Freak Attraction, Chapter Two

~Summary: A birthday outing to the see a foreign circus turns into a nightmarish mistake when Kagome stumbles upon a circus of a very different nature and meets a sideshow freak with dog ears and a human heart. An Inuyasha AU~

~Into the Arena~

Walking back into those crowds – back amongst the demons and monsters – was really the last thing Kagome wanted to do.

But it didn’t matter what she wanted, or what she thought.

If there was someone who needed saving, and she was the only one who could do it… well, what choice did she have? Selfishness didn’t come into this.

Some things were just bigger than her – more important.

So there she found herself, draped in a musty blanket, slinking alongside the black tent, approaching a gathering crowd of devilish circus guests.

Kagome could guess what it was they were all gathering to see, and it made her stomach sink. Cautiously, she moved toward the assembly, hiding in the deep shadows cast by the gas lanterns which had been set up around a wooden stage outside of the main tent.

“Come along, come along, step closer my good people! In mere moments our doors will open and the show will start, but we have one last specimen to share in this ‘showcase of freaks’ – a specimen so rare, so appalling, you’ve surely never seen its likes!”

Craning her neck, Kagome could see the shoulders and head of a man with a pale face and long black hair pulled tight to trail at his back. He looked quite similar to that Byakuya person – was he a magician too?

And next to him, a very familiar looking cage, draped in deep red silk.

She saw the man’s red lips pull up into a sneer as he continued “I’m sure many of you have already guessed from the stench, but we’ve got quite the mongrel in our circus!”

There was a faint noise of snickering and a few theatrical retches – the crowd was easily being drawn into the pitch of the eager entertainer.

“Yes, mutts like ours are hard to find indeed! Most are just too weak to survive” his voice lilted in faked sympathy, “and others yet are rightly disposed of before they can waste breath! However!”
He paused for effect, the crowd leaning closer in avid anticipation, and in a hushed, serious tone the man continued “Our magnificent ringmaster Naraku was able to catch one – and cage it!”

The crowd erupted into excited whispers, each proverbially sitting on the edge of their seat. Kagome could feel the tension in the air trying to suffocate her, and the sinking feeling deep inside her was only growing deeper.

Just why was that trapped young man so interesting to these people?

What entertainment could they possibly glean from him?

The man on the stage let the whispering continue to build, until with a wave of his hand he restored all attention to the center, as the still-covered cart was wheeled closer to the crowd. Each patron stood with baited breath, waiting as if to pounce.

“Sirs and Madams, Ladies and Lords, foxes and lizards and toads, I give you nature’s disease, a blight on the world of demons, the bane of pure demonic power and grace, tainted with the filth of humanity – THE HALFBREED!”

With an elegant flick of his wrist, the pale man tore the silk drapery from over-top the cage, and Kagome could just see the glint of white hair in the light of the many lanterns, and saw the flick of pointed ears, before the sea of circus-goers erupted.

They shouted, they swore, they laughed with the most horribly mocking laughs Kagome had ever heard, and literally clambered over each other to try and reach the stage – to reach the dog-man.

“FILTH!” “Mongrel!” “He reeks like disgusting humans!” “Worthless excuse for a demon!” “Bet his blood’s not even demon – probably just the spawn of a mountain dog!” “HA! Look at his ears – what, can’t even change shape properly? How pathetic!” “Someone grab me a stick – let’s see if this dog can fetch!”

Kagome was snapped out of her horrified stupor by the sharp clang of wood against metal; the crowd was done throwing taunts – they needed something more substantial to throw now.

And Kagome was helpless to do more than cry.

The demon crowd laughed, jeered, and taunted the man in the cage mercilessly, but he did not move.

Raising herself onto her tip-toes, Kagome just glimpsed his face. He was seething, glaring, probably growling. But aside from some tense muscles, he was absolutely still.

She couldn’t help but wonder if he had just given up trying to retaliate – if he had just decided it was worthless to respond, to fight back, to move… it certainly seemed futile to her.

And he just looked so used to it all.

How could they be so cruel?

What had he done?

How could anyone ever deserve such treatment?

They had started throwing food now, and a few were throwing rocks and more sticks, and the sickening display made tears course down Kagome’s cheeks. But she just couldn’t look away.

And then he moved.

