to be a pervert about the whole thing, but Sango... Inuyasha honestly had no idea how a girl brought up in a village full of youkai slayers could so openly accept her friend being mated to a hanyou, her miko friend, no less. Kagome wasn't the only remarkable one out there, after all. Sango and Miroku both accepted him for who and what he was, and they both accepted he and Kagome being together. It was unfathomable, yet it was the truth.
"Well then..." the houshi chimed in in that moment, pulling everyone from their thoughts. "Shall we eat?"
Inuyasha's ears swiveled forward at that. He'd been so caught up in his thoughts about he and Kagome that he hadn't even noticed that their friends were preparing ramen for everyone. It looked like he'd finally found something he loved even more than the futuristic noodles.
"Keh."
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Getting back out on the road again was a bizarre experience. Truly, the more things changed, the more they stayed the same, or so it appeared. Inuyasha had been expecting things to still be somewhat awkward between himself and their friends, but Sango and Miroku were already completely accepting of the fact that he and Kagome were mate-bonded. Aside from a few lewd comments from the monk about how he must just be itching to 'complete' the ritual, thankfully murmured and a level low enough so that the girls didn't hear him, nothing was out of the ordinary one way or another. Inuyasha didn't really mind the houshi's hentai remarks, either, because he'd known the bouzu long enough by that point to know that his teasing was really all in good fun, and that the fact that he was joking around like that in the first place meant that he truly considered him a friend. It meant the world to the hanyou that he actually had himself a genuine 'guy friend', pervert or no, and he even managed to get the monk back at his own game once by responding with something other than a blush and a growled demand to shut up.
When Miroku said that the next time they stopped at a village Inn for the night and requested two rooms, presumably for the women and men to sleep separately, that he would gladly sacrifice such sleeping arrangements so that Inuyasha and Kagome could have a room all to themselves, instead of sputtering, the hanyou's response was "Oh sure, big sacrifice on your part. Just don't let me hear it from the runt that you couldn't keep it in your robes around Sango. He's my brat now, an' I don't want him scarred for life."
Blinking in surprise, Miroku chose not to comment on Inuyasha's claiming of Shippou as his own, and instead merely insisted that he would never do such 'inappropriate' acts in front of a child.
"Damn right you won't." the hanyou grumbled.
Of course, said child was plenty old enough to understand what they were talking about, and perfectly within earshot for a youkai to catch every word, but smiling to himself at Inuyasha's unforced willingness to accept him as his own, Shippou decided that Miroku's idea was actually a valid one. He could handle sharing a room with Sango and Miroku for one night, especially with Kirara to keep him company. Inuyasha and Kagome needed some time alone together, pronto. It was unheard of to perform the mate-bonding without actually mating, and now that they each had a part of the other within themselves, the bond between them would start driving them to mate. It was a natural side effect of being newly bonded that the urge to mate was stronger than normal, because the more times a pair mated, the closer they grew to one another, not to mention the instinctive goal of creating offspring. Shippou didn't know if them having never even mated in the first place would make that pull even stronger than usual or not, but he could already tell it was happening to some degree, as Inuyasha broke away from his conversation with Miroku in that moment to instead walk beside Kagome. The miko smiled at him before reaching for his hand, and instead of flinching away in embarrassment to reveal such affection in front of the others, Inuyasha happily closed his fingers around Kagome's, offering her his own smile in return while completely ignoring their audience. It also occurred to the kitsune that all during Inuyasha's retort to Miroku about how much of a pervert he could be, not once did the hanyou actually object to the notion of sharing a room alone with Kagome. There was no denying it, things between the hanyou and miko had definitely changed, forever...but also for the better, as far as Shippou was concerned.
Things were peaceful for the rest of the day as they continued to travel the countryside, stopping at the couple of small villages they passed along the way in the hopes of hearing a rumor or two. With no larger communities containing official Inns immediately along their travel route, Kagome and Inuyasha were forced to behave themselves while in the presence of strangers, as they all shared one room in the Headman's home at the village they decided to stop at for the night. It was strange having to avoid showing affection for one another, since thanks to the bond there was a definite closeness that had developed between them, though it wasn't truly as if the hanyou and miko were that eager to just up and jump each other. Yes, the desire for physical closeness was definitely there, but they could control themselves for the time being. They would get closer whenever the opportunity to do so decided to present itself. There was no need to go out of their way for a return trip to the well when they were not yet out of supplies. Following shard rumors was far more important than taking time off from their mission for something like that.
