Chapter Text
Their smiles were sharp, painful. Any other day, Inuyasha would not have had a single issue wiping those smirks of any human's face, especially ones as disgusting and horrifying as them.
But it was not any other day. It was night – the sky was dark and vast and moonless. And Inuyasha was shoved onto his knees, helpless to fight back against two pairs of hands pushing him down, keeping him in place. One fist twisted into his black hair and pulled his head back, forcing him to stare their leader in the face as he made his taunts.
"Not so impressive now, are we?" the human asked rhetorically. he was twirling a flashy, ornate dagger around in his fingers. It wasn't the type of weapon usually handled by low-borns, so Inuyasha knew he must have stolen it somewhere. Maybe from a lord their gang had jumped long ago, just as they had tried to jump Inuyasha and the others. Scum like this always went for the easy hanging fruit and travelers were seen as straightforward targets, if they did not have a huge caravan with them.
They could not have been more mistaken.
Inuyasha could have probably handled them by himself even, but with the others there these humans were nothing compared to the small fry youkai they dealt with on a daily basis. Right now the only thing Inuyasha regretted was not killing them when he had the chance. When evening fell, they had to split up to make camp and settle in for the most unpleasant night of the month.
And so the three of them were ambushed and dragged off at the worst possible time.
He glanced at Miroku, in a similar position as him and with blood streaming down the side of his face, leaving dark patches on his robes. He looked unconcerned, but Inuyasha knew that was just the monk putting up a front. Kagome too was doing her best to look calm, she had to endure so much ever since coming to his world she might just be getting used to situations like these. But her eyes locked onto his face and he could see how this specific situation could rapidly get out of hand if he didn't do something soon.
Not for the first time, he cursed the moon cycle and its shitty timing.
"You're a half-blood then, huh?" He tuned in to the guy's blabbering just in time to hear him throw the regular insults. Like that wasn't a slight Inuyasha had heard hundredfold since birth. He growled low in his throat and the man scowled down at him, crouching in front of him. "You disgust me-"
He was interrupted by Inuyasha spitting in his face. He snarled, a low primal noise, and lashed out with the dagger. It made a clean cut across Inuyasha's cheek – one that his youkai blood would have healed instantly had he not been human tonight. But he didn't even flinch.
"Fuck you!" he threw back.
The man stared at him for a moment, eyes narrowed as if he was calculating something. Then an ugly grin spread across his face, and it instantly sent unease pooling in Inuyasha's gut. He straightened himself slowly, stretching out his spine in unbearable increments, and when he turned around he smiled even wider.
His eyes landed on the other two and that unease quickly turned into outright nausea.
"How about this then, boy," the leader started – and drew out that last word in a way that particularly sent shivers down Inuyasha's back. "We'll have some fun with you, but we'll keep one of your friends around. Make sure you don't get lonely."
It was hard to see in the dark, but the comment sent a round of vile laughter through the rest of the men. With slow strides, the leader approached Kagome and cupped her chin in one hand, tilting her head to the side for an appraising look. "I'd prefer the pretty one, of course. I'm dying to know what she looks like under those strange clothes."
Kagome barely made a sound, but the way her shoulders hunched in on themselves was telltale enough. If Inuyasha hadn't already wanted to rip these bastards throats out and shove them up their asses, this would have been sure to do it. Before he even could get a word in, Miroku spoke up.
"I don't think that's a very good idea."
The leader grunted, letting go of Kagome in favor of getting in the monk's face. "And that matters because?"
"Well, even people such as you probably harbor respect for the Gods, I'd assume," Miroku said. "The lady is a Miko. It will not do to treat her like this if you fear the afterlife."
Which was probably the biggest load of horseshit Inuyasha's ever heard. But Miroku wasn't stupid. An idiot, yes, but not stupid. Inuyasha knew exactly what he was getting at, and hated it more than anything. Miroku was always so quick to put his own life on the line.
The men however were not as attuned to the monk's tricks. A few glances were exchanged between them, and two started talking in hushed whispers. It almost looked like they were seriously considering their mortal prospects. Then, a fist was slammed into Miroku's stomach.
"Are you really that much of an idiot?" The man laughed as Miroku curled in on himself, coughing. He planted one foot on his shoulders, pressing him harder into the ground. "If we feared the Gods we wouldn't be doing this in the first place."
Inuyasha pushed against the hands holding him down harder, but no matter how much he tried he was unable to shake them off. The leader kicked Miroku in the face – the resulting crack unbearably loud in the clearing – and blood started pouring from his broken nose.
More laugher broke out in the other bandits, Kagome left out a soft whimper and the noise pulled the leader's attention back to her. Inuyasha could not afford to wait for whatever he had in mind.
"I'll do it," he said, raising his head to look at the man who had turned halfway to face him. "I'll choose, if it gets you off or some shit."
Ignoring the quip, the man walked towards him, a smile showing just slightly too much teeth. "Wised up, have you?"
Inuyasha didn't say anything. He exhaled slowly and heavily through his nose, a breath he hadn't noticed he was holding inside his lungs until it started hurting.
With a short laugh, the man bent down in front of him once more – this time pushing the dagger right against Inuyasha's throat. He felt the sharp edge quiver against his skin. "One or the other now," the man said lowly, like it was a secret only they could share. "They'll run free and then we can play."
The instinct to tear into this human – to bite or scratch or somehow do something – was almost overwhelming. Instead, Inuyasha bit his tongue, dull incisors not even strong enough to draw blood anymore. "I'm just supposed to take your word for it?" he asked.
"Either that or I could kill all three of you, your pick."
His eyes darted past the man, at Kagome trying to keep strong, keep her head up. And Miroku, still on the ground with blood all over him but somehow looking Inuyasha straight in the face. He swallowed. "Don't fucking touch her."
Glancing over his shoulder, the leader shrugged. "You're lucky I'm a man of his word, boy. Pity that." His dagger was still posed perfectly against Inuyasha's throat, but with his free hand, he gestured at his underlings. There was a moment's hesitation before they hauled Kagome to her feet. With a sly smirk, he addressed her, "Go now little bird. We'll be done before you get back."
Kagome wasn't moving, frozen in either fear or inaction. Inuyasha knew she would do anything to help them, but right now all he needed was for her to be safe. "Get Sango-" he said, before being cut off by the dagger pressing more firmly against his skin.
She nodded before running off, and when none of the men made to follow her Inuyasha knew that somehow he had made the right choice.
"As promised," the man gloated, pulling back a bit. His breath stunk of sour meat and sake. "Now it's our turn. I know somewhere nice."
Before Inuyasha could even decipher what that meant, another punch hit the side of his head, plunging the world into darkness.