I Am Me; No One Else

Chapter 9: Running Again

As soon as Kagome and Sesshoumaru reached the outside; the demon lord grabbed her and placed her protectively into his arm as he raced for the cover of the trees behind the imposter lord's home. His pace heightened when arrows flew from nowhere at them; knowing the human man's plot had been foiled and that the demoness who had hired their mercenary team would not like it if they escaped.

Sesshoumaru's gaze turned red at the arrows; he wanted to lash out and to turn and fight them head on, but he forced himself to keep moving and to not respond to the assault. He couldn't risk it; not with Kagome there and so vulnerable to the stray arrows hitting her. Her smaller frame was all he could concentrate on as he fled for cover and tried not to let his beast break his binds; it wouldn't help them.

The mercenary snipers knew they had missed them, and the demon lord immediately knew that they intended to pursue as the demon lord growled low underneath his breath to their still moving scents chasing them; trying to get a lock-on to him.

'So..." He thought idly, "They are a demon mercenary group of snipers; it makes sense since whoever paid them for the job is likely another demoness, and they would have known that a human group wouldn't have been able to keep up otherwise."

Kagome tried to remain calm for him; her panicking would not help him right now. She internally knew they didn't want to hurt her; she had this feeling; a sensation if you would, that she was supposed to be sold alive to Naraku after being rendered unconscious and her power bound.

She couldn't say why she felt that way, or how she knew it; but it felt true to her and she trusted this instinct.

The snipers were trying to kill Sesshoumaru for the demoness because he had hurt her pride by his refusal of her. And to remove him as an obstacle to their objective. Suzu, the demoness who had hired them; she was no longer interested in trying to ensnare him now that he had refused her and seemed immune to whatever tactic she used.

Also, because Kagome silently admitted to herself that maybe Sesshoumaru had come to care for her and the court saw this as her doing.

A miko spell or enchantment of some kind perhaps; to gain his attention for some advantage. Her fist clenched tightly as her body began glowing a deadly pink that surprised the demon lord but did not harm him despite his proximity to the lethal reiki he felt from her.

"Miko, calm yourself and force your reiki to hide. You'll give us away too easily." He murmured to her gently

Kagome's eyes closed; she breathed deeply through her nose and intently cornered her mind into relaxation. Her reiki to go back into her body. He nuzzled her neck in thanks as she smiled somewhat strained and let him carry her off to safety.

It was strange though; Kagome thought to herself. She felt completely safe here in the arms, or arm, of this demon. One who had tried to kill her several other times, but one who had also saved her life when he had not had to.

Yet, she had never felt this safe or secure while with his half-brother even though she had truly believed that she had loved him once and should have felt safe with him; her instincts told her so, and she was getting used to trusting those more than she ever had before.

Her ever-growing powers making her more easily able to sense these instincts.

She scowled now as she thought back to the lord's home. What they had uncovered there was atrocious and unsettled them both deeply; Kagome knew that Sesshoumaru was rattled by the depravity of the man who had used the village and his family for his own greed.

Kagome wished there had been something they could have done to help Sachi, but realized they likely would be dead if they had gone after her and her kidnappers. She also knew they could ill afford to stay and to try to solve the mess. Kagome knew inside of her heart that Sachi knew that they couldn't risk coming after her; the warrior part of her would have told her that. Sachi wouldn't have begrudged them for it, and wouldn't want them to risk their lives and missions simply for her.