Of course, had they known what horrors soon awaited them, then they might have reconsidered the option of changing course ahead of time.
It was the third night after their bonding that the inu-tachi finally came upon a prosperous trading community that dealt with many of the smaller local villages. A place as large as that one would be a good place to ask around for possible jewel shard rumors, considering how many vendors and tradesmen were present, not to mention how many travelers passed through on a near daily basis. The Inn Keeper was wary at first of allowing a hanyou and two youkai to stay on his property, but as always, Miroku managed to smooth talk their way in, and before they knew it, Kagome and Inuyasha found themselves alone in a private room for the night.
During the night they had shared in one large room at that other village, Inuyasha had maintained his traditional posture of sleeping propped up against the wall. Then the previous night, they had actually camped out in the woods between vilages, so while only in the presence of their friends, the hanyou and miko had gotten much closer, lying beside one another with Kagome resting her head on his chest, his arm wrapped around her affectionately. But they had still not gone any further than cuddling, not while lacking any true amount of privacy. This night, things would be different.
Inuyasha grinned.
Rolling out the futons, placing one on top of the other for added comfort, as they would not be requiring separate bedding, Inuyasha removed Tetsusaiga from his obi and plopped down, taking a moment to just take it all in. It was almost weird, that there was no awkwardness between himself and Kagome, not that Inuyasha was complaining. He had no desire to be shy around Kagome any longer, and he was actually relieved that she felt the same way. When Miroku had first told the miko of his plans to switch rooms with her for the night, that he would bunk with Sango and the little ones so that she and Inuyasha could be alone, Kagome hadn't choked up, and she'd barely even blushed. She'd actually thanked Miroku for his courtesy, and had then proceeded to send her mate a playful smirk, an expression that sent silent promises of a sleepless night.
His grin growing wider at the recent memory, Inuyasha closed his eyes as Kagome moved about their room, setting down her backpack and arrows. Breathing deeply through his nose, he cherished the delicate fragrance that was his bonding with Kagome. She smelled of him, on a much deeper level than could ever be possible from mere physical contact alone. He was inside of her, and not in a perverted sense. She was also inside of him, and he relished in the fact that his own scent smelled as strongly of her as hers did of him. They were one.
Hearing footsteps approach him from behind in that moment, Inuyasha chose to remain motionless, allowing his prey to come to him.
"Alone at last." Kagome sighed in relief as she hugged her mate from behind, crouching over his sitting form, her whispered breath tickling his sensitive ears.
Rumbling low in his throat, Inuyasha moved faster than Kagome could blink, and before the miko knew it, she found herself pulled down sideways into his lap, as he continued to sit cross-legged, a clawed hand slapped playfully over her mouth to silence her startled cry of delight. Then, removing his hand, Inuyasha bent forward to capture her mouth with his own. The kiss was slow and sensual, as Kagome wound her arms up and around his neck, holding herself to him even as she felt his own hands brace her from behind, his right hand resting against her back while his left wrapped around her to brace the back of her head, her legs dangling forgotten off towards his left.
Neither of them could say how long they remained like that, Kagome sitting haphazardly across his lap, heedless of the awkward angle as she allowed his tongue to claim every inch of her. At the feel of his left hand leaving the back of her head, she eagerly tilted her head backward, shuddering in delight at the feel of Inuyasha running his tongue across her throat, teasing her mating mark before traveling back up to reclaim her mouth once more. His missing hand didn't remain unaccounted for for long, as he brought it forward, bravely fondling her right breast through the fabric of her shirt, and she arched herself into his touch at the contact, silently telling him that he had her permission to do even more.
They were mates now. They belonged to each other. There was no part of her that he couldn't touch, but the opposite was also true.
Feeling him grow stiff below her as she continued to sit in his lap, Kagome managed to rearrange herself so that she continued to hold onto him with her left hand hooked around his neck, while she reached down and between them with her right to search for what she could feel pressed against her left thigh. Reaching her goal, she wrapped her fingers around his clad stiffness and squeezed, earning herself a hiss of delight from the man above her. As Inuyasha continued to cradle Kagome's form with his right hand supporting her back, his left hand quickly ventured south, vacating her chest in favor of the treasure that rested just barely concealed by her obscenely short skirt.
