Scarborough Fair

Part 5

She felt arms wrap around her protectively, warmth surrounding her shaking body as she cried hysterically. She let out another scream – it almost sounded like she was being hurt, so full of pain.

"Rosemary," a soft voice, Koga's voice. Her wide eyes just stared into his, blue eyes stared into hers. His palm made soothing circles on her lower back, trying to quiet her screaming. Eventually her screams turned into light whimpers before slowly just silence. She said nothing – her eyes still wide, her bottom lip quivered every once in a while.

"He.... He found me. He found me.... Oh god... he found me," she kept repeating, while her fingers clutched Koga's pelt around his shoulders.

She couldn't mean... there's no where that....

"How could Naraku know Rosemary? There's no possible way!" Inuyasha asked as the pair walked forward.

"Kagome, it was him.... He was the one who," hiccup," murdered my parents.... He found me...."

"But... that's...," she started but stopped when she saw her eyes," Okay... okay. What do we do? He can't get through the well now.... How did he do it before?"

"How do you know he can't now? Maybe he just hasn't tried since that... day," Koga asked as he stood, helping the shaking girl up to her feet. She hugged herself tightly with her arms wrapped around her chest.

"He'll come back for me," she whispered again, fright clear in her voice.

"She can't go back now! She could endanger everybody in her world, and your own family, Kagome," Koga said as he stared down at the girl in front of him. He had so many questions... no answers.

Why was something like Naraku interested in a human girl like her? From another world? There was nothing interesting about her... well, apart from her scent. He inhaled deeply and had to shake his head from the fogginess.

"We should head back to Kaede's. Maybe she'll have some advice for us," Kagome muttered as she began to walk away in thought, Inuyasha instantly at her side. He remained quiet through the whole thing – his thoughts everywhere.

"Can you walk on your own," Koga whispered to Rosemary as he noticed her hesitantly take a waivering step forward.

"I... I'm fine," she gulped as she took another step before everything seemed to shift in her eyes. Black spots started to swarm her vision, as everything seemed to get blurry. She took another step forward only to fall towards the ground beneath her, everything went black.

She felt movement around her, almost like she was laying in a hammock. Swaying, back and forth lightly. Warmth surrounded her, making her feel safe. Opening her eyes slowly, she blushed as she found herself being held to the wolf demon's chest in his arms.

"I... I can walk," she whispered hoarsely, as she struggled weakly to be let down.

"We still have a while to go. I don't need you wimping out on me because you want to be stubborn," his grip tightened around her, keeping her still.

"Where... are we going?" she licked her lips nervously.

He waited a few seconds before answering," My home."

Rosemary said nothing but just chewed on her bottom lip in thought. They should've just sent her back to her own time... clearly they all thought she couldn't take care of herself. And now.... They're putting their lives on the line just to keep her away from Naraku. She shuddered at the thought of his name.

He glanced down, letting out a slight huff as he watched her bite her bottom lip. This was a bad idea.

His inner demon wanted nothing more then to bite that lip itself – to taste her, mark her. He knew that it was just because of her heat season, but shit. Kagome never smelt this good. He shook his head from his thoughts before clearing his throat, bringing her large eyes up to meet his.

"Hold on tight, alright?" he said, almost gently.

She frowned but before she could ask why, he took off making her squeal in surprise. Throwing her arms around his neck tightly, bringing herself closer to him so he wouldn't drop her. His mood swings were starting to give her whiplash. One minute, he acts like he can't stand her. The next, he's being nice. What the hell is going on here?

She opened her eyes when she began to hear the yipping and the barking coming closer. She let out a silent gasp as the pack came into view. Wolves, and a few other human looking people, surrounding the entrance to a large cave. They howled in greeting when Koga appeared but quieted immediately at sensing her presence.

"No one touches her, do I make myself clear?" Koga commanded roughly, almost possessively, as he drew her somehow closer to him," If someone tries anything, they'll answer to me, got that?"

"Uh... sure thing... boss?" a timid looking man said, almost in a question.

"Go out and catch some food. And you," he pointed a finger towards two of the men," go get some firewood. It's going to get cold tonight."

Walking briskly, with authority, he headed into the cave while the others surrounding them slowly went about their business. She could still feel their eyes on her... it was making her uncomfortable.

"This will be your bed during your stay," he seemed to drop her out of his arms, recoiling slightly from her. Her butt hit the stone floor below her, making her wince from the impact.

"The pack will hunt for the food, but I do expect you to do some work if you're staying with us. We'll find something for you to do to help out," he muttered, shaking his head making his ponytail to wave around him.

She looked down in silence, biting her lip again nervously. She heard a light growl come from above her, making her gaze to make their way to stare into his blue eyes. They seemed to almost glow in the dark cave. She fidgeted with her fingers as he seemed to just stare at her, not saying a word, until he suddenly turned on his heel and stomped off, muttering something underneath his breath.

Her expression fell, but it went unseen as her eyes watched his form retreat to the entrance of the cave. Looking around, she realized the cave was bigger than what it looked like from the outside. Her eyes adjusted slightly to the darkness of the cave, making her see more around her. There was a slight opening near the back of the cave, that seemed to be tunneling farther into the cave. Two torches were sitting by either side, illuminating the cave in dancing shadows. The wind began to howl outside, making her shiver against the cold floor. Wrapping her arms around herself, she made a small whimper to herself as she huddled as close to the walled corner as possible, pressing back to the stone. The straw on the ground didn't keep the coolness of the stone away that much, nor was it comfortable. A single tear fell down her right cheek, splashing onto the ground beside her. She squeezed her eyes shut tight, as the air around her seemed to drop in temperature as the sun began to set. She could hear the pack making their way into the cave and flopping down on the grounds surrounding her. None of them really approached her, making her grateful but also making her feel utterly alone. They had they're furs to keep them warm. They were used to sleeping on this stone flooring.

She snickered to herself in thought quietly. She's only been camping once, and even the sleeping bag she had didn't protect her from the twigs and stones underneath her. Now, she didn't even have that to help add comfort to her sleep. She shivered again, trying to keep her sounds down to a minimal. She was a guest here... even though she felt more like a prisoner. Letting out a sigh, she rolled onto her side, facing the wall behind her. Shivering again, she saw the lights of a fire being started near the entrance of the cave, making her gaze to flicker over to see most of the pack surrounding it. Huddling together – keeping each other warm. How sweet, she thought bitterly to herself. Maybe she'll just freeze to death in her sleep. It would be better then having to live like this day after day. She grumbled underneath her breath but froze as she heard footsteps waking closer to her position in the corner. Peeking over her shoulder, she watched as Koga walked towards the tunnel that leaded farther back into the cave. He seemed to pause when he noticed her gaze on him, but he seemed unfazed by it as he began to continue into the other entrance.

"Damn wolf," she grumbled out loud, angrily, as she hugged herself tighter. Closing her eyes, she somehow made it into a fitful sleep. She felt like she woke up every thirty minutes. The cold seemed to make its way into her own soul. She wondered sometimes if she was going to be freezing for the rest of her life. Somehow, some way, she finally fell into a deeper sleep as she felt warmth finally surround her.