His head shot up, neck straining against his metal collar as he tried to gain height, eyes wide and staring straight ahead. Then his nose twitched, and his head bobbed as he searched the air for something. Finally he turned in her direction, and his gaze met hers.

Her watery eyes locked onto his yellow ones, turned golden by the flickering lamplight, and she noticed he looked… puzzled.

Then shocked.

Disbelieving.

Why?

Shouldn’t he look hurt? Shouldn’t he be feeling anger and pain and hatred at the mob that still raged around him? It seemed as if… he had forgotten about them.

Was it because of her?

Never breaking contact with those eyes, she gripped his tattered blanket closer around herself, her resolve deepening.

She had to get him out of here.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough for now! But don’t worry – you’ll be seeing the mongrel later on, as we put the half-breed to the test in hand-to-hand combat against a real demon!” And with that the sheet was thrown over the cage again, rudely disrupting the wordless conversation between the occupant in the cage and the human girl.

There was a real air of disappointment that swept through the crowd at the loss of their freakish target, but they were quickly swept back up into the show as the tent flaps were drawn back, opening the black arena as though it were a great, hungry maw.

After a few minutes, everyone had filed in, the workers slipping in after them, switching their attention from exhibits to customers.

Now was her chance.

Barely able to restrain herself, she hurried towards the cage, cautiously, ducking behind whatever she could as she went along. Finally she reached it, and for a moment she just stood there, eyes fixed on the sheet, wondering what it was she was doing and if she really wanted to go through with this.

Her hand moved before she could give herself an answer; the sheet was gone and he was already staring at her.

Kagome stared back, unsure of what else to do.

She hadn’t really planned anything, to be perfectly honest.

With a quick side-glance to make sure they were alone, he suddenly rounded on her, angry. “Everyone’s gone.”

She was slow to respond, not quite sure where he planned on taking their conversation. “Yes… they went inside for the show.”

He glared at her, and she felt highly put-off.

“Then why the hell are you still here?”

If she felt put-off before, now she felt downright offended.

“Well excuse me, but I’m trying to help you!”

His face turned into less of a glare, but he still looked angry as he responded “You should be more worried about yourself. You’re dead if they find you.”

Kagome didn’t respond – she had figured as much, and the thought scared her. But what could she do about it? She just couldn’t leave him here.

Breaking eye contact with him, she began examining the cage, looking for a lock or door or some weak point in the structure. She tried to ignore the remnants of rotted vegetables splattered against the bars and now dirty silk.

The Dog-man watched her for a moment before commenting “You’re not gonna find a way to open this thing.”

“Well maybe if you’d help me by telling me how you get out of it.” She answered tersely, continuing to peer at the bars. Bending down a bit, she glanced inside and upwards to see “Wood! The top of this thing is just wood!”

He scoffed, saying “You think I don’t know?”

She tried desperately to calm her growing ire, but he was making it extremely difficult. “It should be easy enough to break, shouldn’t it? Or is there a latch or something?”

Rolling his eyes, the dog-man replied “It’s bolted down, and of course it would be easy to break – that’s not the problem!”

Shifting his weight, he bent his leg and stretched it above him in a very dog-like manner, kicking sharply at the low wood ceiling. There was a bright flash of purple light which rippled outward from where his foot connected with the roof, washing over the inside of the cage in a wave of energy which Kagome could feel in her bones.

It left her shivering.

“Wha… what was that?”

“A barrier.” He said shortly, stretching his leg forward to rub at his toes with a shackled hand.

She was still a bit shocked by what she had witnessed, but her mind was swimming with questions. “What do you mean ‘barrier’?”

He growled in annoyance, saying angrily “I mean that even though I could normally destroy a cage this weak with one swipe, the damn barrier makes it impossible for me to even touch the bars!”

“But how…” she moved without thinking, her hand reaching forward.

“HEY! Watch it!”

There was no way he could reach her to stop her from touching – but it was too late.

Her slender hand wrapped around a metal bar.

And nothing happened.

Kagome cocked her head at the dog-man, asking “What’s wrong?”

He stared at her hand, then at her face, something accusatory lacing his tone as he said “Who the hell are you? What are you really up to?”

Her patience was at its limits, and it was taking all of her resolve not to reach in and yank his ear like a mother would a petulant child.

She felt sorry for him, but that didn’t mean she had to put up with his crap.