As Kagome felt Inuyasha's fingers come into contact with her panty-clad heat, her response was to open her legs, inviting him to explore her even further. He palmed the damp fabric between her legs with care, observing her reactions. Never had he imagined that this moment would come, that he would actually be touching the future-born miko so intimately, not to mention the way she was currently stroking him in return. Were it not for the mark on her throat, he was sure they wouldn't be about to mate, or at least not yet. Having your feelings out in the open was one thing; nervousness could still remain, a desire to take it slow. With their mating bond already in place, however, it was as if the entire concept of taking it slow had been removed from his brain. She was already his mate; therefore there was no reason to postpone the actual mating itself. The hanyou was just about to push aside the thin barrier of cotton preventing him from touching her most intimate flesh when an unmistakable and unexpected stench coming from outside somehow managed to invade his senses, even over Kagome's mouthwatering aroma.
"Kikyou..." he grumbled low, only to open his eyes wide in panic at the fear of Kagome misunderstanding his meaning. He had so not just called her by that woman's name!
His mate stared up at him in shock, but his fears were quickly put to rest when the first words out of her mouth were "She's here?" as she straightened herself before moving out of his lap.
"And what fucking timing." the hanyou confirmed, taking a moment to palm his aching erection as he rose to his feet. A few good whiffs of Kikyou's unnatural scent should have his body's excitement cured in no time, although that wasn't how he'd planned on making his hard-on go away. Oh well, better luck next time.
Moving to the door of their room and silently sliding it open, the hanyou's suspicions were immediately confirmed upon noticing the telltale glow of Kikyou's shinidamachuu, the soul carrying youkai flying overhead in a circular formation meant to waft Kikyou's scent in his direction, as the undead miko waited for him in the woods beyond the village's boarder.
"Damn...she's definitely not just passing through." he muttered.
As soon as he slid open the shoji, Kagome was also able to pick up Kikyou's unmistakable scent, thanks to the increase of her senses due to their bonding, and there was also zero doubt in her mind that her preincarnation was deliberately summoning him.
"Well, come on. We better go let her know what's up." Kagome stated while slipping on her shoes before grabbing her bow and arrows. She had no plans of facing the woman unarmed ever again.
"Nothing's up any more." Inuyasha muttered while flashing Kagome a dejected pout, earning a chuckle from the woman.
"Oh you poor thing. There will be other nights at other Inns." she assured him teasingly.
"Feh..." he grumbled good-naturedly, offering her his back before bounding off into the forest.
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Kikyou had thought long and hard on how to plan the perfect revenge.
Originally, she had hoped that a fight would have had her copy running home to mommy the following morning after her first failed plan, leaving the hanyou alone and easily manipulated, but apparently, Inuyasha and that woman/child had managed to talk things out somehow. She had sent one of her soul collectors to spy on them, and it had reported back to her that the inu-tachi were continuing onward with their mission, apparently one big happy family.
That wouldn't do at all.
She couldn't continue allowing Inuyasha to believe that there might actually be people in this world who would accept him for what he truly was. Nobody could fully accept a hanyou, not really. His 'friends' merely needed him for his strength, his abilities, and his protection. Once their shared goal of defeating Naraku was over, his 'friends' would all go their separate ways, she was certain, but she couldn't wait that long for him to finally realize that his ultimate fate in this world was to remain alone and unwanted.
Having finally come up with the perfect way to guilt him into agreeing to leave with her now, Kikyou sent her summons, silently rejoicing in what she knew would be her copy's sorrow the following morning upon her discovery of Inuyasha's absence. By then it would be too late.
The undead miko was not expecting Inuyasha to enter the tree line with Kagome riding on his back. Even more disturbing than that, the stupid bitch was armed. Just what in all the hells was going on here?!
"Inuyasha!" she demanded, stepping forward and gesturing carelessly towards the girl who slid down from the hanyou's back as he straightened. "What is the meaning of this?"
Deciding against playing games, Inuyasha got straight to the point as he stated "Kagome goes where I go, now."
"She has no business being here." Kikyou replied coldly, sending her reincarnation a look that could have frozen a hot spring.
Gulping, Kagome silently took a step closer to Inuyasha. It was disconcerting to know that what fueled the evil woman before her had actually come out of herself. How had her soul managed to contain such absolute hatred? Kagome tried to feel sorry for Kikyou, realizing how horrible it must be to be incapable of feeling warmth or kindness, but there was only so much sympathy she could give when it came to the prospect of that woman wanting to take Inuyasha away from her.

