Wanted: Chapter nineteen

Wanted
Chapter nineteen – Silent as the Wind

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It was a little after one o’clock in the morning and all was silent at the Takshi residence. The pastures were empty, the silver moon was bright, and the large barn was full of nickering stallions, mares, and geldings, their food and water containers filled just enough to last them throughout the night. The only noise that resonated throughout the otherwise noiseless landscape was the lulling trill of the crickets’ song and the occasional distant howl of a prowling coyote.

Somewhere hidden in the shadows of the Takshi ranch a lone figure stealthily darted in and out of the darkness surrounding the grounds, two flashes of ruby piercing through the night as the figure smoothly made its way toward the ranch house, careful to stay shielded in the shadows of the night and making sure to stay clear of any windows.

Dressed in black for better camouflage, the lithe form deftly jumped the three steps leading onto the porch and quickly drew a bobby pin from a bun of onyx tresses before working well practiced magic on the lock of the front door. Full lips curled up into a triumphant smirk when the audible click of the lock being picked softly echoed throughout the night.

Gloved hands stuck the pin back into the bun of hair before white teeth drew in the pinkness of a lower lip. This was the hard part. She knew the family of mutts owned a real-live mutt of their own and she didn’t know what it would do when she stepped inside. Would he bark and alert the slumbering owners of the house? Or perhaps growl and try to defend his family that continued to sleep, oblivious to the intruder in their home?

Kagura sighed and narrowed her eyes slightly as she weighed her options. She could always say screw it and just find a window to crawl through, but that would probably be even more reckless seeming how all the windows seemed to be near the bedrooms of the house. Or she could try going through the basement to enter the home, undetected.

The unbidden image of a hairy eight-legged insect flashed through her mind and the wind-witch shuddered, instantly throwing away the latter option.

Hey, even demons had their phobias.

Shaking her head, Kagura threw caution to the wind and opened the front door, deciding to take her chances with the mutt should it be anywhere downstairs and hear her appearance. If only she had her Fan then she’d be able to make sure her scent drift away from the canine.

But then again, if she had her Fan, she wouldn’t even be here in the first place.

She scowled and quietly stepped into the dark house, gently closing the door behind her and straining her ears for any kind of noise. Silence emitted around her and a wave of relief washed over her as a small sigh escaped past her lips. The dog must be somewhere upstairs – she winced – or mayhap in the barn.

She desperately hoped it was the latter as she very carefully made her way toward the stairway, setting a foot on the bottom step and adding pressure to see if it creaked. It didn’t, and hopefully it would be like that for the rest of them.

Kagura missed the two flashes of amber as they followed her ascend of the stairs.

She was halfway up the flight of steps when she heard the telltale sound of someone walking across the floorboards down the hall. Kagura froze; crimson eyes wide and she held her breath as if that would help her stay undetected. The steps continued, back and forth, a pause, farther away from her and then finally a door closing shut.

Her breath left her in a whoosh and she closed her eyes for a minute, willing her thundering heart to revert back to its normal beating. One more deep breath later and the wind-sorceress was continuing up the stairs, more cautious than before this time as she peered around corner and down the hall, ruby orbs searching the hallway. Nothing appeared out of place and she nodded to herself as if affirming a silent decision.

Grateful that she’d thought ahead and decided to wear sandals, Kagura quickly slipped them off and silently skulked down the hallway, passing two closed doors and one slightly cracked open before she stopped before a door that was halfway open. Her gut clenched and she bit her lip, automatically looking over her shoulder before silently slipping into the still and dark room. Something told her that this room held her prized possession and her gut instinct was never wrong.

Thankfully no one was in the room at the moment, but she figured that whoever owned it would be back shortly so she made quick work of searching the dark room before finally spotting her weapon setting innocently on a bedside table across the room. Kagura swiftly glided toward it and sighed once the reassuring smoothness of her Fan was back in her hand.

Not wanting to press her luck any longer by unnecessary loitering, Kagura smirked and securely wrapped her hand around her weapon of choice before leaving the bedroom as silently as she had entered it, leaving no evidence behind of her mission.

Halfway down the hallway, the wind-witch abruptly paused and glanced at the cracked-open door, wine-colored orbs staring intently at the wooden door as if she could see through it. One of the three doors in the hallway hid the girl that Naraku wanted more information on. Kagome, was it? Yes, that was her name.