“Look buster, it’s been a really long day, and I just want to get out of this nightmare, but I’m not leaving without you. So either you can cooperate and help me get you out of here, or shut up and let me figure it out myself.”

She stood glaring at him, her hands on her hips and expression huffy, and he stared back with equal stubbornness. After a moment or two of their staring contest, Kagome sighed resignedly, turning her attention back to the cage as she swept the sheet off of the top to inspect the wood roof.

“Why am I even bothering?”

She hadn’t meant for him to hear – her whisper of exasperation was just to let off some steam – but he responded all the same.

“Why are you bothering?”

Kagome didn’t look at him. He would just make her angry again. Instead, she fingered one of the rusted nails holding the wooden plank to the cage’s frame, testing its strength as she answered “No one deserves this kind of treatment.”

She could feel his eyes watching her and heard his voice rasp “Not even a freak?”

She did look at him then, and she was surprised to find something… open, unguarded in his eyes. He truly wanted an answer from her.

“You’re not a freak.”

He scoffed, but it lacked bite. “What would you know about it?” He looked away, his eyes dark with some emotion he was trying to bottle up, and Kagome subconsciously raised a hand to play with the frayed edge of the blanket he had given her – given to keep her safe.

“I can just tell.”

There was silence for a few minutes as she continued to look over the cage, and he continued to brood.

Finally, she finished her inspection, but her findings weren’t encouraging. The top of the cage was solid and well seamed. The nails were heavy and there were plenty of them. And as for the metal bars, well… what was she supposed to do about them?

“I don’t get it! How do you get out of this thing? … Do you ever get out of it?”

The overwhelming concern in her voice must have caught him off guard, as he responded softly, without attitude “They take the barrier down once I’m in the arena and I sorta just bust the top open – it’s part of the show.”

Kagome felt a fresh wave of anger run through her at the idea of such a desperate move being used as a gimmick, but she made no comment.

After a moment of thought she said “Well, if we can get rid of that barrier-thing, then that solves our problem.”

The dog-man raised a condescending eyebrow. “We? This was your idea. And I don’t know what you’re planning to do, but a weak human ain’t gonna be able to break a demonic barrier.”

She huffed in response and grabbed onto the bars in front of his face with boldness. “Well excuse me, but this ‘weak human’ doesn’t even feel the barrier, so maybe you should have a little more trust in me!”

“Yeah, about that… you shouldn’t be able to touch the cage. Why can you?”

“How would I know? But what does it matter? We’re wasting time arguing.” She sighed, some of her anger disappearing as she leaned closer to the bars, eye-level with the boy in chains. “Don’t you want to get out of here? Won’t you help me set you free?”

He held her gaze, his expression unreadable.

When he spoke, his voice was resolute, the words coming so surely that she guessed he’d been waiting to ask this question for some time already.

“Why were you crying?”

Kagome’s eyes widened, and she leaned away slightly. He had not only blatantly ignored her question, but the way he asked this… it was as if his question was his answer.

Or maybe her answer would determine his.

Her mind filtered back to the angry crowd pressing in on his cage, the hatred she had felt coming off them, and the vain fury with which the dog-man had glared back. She felt the sorrow returning, reminding her of why she was wasting all this energy on him.

“ I just… They were mocking you… and for no good reason. And you weren’t fighting back, and… I felt so angry that no one was stopping them, but there was nothing I could do. I wanted to help you, and I couldn’t, and…” Fresh tears welled in her eyes as her remembered sorrow combined with her current frustration of still not knowing how to help him.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the dog-man sniff the air, and his eyes widened. “You’re doing it again.”

Kagome just stared at him. He sounded confused and accusing all at once, and she really didn’t know what to do with him anymore.

“Well yeah, that’s kind of what happens when I get emotional… it’s a pretty normal reaction for humans.”

“People don’t cry over half-breeds.”

He sounded so sure, as if he’d caught her in a lie.

She still didn’t know what ‘half-breed’ was referring to exactly, but… “Why shouldn’t they?”

“They just don’t.”

“… Well apparently I do.”

Their eyes locked yet again that night, wills matched, tempers matched, stubbornness matched to perfection….

And once again their communique was interrupted.

“Get out of here – they’re coming back.”