"That's not true." said hanyou replied in that moment, and both women focused solely on his next words, one anticipating and the other dreading what was about to leave his lips.
"She's my mate." he settled for simply, figuring there was no point in rehashing technicalities. At face value, his statement was true.
"This cannot be!" Kikyou shouted, taking two steps forward before Inuyasha shifted himself into a protective stance in front of Kagome.
"I'm sorry, Kikyou." Kagome murmured sincerely, pulling her hair aside to reveal her mark as she added, "But it's true. I'm his, and he is mine."
"You little bitch." Kikyou spat.
Inuyasha bristled at the insult directed towards his mate, but didn't say anything as his former love continued her rant.
"You think you know him? You think you love him? You think you can truly accept him for the dog he is? Fine! Take him away from me, but you won't have him for long. We'll see just how loyal your heart truly is!"
Inuyasha and Kagome both tensed at Kikyou's words, expecting her to reach into her robes at any moment to pull out another handful of that purple powder. Would a stronger dose be permanent? Muscles poised to grab Kagome and spring out of the way in less than a second should the need arise, the pair continued to watch on high alert as the undead miko's shinidamachuu wrapped themselves around their mistress before lifting her into the air. Without another word, Kikyou was gone, leaving an undeniable feeling of foreboding in the pits of their stomachs. Something unstoppable had just been set into motion.
`````
As Kikyou flew off she continued to fume, though her initial anger had calmed at least enough to start formulating the details of her new plan.
He has betrayed me again. He must pay!
Though...it wasn't really like it was his fault. She'd pushed him right into Kagome's arms, Kikyou realized in that moment, because if she hadn't decided that her wait was over, showing up to drag him into Hell...
Am I truly so evil? Does Inuyasha truly deserve to die for what Naraku did to us?
Maybe he really didn't deserve to be dragged into Hell, or maybe he did, but it was a moot point now, anyway. There was no longer any reason to attempt guilting Inuyasha into doing anything. He would never leave Kagome now. Kikyou knew only all too well the seriousness with which canine youkai regarded their mating bonds. It was the main reason why she would have never considered being with Inuyasha until after she had used the jewel to turn him human. Youkai bonding was far too intense, and Kikyou had had no desire to adopt a youkai's lifespan or senses. An aversion her reincarnation apparently didn't share. Kagome was his for the rest of eternity, now. There was simply no two ways about it.
Keeping that last thought in mind, the undead miko quickly decided that it was revenge against Kagome that was most important to her now. Glancing up towards the sky as her youkai took her to the cave she would not call home, but rather a place she retreated to whenever the need arose, Kikyou grinned wickedly. She had not lied. What she had planned would indeed be a test of Kagome's loyalty to the hanyou. If the girl thought it was so easy to love Inuyasha, to accept all of him including his inu half, then let her and that dog express their love for each other as the freaks they truly were. Smirking momentarily, Kikyou knew precisely how she would design her spell, and what she would set as its key. It was very un-Kikyou-like, but she no longer cared what anyone thought of her. After all, she was dead.
I understand...I am Kikyou, but yet, I am not Kikyou, not any longer. If that girl is truly supposed to be me, then perhaps they really are meant to be together...
It was a little like saying the grapes were sour anyway, but the undead miko would take whatever small comforts she could find. If one truly looked at the nature of reincarnation, then her soul had come back to him, merely in its newest form. In a way, they would still be together, then. Still, that girl's loyalty needed to be tested, and Inuyasha was not without deserving some measure of punishment for this final act of betrayal, even if it was only a betrayal of her memory, if that was truly all that remained of her within the clay shell she now called her body.
As Kikyou touched down and began the preparations on her newest spell, a faint, sincere smile graced her lips, if only for a moment.
You may think I am without compassion in this body, Inuyasha, but I did love you, once. If her heart is truly yours, then all will be well, and she will have proven that her love for you truly surpasses my own.