Kagura grinned and slowly pushed the slightly open door so it was more open and a triumphant look passed over her face once she spotted the lump on the bed with a head of dark hair resting against a pristine pillow. Might as well take advantage of the situation; gathering more information on the girl was an added fringe benefit with her original mission of retrieving back her Fan.

She silently stepped farther into the room and her ruby eyes narrowed at the second smaller lump curled up into a ball at the girl’s side. He was no more than a child, and Kagura snorted inwardly. Why would she have a kitsune child in her room and sleeping with her? Did she adopt him? Picked him off the side of the road, perhaps? The wind-witch stored this tidbit of information away to bring up later to her loathsome boss. If they had any kind of relationship at all they could surely use that to their advantage.

Kagura was about to take another step for a better look when something shifted to her left and before she could react two glowing angry orbs of liquid amber were suddenly in front of her, a fierce glare directed at her even as a snarl passed through sharp fangs. The wind-sorceress saw his body tense and didn’t miss the way the sharp talons at the ends of his fingers flexed almost deliberately.

She gasped, startled and reflexively took a step back only to back into something hard and incredibly warm. She stiffened then looked over her should to see another pair of golden eyes staring back down at her, although these ones were void of any kind of emotion. Blank, just like his visage.

Sesshomaru just continued to stare at her, his expression unreadable and his pale face illuminated by a sliver of moonlight spilling from the single window across the room. The scent of pumpkin spice and cinnamon invaded his senses and he had to resist the urge to draw in a deep breath and take in that delightful aroma he was quickly becoming addicted to. He hadn’t been able to really see what she looked like the last time he had encountered her, and now that he has, her lithe figure outlined by the brilliance of the moon and her magnificent burgundy orbs gazing up at him with mild astonishment and some unknown emotion that the inu-youkai didn’t care to decipher, he had to say that he was not disappointed.

Something in her stomach churned when she saw something flash across those emotionless honey pools and she quickly gained back her senses, mentally kicking herself for getting caught in the first place. Regaining her composure, Kagura scowled and with practiced ease flared her Fan before her face, ruby eyes glaring over the top of the smooth paper at the stoic dog-demon before her. She could feel the hanyou’s eyes boring into the back of her head but she ignored it in favor or addressing the elder of the brothers.

She did not speak; she let her eyes do the talking and smirked behind her Fan when she saw this golden eyes tighten in the slightest as they narrowed at her. A low rumble echoed behind her and before a clawed hand could seize her arm, she deftly sidestepped and ducked beneath the strong arm swung her way to prevent her escape before giving the two inu-youkais one last triumphant smirk and exiting the room, the sound of a door clicking shut evidence that she had left the house.

Instantly Inuyasha whirled on his half-brother, a deep frown etched onto his features and his hands fisted at his sides. Glancing over his shoulder briefly to make sure Kagome was still sleeping he turned back to his brother and hissed, “What the fuck was that all about?”

Sesshomaru merely cocked a brow and shrugged gracefully, his eyes drawn to the window across from him as if the answers were scrawled on its smooth surface. “I know not,” he softly replied, then turned around and left the bedroom.

Inuyasha cursed and followed him out of the room, gently closing the door behind him despite the urge to slam it childishly to dispel some of the confusing and anger he was feeling. The half-demon trailed after his half-brother down the hall and into his room, ignoring the look he received from Sesshomaru once he stepped inside. Inuyasha crossed his arms and glared at him.

“Why the hell did you let her get away?” he blurted.

Sesshomaru remained silent as he sat on his bed and retrieved the novel he’d been reading before Kagura’s appearance on the table beside his bed. Placing his reading glasses upon the bridge of his nose, the dog-demon ignored his younger brother and lost himself in the world through the thin pages of a book.

Inuyasha growled and scowled at him, grumbling under his breath about stupid half-brothers before turning around and heading toward the door. He swung it open and, about to step out into the hall, the low voice of his brother caused him to pause and his ears to swivel back toward him.

“Bait,” Sesshomaru said softly, his eyes never leaving the book.

The half-demon turned and blinked at him. “Huh?”

“Bait,” he repeated then spared at glance at him. “The fan that is obviously precious enough to her that she would risk sneaking into someone’s house in the dead of night was bait to lure her here so that I may find out more about her. And her intentions,” he quickly added, noting the way his half-brother’s eyebrows shot up into his bangs at that statement.