Panic swept through Kagome. It was too soon! She hadn’t come up with any plans yet, and… she didn’t want them to take him away again. She wanted to cry in frustration, but with a burst of courage she held it back, squaring her shoulders and nodding at the dog-man.

Just as she was about to turn away, she paused, and before she could second-guess herself she reached a single hand through the bars to rest across his bony knuckles, whispering softly “I’ll come back for you.”

Then she threw back the silk covering and bolted to find a hiding place, hand still tingling from the jolt she got at her contact with him.

She ducked once again behind an empty stall, and watched as two figures swathed in shadows emerged from the black tent. There was a sickeningly girlish giggle from one of the figures, and an accompanying voice spoke out enthusiastically “Good evening puppy! Just wait till you see what Master Naraku has set up for you this time!”

“Don’t taunt the beast Yura”, came a moodier, more mature female voice from the other worker, “or you’ll end up in the arena with him one of these days.”

The first of the pair stepped into the lamplight by the cage, her short and sharply-cut black hair brushing her cheeks as a taunting smirk lifted her red lips. “Oh Kagura, don’t be so bitter! You’re actually quite lucky Master Naraku only cut your act short tonight and didn’t cut it out completely!” Her tone was positively jeering as she added “You’re on much thinner ice than any of us Kagura, and you know it.”

The other woman, her dark hair pulled into a high, messy bun, didn’t respond, but her eyes shot daggers at her companion as they tilted the cage back and wheeled it down the stage and towards the tent flaps.

“Don’t forget to smile Kagura! It’d be a shame for you to lose this little job too!”

The one named Kagura spat back “And don’t you forget that I still rank higher than you, witch!”

Yura only giggled back, and the two disappeared as they wheeled the dog-man’s cage into the enclosure, the cheers of the demonic crowd echoing out into the night until the tent flaps closed and muted the sound.

Kagome waited only a few minutes before following after them.

Slipping through the black curtain felt like peeling the membrane of sleep off of her nightmares.

The harsh oranges and reds of the blazing lanterns surrounding the arena burned her eyes, but the forms of the circus guests were disturbingly clear as her eyes swept the vast ring, taking in every form of demon and monster she’d ever seen on the scrolls back home, and then some.

She watched as the dog-man’s cage was wheeled through an opening in the low wall surrounding the grounds, his porters waving showily, the short-haired one blowing sultry kisses while the other kept up her air of aloof superiority.

A voice from above drew Kagome’s eyes to where the black-haired man from earlier was once again addressing the crowd with wild and hyperbolic declarations from a platform atop a high beam. Kagome angrily tuned him out – she was in no mood to listen to anymore of his slander.

The cage stopped in the center of the arena, and the porters made a hasty retreat. There was a flash of purple light which spread out from the cage to surround the gated ground before winking away into nothing, and Kagome realized it was the barrier she had been shown earlier. Whether it had disappeared or only grown bigger, she didn’t know.

The announcer’s voice reached a crescendo, and above the roar of the crowd, a slithering, clicking sound was steadily growing louder.

From the opposite side of the tent, a long, thin shape slid across the ground, circling the cage before rearing up almost to the ceiling, hundreds of dagger-like legs spread wide. The shapely upper-body of a woman rose at the top of the thin and winding coil, a monstrous grin spreading across an otherwise beautiful face framed by long black hair as six fair skinned arms stretched out ready to swoop in and grab their prey.

Kagome shivered in disgust; this was no snake – it was a centipede.

A centipede with the sentience of a human, and all the flesh-craving hunger of a demon.

The crowd roared its approval, and with a deep feminine laugh, the insect-woman dove at the silk-covered cage, colliding with it in a shower of wood and now warped steel bars.

Hands shot up to cover her mouth as Kagome stifled a scream.

She hadn’t thought the show was to watch the dog-man get killed!

The centipede-woman slithered away, cackling and circling the pile of rubble she had created, as the dust in the center settled.

Kagome saw the white of his hair first, now colored beige with dirt, and to her shock and delight, he shifted, lifting himself up onto shaky legs. He stood half hunched over for a moment, and Kagome saw that the chains that had been holding him back had splintered from the floor of the cage; there were still scraps of wood hanging off the bolted ends. With a harsh growl he tore the chains from his metal cuffs and then stood fully, back arching slightly as he rolled his shoulders. Reaching up with both hands he grabbed the chain at his neck and pulled sharply, severing the links of metal as if they were paper.