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The following morning, upon sharing with their friends what had happened with Kikyou out in the forest, the inu-tachi unanimously decided that the best course of action would be for them to return to Kaede's village, so that Kagome and Inuyasha could have a chance to regroup and plan things out where it was safe. Part of the hanyou hated the idea of running away, but it was his concern for Kagome that won him over in the end, wanting her to return to the world beyond the well, where he knew she would be safe from whatever it was Kikyou was planning. Neither of them knew what being separated by five centuries might do to them now that they were bonded, or if it would truly have any effect at all, but rather than take any chances Inuyasha had simply agreed to go with her. Besides, all the unpleasantness of undead miko plotting revenge aside, he and Kagome were still in dire need of some alone time, considering the mood from the night before had been thoroughly shattered at Kikyou's appearance. They'd done nothing more than go to bed upon returning to their room, sleeping uneasily in each other's arms.
While Inuyasha felt a tiny bit of nervousness associated with the notion of taking Kagome back home, considering her family was yet to be made aware of their bonding, his mate had assured him that her family would approve, that her mother was already fully aware of her love for him, and that in all reality her mother's reaction would probably be to pack up Jii-chan and Souta so that they could have the house to themselves for a night. It was with that last thought in mind that the inu-hanyou tried his best to keep his spirits up while he and the others headed back to Musashi. The journey would take a few days, but hopefully they would make it before Kikyou reappeared again. If they caught sight or scent of her while still out on the road, Inuyasha knew he would grab Kagome and make a run for it before risking her safety during another confrontation. Kikyou was truly plotting something, and after her last stunt, the hanyou realized that the woman he had once loved was truly not the same person as she used to be, and he had no idea what she was capable of.
How right he was.
They were about half a day's journey from the well when the undead miko reappeared literally out of nowhere. She had found a way to mask her scent from him.
Damn it! Even now that I'm staring right at her, I still can't smell a thing!
His sense of smell wasn't otherwise impaired, as he continued to register all other scents around him. It was just that, as far as his nose was concerned, Kikyou was invisible.
How is that possible?
"What's the matter, Inuyasha?" the undead miko taunted from her spot leaning casually against a tree a few feet in front of the group.
They had been cutting through the forest, as it functioned as a tremendous short-cut back to Kaede's village, which had also worked to the undead miko's advantage because it had offered her the cover she'd needed to hide herself visually until that very moment, when she'd stepped out from behind the trees directly in front of their path.
"Surprised you can't smell me? I have many talents you are not yet aware of. Hello, Kagome..." she added, gesturing almost politely to the future-born miko, who was currently standing almost completely behind Inuyasha, as the hanyou moved forward to protect her.
"You stay away from Kagome."
"You be careful, too, you know..." Kagome whispered to her mate, reminding Inuyasha of the possible dangers he faced himself. He couldn't risk Kikyou cutting him off from his brain again.
Slowly reaching with his hands behind himself, feeling for Kagome and hoping the girl would get the hint and jump up onto his back, he braced his leg muscles for a sprint when he felt her hands grab his own, before glancing around them only to realize with horror that Kikyou suddenly had him and his friends completely surrounded. Shinidamachuu, more than he had ever seen accompanying the undead miko before, were literally flying all around them. Each one of them was carrying a soul, too, which Inuyasha was sure was a ploy meant to detour Miroku from choosing to unleash his kazaana. The houshi could never risk sucking up innocent souls.
"Maybe I can take her out..." Sango contemplated, the slayer making a reach for Hiraikotsu.
"No, don't. It's not really her fault, what she's become..."
Sango blinked in surprise, as did Inuyasha, the words having come from the miko standing behind him.
"Still so compassionate, Kagome?" Kikyou drawled. "We shall see how far your compassion truly goes!"
With that, Kikyou began chanting, her words quick and indistinguishable. Kagome immediately felt Inuyasha stiffen, almost as if paralyzed, and trying to tug on his hands earned her no response, as he stood immobile. Ignoring her friend's previous request, Sango immediately let her weapon fly, but the Hiraikotsu proved ineffective against Kikyou's barrier, the giant boomerang being comprised of youkai bones and easily deflected by holy powers, which for some incomprehensible reason, the undead miko still possessed in abundance. Miroku feared that he would be just as useless against the dark priestess, although his worries didn't stop him from trying, as he flung several ofuda in her direction, which...just as he'd suspected...gave no reaction upon harmlessly making contact with her person before slipping down to land on the forest floor. She was not truly a youkai, nor was she powered by youki in any way, and therefore, his sutra were powerless against her. He dared not open his kazaana with so many innocent souls being held hostage all around them. Miroku was truly stuck, aside from engaging the miko in direct physical combat, although it looked like someone else had beaten him to that idea.