Inuyasha blinked again and nodded, absently crossing his arms across his bare chest and frowning in thought. “Uh huh. And…why do you wanna know more about her? And her—” He smirked. “—intentions?”

He ignored the smirk and shrugged. “She intrigues me,” he said simply then went back to his book.

The half-demon quirked a brow and had to suppress the sudden urge to grin manically and start singing, “Sessy’s gotta cruh-ush, Sessy’s gotta cruh-ush!”

“Also,” the taiyoukai began again and Inuyasha diverted his attention back to his silver-haired half-brother, “I assume she had been sent on a mission to gather information on the girl, Kagome. I am not completely sure about his assumption, but finding her in the girl’s room brings about some questions that I would like answered.” He lifted an elegant brow. “Don’t you agree, little brother?”

Inuyasha sucked in a breath but didn’t give in right away. Instead he snorted and rolled his eyes. “And this assumption came from just finding her in the wench’s bedroom. She could’ve just been trying to find another way out instead of going down the stairs again for all we know. What other proof do you have that this bitch is trying to get information on Kagome?” he asked, his amber eyes narrowing.

Sesshomaru’s eyes trailed from the book to pin the hanyou with a calculative stare when made his decision. “Two days ago, when the kitsune child would not cease that terrible racket until he saw the girl, there was a black car out in front of the house and whomever the driver was must have seen me looking at them because seconds later they drove off. I followed after them, making sure to keep a reasonable distance between us should they suspect I was following. My efforts were futile, however, and it quickly turned into a game of Cat and Mouse.” He paused and set his book down on the table, taking off his glasses and carefully folding them back into the case. Inuyasha waited somewhat impatiently, rolling his eyes when his half-brother took his time placing his reading spectacles in the table drawer.

“I momentarily lost them at a sharp corner, and when I turned it, the car was abandoned on the side of the road, door open as if whoever it was made a hasty retreat. I investigated of course, and I found that fan. The owner of the car is none other than the woman we have had the pleasure of meeting this early morning.”

Inuyasha snorted at the word “pleasure” and shook his head, trying to digest this information. “Do we got a name?” he asked and cursed when Sesshomaru replied in the negative with a shake of his head.

The half-demon sighed and racked a hand through his silvery tresses, brow furrowing in thought and his nose wrinkling slightly. “Come to think of it…” He slanted a glace his brother’s way. “The bitch sorta smelled like—”

“Naraku.” Sesshomaru nodded.

Inuyasha growled. “Fuck.”

“Indeed.”

“She must have used some sort of herb to cover up her scent or something. Kaede once told me there’s a rare herb out there that has the ability to mask your scent if you smear it on your neck and wrists. The herb itself is scentless, so if you rub that shit all over your body…”

“The person’s scent disappears,” Sesshomaru finished with a frown. “Yes, that does seem quite logical. You said it was rare?”

Inuyasha nodded. “Yeah, and only a wealthy bastard like Naraku would be able to obtain some. It only grows in Africa in the forests infested with all those wild animals is what the old bat told me.” He frowned and crossed his arms, ears flicking backward then swiveling forward when the older dog-demon sighed rather heavily then stood to dispose of his tee shirt before pulling his long hair back into a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck.

“I suggest you get some rest, whelp. There’s no telling what Naraku’s next move will be since I am under the assumption that he has ordered information on the girl.” Sesshomaru gave his younger brother a knowing look. “I will be sure to keep a look out for Onegimyo’s spawn. If she happens to show up again, which is more than likely, I will alert you and it will be your responsibility to get the girl away from here as soon as possible. Agreed?”

Inuyasha stared at his half-brother for a moment, amber eyes searching his unreadable expression then gave a curt nod. “Agreed.”

After a few more minutes of thoughtful conversation, Sesshomaru retired to bed and Inuyasha left the bedroom, about to head toward his own room but paused in front of Kagome’s, furry appendages twitching slightly when a soft sigh emitted from within the room. The half-demon hesitated briefly before sighing and stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. His eyes instantly zoned in on the slumbering pair on the bed and Inuyasha had the sudden urge to join them on the soft mattress, preferably with Kagome pressed closely to his body with his arms wrapped tightly around her…

He growled at his own thoughts and shook his head, stalking over to the bed and slumping down to rest his back against the bed, arms crossed over his bare torso and legs crossed beneath him as well. Those kinds of thoughts had been invading his mind all day as they worked in and out of the barn and honestly they were becoming quite distracting. His honey eyes closed and he allowed his mind to wander on safe territory.