The chanting of the crowd had shifted quickly from encouragement for the demon to mockery at the half-breed, boos and hisses filling the air.

But for all their contempt and derision, Kagome thought she had never seen anyone stand so tall, nor look so confident.

‘Or perhaps ‘cocky’ would be a better word’ Kagome thought dryly, noting a smirk spreading across the dog-man’s face.

She couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief though at the look – he couldn’t be too hurt if he was wearing such an expression as that.

The centipede-woman sneered at him and dove once more, but he leapt into the air before she could get close. Kagome watched in amazement as the dog-man soared backwards through the air, landing in a graceful crouch before running to the left along the edge of the low gate. The centipede reared back to watch his movements, then swooped in low to cut off his trajectory.

But he had been paying attention to his opponent, and leapt over the monster like a hurdle, turning quickly and raking the creature with his claws.

It screamed in frustration and pain, but didn’t let up on its chase.

This way and that way the centipede slithered, the dog-man always one step ahead and one second faster.

But the minutes were ticking by, and whatever burst of energy the dog-man had possessed before seemed to be quickly waning. His landings became shakier, his swipes shallower, and the centipede was landing more and more hits.

As the centipede-woman dive-bombed him once more, he bounded underneath her coils, but he was too slow getting back on his feet, and the seconds it took him to turn and face her were just enough for the insect’s tail to whip over the ground, smacking him across the chest and sending him flying into a sudden shower of blue lightning as he collided with the arena’s barrier.

His ragged shout tore through Kagome’s heart, and her anger flared. Had her focus not been solely on the dog-eared man lying prone in the dirt just ahead of her, she might have noticed the sudden sparks of pink energy flitting around her figure.

But she was caught up watching for any sign of movement – and finding none.

The centipede-woman laughed, a horrid cackling noise that echoed in Kagome’s ears and only increased the fire burning in her heart.

This demon… these monsters…. How dare they?

With a final, victorious shout, the demon-bug dove at the still figure on the ground.

Kagome was already running.

Adrenaline pumping, she vaulted the low partition, sidestepping the man in the dirt as she skidded to a halt between him and the oncoming attack. Arms stretched out before her, mind void of any plan except to keep the thing away, she had barely time to shout “STOP IT!” before the centipede was on her, it’s many arms clutching at her, its face jarring her hands.

There was no pain on Kagome’s end, but the shriek from the demon was unmistakable – it was in agony.

A hissing, burning sound filled the now silent arena, bright pink light hiding from Kagome what was happening to her would-be assailant. The arms grasping at her fell away, and she could no longer feel the pale creature’s face against her hands.

The pink light finally faded, and Kagome watched, stunned, as the enormous length of the centipede’s body burned with invisible fire, falling to the dirt in showers of ash. Her mind began racing as the last of the creature fell to the earth, and she was distantly aware of a rumbling noise as the crowd came back to life around her.

Fear made its entrance once again as she looked around in dismay at the hordes of monsters surrounding her, and her feet seemed glued to the ground.

What had just happened?

What had she done?

… And what were they going to do to her now?

A gasping breath caught in her throat as she was suddenly lifted from her frozen state and hefted into strong, sweaty arms.

Suddenly the roaring crowd was gone as they emerged from the tent into the cold night air, but Kagome found she couldn’t focus on any of her senses as she and her captor sped off across the empty circus grounds. Managing to glance up at her rescuer, she saw the now familiar face of the dog-man, eyes set dead ahead as he whisked her away.

With all that had already happened that night, she should have been worried – at least she should have questioned what this almost-stranger had in store for her… but… the only thing she was able to feel in that moment was a deep sense of gratitude.

It was almost funny to think that despite all that had happened to her in the space of just one evening, she found herself trusting this dog-eared creature with her very life.

She squealed in surprise as suddenly they were airborne, and the light tingling of power that coursed through them both told her they had scaled the outer wall and passed through yet another barrier. Distantly she wondered if their being able to cross was her doing. She still didn’t understand how she had destroyed that demon back in the arena.

Their landing was rough and the dog-man stumbled as he righted himself and took off again, and the realization that he was still hurt hit Kagome like a ton of bricks.