"Deflect this, bitch!" Sango shouted as she charged, her sword drawn, but four shinidamachuu swooped in in that moment, wrapping their tails around her arms and legs, effectively holding her immobile.
Miroku gave it a go, then, twirling his staff to fight off the first few soul collectors that descended upon him, although soon enough there were simply too many of them, and the monk quickly found himself pinned as well.
Damn it, I hadn't wanted it to come to this! Kagome thought frantically as she notched an arrow, her eyes wild with fright at the pained expression on Inuyasha's face.
"Ahhhhh!" the hanyou suddenly cried out, dropping down to his hands and knees.
"What the hell are you doing to him?!" she shouted as she aimed her arrow with shaking arms.
Kikyou looked momentarily worried, but didn't stop her chanting, which was in a dialect Kagome had never heard before, as she only picked up the occasional random word.
"Shut up!" she shouted, letting her arrow fly, but a shinidamachuu intervened at the last possible moment, using itself as a shield to protect its mistress. The youkai disintegrated upon contact with her arrow, the soul it'd carried freed and floating up towards the sky.
Suddenly, all eyes were on Inuyasha as he snarled. A horrid, vicious sound that none of them had ever heard him produce before, and Kagome panicked as she imagined her worst fears coming to life. Whatever Kikyou was doing was destroying him, ripping him apart from the inside out, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
What happened next had everyone gaping in shock.

With a howl of agony, Inuyasha's body suddenly shifted and began changing before their very eyes, growing fur, morphing in shape, until suddenly, a large white dog was standing in his place, struggling to remove itself from the confines of his kimono.
"By Buddha..." Miroku whispered in disbelief as Sango gasped.
"No! Inuyasha!" Kagome wailed as she dropped to her knees beside him, raising a shaking hand which paused before making contact, unable to fully comprehend what she was seeing as the dog he had become began tearing at his hindering clothing, until finally breaking free to charge fiercely in Kikyou's direction.
Several shinidamachuu flew down to intervene, and he slashed and chomped at them fiercely, quickly revealing that his inu-youkai powers were still intact as he reared onto his hind legs and swiped down with his right forepaw in Kikyou's direction, four jagged blades of energy rapidly closing in on her position. Reacting quickly, Kikyou spun around with her bow held out protectively like a shield, deflecting the brunt of his attack. Some of his youki did manage to strike her person, causing damage to her false body, but her wounds did not bleed, and with time, and souls, her body would repair itself. Having her collectors gather so many orbs for her had been two-fold in her plan, knowing that it would protect her from the monk's greatest weapon, but knowing also that she would likely be in need of them to recuperate after expending so much energy. With her task complete, her remaining soul collectors gathered closely around her, delivering their charges into her person as they wound themselves around her to carry her to safety.
The ones holding the slayer and monk prisoner released their hostages in that moment, and Kagome knew that with the extra shinidamachuu flying around, it would be futile to attempt firing another arrow in Kikyou's direction, so reluctantly, she let the woman go, turning her attention instead to what had become of her mate. He was standing on all four legs, barking fiercely at Kikyou's departing form. The sound was savage, and she had zero doubt that he would've torn Kikyou to shreds with his own fangs if given the opportunity. But how long would this last? Was it temporary? And how much of her hanyou was still in there?
"Inu...yasha...?" Kagome whispered hesitantly, unsure of what to say, of what to think.
Suddenly, his barking stopped, and with his ears lowered to his head, he turned to look over his shoulder in Kagome's direction. Her eyes lit up with the faintest spark of hope.
"Inuyasha? Is that...still you? Are you still in there?"
Had his mind been reduced to mere instincts like the last time, or had this spell only affected his body?
Suddenly, he barked, for lack of a better term. It was a strange sound, caught somewhere between a growl and a yip, with a bit of a whimper thrown in for good measure, and then he was gone, running through the trees faster than the human eye could follow.
"Inuyasha, wait!" It was no use.
Shippou crawled out from his hiding spot in that moment, and glancing up at Kagome with remorseful, sad eyes, he turned his attention to the direction Inuyasha had gone for a moment, before glancing back up at Kagome.
"Shippou?" Sango questioned at his curious display. "Did you understand what Inuyasha said?"
Kagome met Shippou's gaze hopefully then, tears welling in her eyes...and his, too, as he nodded reluctantly, before confessing "He said... 'Please forgive me.'"
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Basic Instinct 2