Why would Naraku send someone to gather information on Kagome? What would he expect to gain from it? The businessman was known to be quite clever and sly when the occasion called for it, but this just puzzled the hanyou to no end. The bastard had something up his sleeve that the silver-haired half-demon didn’t think he liked and he was determined to find out what it was.

In the meantime, he had to make sure he kept Kagome within his sight at all times. Like Sesshomaru said, there was no telling what Naraku’s next move was, and if he was indeed sending that bitch to keep tabs on the young woman, Inuyasha would have to keep a careful eye on Kagome. He was suddenly very grateful for his decision that she lived here at the ranch; he would be able to take on his responsibility more easily than if she were still at her own home.

A light snore brought him out of his musings and he chuckled softly when the kit murmured something about taco scented fish before shifting around, no doubt snuggling deeper into the warmth of Kagome’s body.

An abrupt surge of jealousy shot through the hanyou and he wanted to be the one snuggling into her side but he quickly and firmly stamped it down, mentally scoffing at himself for being envious of a child. The poor kid had been through so much this past week it was too be expected that he’d seek comfort of another human being. Kagome had made sure to pay attention to him all day and had even let him help groom some of the horses.

He smiled as he remembered the kit’s reaction when Raven had snorted and bunted his large muzzle against Shippou’s chest in pleasure when the tyke had scratched under his mane and had nearly toppled off of the ladder he’d been balancing on since he was too short to properly groom him.

Kagome mumbled something incoherent in her sleep and Inuyasha sighed, shifting into a more comfortable position against the bed before stilling and recalling why he was even in her room in the first place.

He’d debated the idea with himself for nearly half an hour before finally giving in and sneaking into her room to see if she was actually still there. He had needlessly fretted over her threat that morning when she’d said she was going home when he’d refused to let Sango have a week off to tend to her kid brother Kohaku. What if she had changed her mind and left in the middle of the night? He had kept telling himself that he would have heard her moving around in her room and would have definitely heard her walk by his room on her way to the stairs.

But he had still been unconvinced and, just to settled his fretting nerves, he had silently went to her room and was relieved to find that she was still there, safely tucked into bed with the kitsune child snoring away at her side. That was when that bitch had snuck into the room, eyeing the sleeping lump on the bed and Inuyasha had quickly hidden himself before preventing her from getting any closer by blocking her route to the bed. He hadn’t been surprised when Sesshomaru showed up behind her; Inuyasha had heard him walking around upstairs in his room before going downstairs for whatever reason the half-demon didn’t know. No doubt his brother had seen her sneaking in and going up the stairs.

But now Inuyasha had an even more valid reason to be in her room. He didn’t want any more surprise visits from any more of Naraku’s spawn and he’d actually be able to do something if someone came sneaking in her room again. He was doubtful it would happen again, but you could never be too cautious.

Besides, Inuyasha reasoned, this way I’ll know she’s protected and she won’t attempt to leave me.

A flush darkened his cheeks at his thought and he shook his head, correcting himself. The ranch, leave the ranch.

Heaving a sigh, Inuyasha turned his head and watched the rise and fall of Kagome’s body for a few minutes before leaning heavily against the bed and drifting into a light doze, senses still alert and ears twitching periodically.

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Kagome awoke to the sun spilling onto her face from the rays of sunshine filtering in from her window. She grunted loudly and smashed her face into her pillow, willing the stupid sun to go back to sleep so she could go back to sleep.

“You know, that’s not a very attractive sound.”

The young woman’s eyes shot open at the familiar voice and she jolted upright, russet eyes seeking out the figure sitting cross-legged at the end of her bed. She blinked. “Inu…yasha? What…what are you doing in here?” she asked, suddenly wide-awake. Shippou squirmed against her side and she absently set a hand on his back. The kit quieted with a sigh and went back to sleep.

Said half-demon didn’t answer, instead opting to stand up and stretch languidly. He had to suppress a satisfied smirk when Kagome’s face abruptly flamed and she looked away. That’s always a good response. “Keeping watch,” he finally replied and crossed his arms over his bare chest.

Kagome frowned, her embarrassment quickly fading and cocked her head. “Keeping watch?” she repeated, confused. “What for?”