“Stop!” she cried out against his chest, feeling his feverish skin going clammy beneath her hands, “you shouldn’t be moving! You were – “

But he cut her off abruptly, whispering harshly in her ear “Shut up! You gave me a chance, and I’m gonna make good use of it. We’re not stoppin’ until that damned place is far away.”

She wanted to argue, she really did, but exhaustion was quickly setting in, and her eyes were already closing before she could think to retort.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A lack of motion stirred something in her foggy subconscious, and she roused, realizing that she was alone in a small clearing, surrounded by tall, ancient looking trees, the faint sound of rushing water providing a backdrop for the chirping crickets .

Weren’t they just running?

Panic swept over her as she scanned the area frantically for her rescuer but did not see him. She was about to call out, when a sudden and shocking realization hit her.

She didn’t even know his name.

That one thought left her feeling unexpectedly lonely, and she shivered in the stale night air.

What was she to do now?

Where was she to go?

She didn’t have a clue where she was, or how far they had gone, or what time it was or what day anymore… she was lost in every sense of the word, and now she was on her own.

“Finally woke up, did’ya?”

His voice was rasping and not altogether friendly, but Kagome couldn’t suppress the wave of relief that swept over her as she shot to her feet to face him. Evidently she wasn’t ready for such movement however, as she swayed ominously on the spot and clutched her head, but before she could lose her balance completely there were hands on her elbows, supporting her and leaning her towards a warm and… wet… bare chest.

Her head ached again as the blood rushed to her cheeks, her eyes rising slowly to take in the bedraggled appearance of the dog-man, wet hair plastered to his face and dripping onto now clean and healed skin.

She gasped and leaned back to look him over, her blush gone as she examined the places where bruises and cuts had before covered him like cloth. There was still ghosting of purple and black, especially on his chest where the centipede-woman had thrown him across the room, but his cuts were gone, and he looked much healthier and livelier than he previously had.

The thought gave her pause, and she looked up at the dog-man to ask “Where are we? And how long have we been running?”

He shrugged nonchalantly, dropping his hands from her arms and saying “It’s been a couple hours at least – you were out for most of it. As for where we are… hell, I didn’t know where the circus was to begin with, so I really couldn’t tell ya.”

She gawked at him, one eyebrow starting to twitch as she sputtered “Bu-but… I have to get home! My family is probably worried sick about me! And… I mean… what were you planning to do? Wander aimlessly through the forest forever? Couldn’t you have looked for a town, or tried to find help, or… or something?”

He rolled his eyes, only infuriating her more as he said “It would be stupid to go to a town or village so close to the circus – they’d look there first. And besides, what help would humans be against a bunch of demons? C’mon, woman! Think about it!”

She was already preparing an angry retort, when something he said made her stop, a chill running up her back.

“Do you… you don’t mean… you think they’ll come after us?”

“Well duh,” he responded tersely “I mean they’re not gonna let a prize attraction just run out from under their noses without a fight. And after the stunt you pulled, I don’t think they’re gonna let you go either.”

Kagome froze, her mind going numb.

They were going to chase after her too?

But… she was just a normal girl! What could they possibly want from her?

Questions continued to circle through her mind as she watched the dog-man walk away from her across the clearing and pick up a bundle of something off the ground, before making his way back over to her. “Here.”

Curiously, she lifted her hands, and he plopped the package down into them. A large maple leaf unfurled in her open palms to reveal an assortment of berries, nuts, and roots, and she couldn’t help a soft gasp.

“You gathered this for me?”

“Feh, I already ate my share. It’s been sittin’ around for a while ‘cause you took so long to wake up. Couldn’t find any meat though – I didn’t wanna go too far from here to look for food, so that’s all you get.”

Despite his gruffness, she couldn’t help but smile at the offering, and happily chirped ‘Thank you!’ before popping a berry in her mouth and chewing gratefully. She was surprised to see him smile back slightly, but as if aware of his own lapse in control he scowled again, looking slightly embarrassed.

He wandered away from her and she worried for a moment that he was going off on his own again, when he surprised her by going down on all fours and shaking the water off of him as would any common dog. She shrieked a bit as a spray of water hit her, and she didn’t know whether to scowl or laugh or just stare at him as he stood back up, completely dry and utterly unconcerned.

She would readily defend that he wasn’t a freak… but that didn’t mean he was normal.

He turned suddenly to see her staring at him with a somewhat comical expression, and his eyebrows drew together as he sneered at her “What’s your problem?”

Shaking out of her reverie and realizing she couldn’t afford to damage the fragile bond they had only begun to create, she acted out of an impulse to regain his trust, and pulled off her outer kimono.

His sputtering reaction was quickly cut off as she held out her striped green shirt to him with a nervous and high-pitched “Here. To keep warm.”

Although it was now dry, the small, tattered yukata hanging around his waist would do nothing to keep out the chill night air, and… it was more than a little distracting to keep looking his direction and see nothing but a muscular upper body.

He awkwardly reached out to take the proffered clothing, holding it up and scrutinizing it, and Kagome stood just as awkwardly in her European-style white undershirt, feeling quite uncovered without the heavy second layer. Wanting more than anything to diffuse the uncomfortable atmosphere that had settled over the pair, she blurted out the first thing she could think of to distract him from her obvious unease.

“What’s your name?”

He didn’t respond, just stared at her, and she could almost see his walls rebuilding behind his eyes. She had to think quick and not let him shut her out again.

“My name is Kagome Higurashi. What’s yours? I don’t really like the idea of calling you any of the things I heard earlier.”

Their eyes locked, and suddenly he seemed… shy. Turning his head away, he mumbled something.

“… What was that?”

He turned back to face her, a slight blush on his cheeks as he said, only slightly louder but just loud enough “Inuyasha.”

Oh. Well.

It wasn’t much better than ‘dog-man’, but… if that was his name, so be it.

“Alright then… Inuyasha. It’s nice to meet you.”

The small smile he gave her back set something fluttering in her chest, and she thought the name really did feel nice rolling off her tongue.

She could get used to saying it.

With a weary sigh, Inuyasha dropped to the base of a large tree, leaning back against it and closing his eyes, draping her kimono over his knees.

She took a tentative step towards him, and then another, and as he made no move to stop her, she came and sat right next to him on the ground.

“Do you suppose we’re safe here?”

He didn’t open his eyes as he responded tiredly “For tonight at least. We’ll figure the rest out in the morning.”

She fiddled nervously with the frilly edge of her sleeve for a moment before asking softly “Will you help me? Get home I mean?”

He cracked open an eye to gaze down at her, saying “Are you sure that’s a good idea? You’d be easier to find at your house.”

“I know, but… I’m worried about my family. They have no idea where I am and… they didn’t even know I went to the circus today.”

He eyed her thoughtfully, but didn’t say anything right away. Finally he responded “I have some things I need to do. If you want, you can come along, and I’ll take you home when I figure out where your home even is. By that time… hopefully… they’ll have lost our trail.”

She beamed, but guessed he probably couldn’t see it, so she added a whispered ‘Thank you’ to make sure he got the message.

All was still and silent around them, but sitting next to his warm body, Kagome realized just how cold it was outside, and a sudden shiver ran through her, her teeth chattering slightly and unknowingly alerting her friend.

“C’mere.”

She almost didn’t hear him, but when she realized he had spoken, she looked up at him with wonder, questioning whether or not she had heard him correctly. Meeting her gaze, he moved the kimono away and spread his limbs in an obvious invitation for her to sit in front of him.

She hesitated – she couldn’t help it! She really had only just met him, and she had never even hugged a boy before, let alone cuddled with one….

‘He is a boy after all, even if he’s not really… human.’

As the seconds ticked by with her still staring and making no move, Inuyasha’s expression fell, and Kagome could see those walls trying to rise again. Trusting the feeling of security she had around him, Kagome moved quickly, crawling and shifting to sit sideways between his raised knees, leaning her head against his still bare chest as he wrapped her kimono about his shoulders and draped it back over them both, tucking her in a warm, safe blanket.

After a bit of maneuvering to find a comfortable spot, Kagome let her eyelids droop, noting the protective way he propped his arm on his knee, shielding her from the outside world. Her eyes popped open however as she felt a weight rest across her waist, his other arm apparently finding the fit more comfortable, as his chin dropped to rest on the top of her head.

He didn’t move any further, and Kagome’s mouth twitched upwards into a trusting smile, before she closed her eyes with a breathy sigh and drifted off to sleep.