Inuyasha sighed and sat back down on the bed, one leg hanging off whilst the other bent in front of him. He stared at a spot on the floor for a minute or two and Kagome was about to ask again when he finally spoke. “Someone was here last night.”

She blinked. “Okay…? But what does that have to do with you ‘keeping watch’?”

The hanyou rolled his eyes and shot her a look. “You stupid girl, someone was in your room lat night. Do I need to spell it out for you or would you like it down on paper?”

Kagome ignored his jibe and instead focused on his first sentence, her face draining of color. “Someone was…in my…room…last night…?

“By Gov, I think she’s got it!”

Silence reigned between the two of them, the only sounds being the soft twittering of birds outside and the fox child’s light snoring as he dozed on, oblivious to the situation happening around him. Inuyasha looked everywhere but at her, wondering at her silence and was just about to go mad from it when her soft voice penetrated the thick quiet.

“You were…keeping watch…over…me?”

Inuyasha froze and his head whipped around to stare at her with wide amber eyes, face flaming when he saw her staring at him with a look akin to that of awe etched onto her flawless features. He sputtered for a moment, opening and closing his mouth but no speech spilling forth. Finally he gave up and just scoffed, looking away with a mild scowl on his face. Unfortunately, the flush darkening his cheeks ruined the “pissed off” effect.

Kagome just continued to stare at him, chocolate-brown eyes taking in his stiff posture and obviously embarrassed vibe he was giving off. Her lips kicked up in a soft smile, her own blush coming up to tint her cheeks a light shade of pink. He really stayed in her room all night, watching over her and…protecting her?

Her flush darkened and she ducked her head, the smile widening on her face. “Inuyasha…”

He flinched, muscles tensing…

“…Thank you.”

The two nearly whispered words had Inuyasha’s head snapping toward her, eyes wide and expression incredulous. “You mean…you’re not mad?”

The raven-haired woman peeked up at him through thick lashes. “Why would I be?” she asked, puzzled.

Inuyasha blinked. “I stayed in your room all night, wench. Don’t you find that a little…I dunno, creepy?”

“Of course not,” she countered then looked away at his startled look. “I mean…how could I be mad when you make me feel so safe?” Her voice was soft but he heard it nonetheless and it nearly made him fall off the bed.

S-safe? I make her feel…safe? His face heated again but he couldn’t find the strength to look away from her this time and he soon realized that it was his downfall because when she locked gazes with him, something in his stomach flipped and his blood rushed through his veins, twin pools of deep cinnamon searching his own sunset orbs.

Kagome’s heart skipped a beat and she sucked in a sharp breath when their eyes connected. She couldn’t look away. It was as if his eyes sucked her into them, hypnotized her and she knew, right then and there, that if he asked her to do something, she would do it without a moment’s hesitation.

And that scared her more than just a little.

Ashamed, confused, and embarrassed all at once, Kagome closed her eyes and bowed her head, suddenly wanting him to leave. “You…can go now. I’ll be down in a few minutes,” she said softly, refusing to look at him.

He didn’t move right away and Kagome’s heart beat faster with every second he stayed sitting on the bed. When at last she felt the weight at the end of the bed leave, she sighed and shook her head, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed then opening her eyes.

She was not expecting to see a very toned stomach inches front of her face, nor the barely-there silvery line of hair that disappeared under a pair of faded jeans.

The dark-eyed woman gasped and reflexively leaned back onto her hands, craning her neck to look up at the hanyou towering over her. Her face flamed at the intense look he was giving her and she swallowed the lump that suddenly formed in her throat.

“In-Inuyasha, w-what are you doing?” she squeaked, coffee orbs widening considerably when he leaned down and efficiently trapped her by placing one hand on either side of her body, his hands inches away from her own where they braced her weight on the bed.

“Whatsa matter?” he said lowly, his voice almost a growl. “Thought you said I made you feel safe.” His tawny orbs darkened as he leaned in farther still, having absolutely no idea what the hell he was doing. Wasn’t he swearing off these kinds of thoughts just last night?

Kagome remained silent, her heart beating frantically in her chest at his proximity. Unbidden images of their kiss in Sango’s truck flashed through her mind and she unconsciously licked her lips, her eyes fixed on his own, searching.

Inuyasha’s breath hitched when her tongue darted out to wet her full lips and all he wanted to do was replace her tongue with his own. What am I doing…? He asked himself as he slowly leaned in and claimed her mouth with his own.