Sanctuary of Blue
(Part One)
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or their loveliness. Rated: Er, let's go with PG but this is going to turn into a lemon. (written for my claim on 30kisses) KIKYOU X INUYASHA (beware if you do not like this shipping, if you read any way, well then that's your stupid fault for reading something you obviously hate.)
It was the first time he'd ever been this close to the ocean. It smelled salty but not enough to bother his sensitive nose. The lapping of the waves seemed to lull him into a sense of security. And strangely, he accepted it. Even with so many demons out to kill him for being a half breed and humans trying to harm him because they feared what he could do, he simply allowed himself this bit of peace. Warm water lapped at his feet.
Everything seemed so quiet, so peaceful and he wished that he could remain there along the shoreline. The sand started to sink under his weight as it squished between his toes. It was paradise compared to his life of misery.
"Once in a while, I think I'd like to stay here." He voiced as his eyes roamed the seashells cluttered on the ground.
Soft hums filtered through the air, drifting about his mind as he relaxed to its soothing melody. "That would be nice," Kikyou hummed as she ran her hands within the soft brown pebbles. Heels digging into the sand, she breathed a sigh of relief. This was a place she would have loved to call a home away from home. A place where she and Inuyasha could just be at peace without worry or care; that was something more precious than anything a silly jewel could offer.
Inuyasha left his stance by the water and sat next to the young miko who was currently resting on her back, hair pulled up into a loose bun. "Tell me Kikyou, why exactly are we here again?" Though he knew they were here for a reason, it wouldn't have mattered. He still would have come for no reason at all.
There was a soft sigh of discontent before the miko raised her body up and pulled her knees to her chest. "There was a rumor of demon thieves that have been stealing young women around these parts."
Suddenly Inuyasha was once again on guard as amber eyes narrowed and searched the area again with a sense of alert hindering along.
"I guess we should be leaving then huh?"
The miko nodded sadly and stood, brushing off the bits of sand that managed to cling to her kimono. "The village by the west is the one being attacked the most. Mainly though it has only been young women with no attachments to men."
Nodding the hanyou started to walk forward in the direction Kikyou pointed to. When he felt something pull on his obi, he turned to find Kikyou staring off on the right. Her face was flushed and her other hand was covering her mouth. An eyebrow rose as he followed her eye's path.
There was rustling. Beyond a bit of trees two young people, probably from the village were romping around. Even Inuyasha couldn't help the light stain on his cheeks as he huffed at the indecency. But what surprised him was that Kikyou didn't turn away and continued to watch with wanton.
Cheeks flushed far beyond what he'd ever seen of her, he was once again surprised when he felt a hand encircle his clawed one. It pulled lightly as she placed it against her chest. What did it mean? As much as he wished for them to do what the couple hidden behind the mass of trees were doing, he knew she wanted to find the women.
Sweet scent, he thought as something drifted by his nose. He almost choked when he felt his hand pressed firmly against the miko's bosom. The smell wasn't from anywhere but the woman next to him. She was…aroused?
The hand that was still holding his kimono pulled making the hanyou stumble back a little until he was no more than a few inches from her. "Inuyasha," she breathed with restriction in her words, "are they…?" Trailing off, her eyes turned to focus in on his. This time he knew he was redder than the haori he wore.
"I uhh – don't know." He lied. Just the scent in the air alone could tell him exactly what they were doing and his ears started to droop within the silver mane to hide from the soft moans and grunts they were making. The slapping of skin against skin was almost enough to make him want to high tail it out of there – if only the miko would let go of him and continue on with their task.
When it was noted that Kikyou wasn't going to move on her own free will, the hanyou sighed with frustration and tugged her hand off of his that had kept it against his chest. To say she looked a bit crestfallen from the sudden movement would have been an understatement. Tears wanted to be shed beneath those beautiful brown eyes but he knew they would never fall.
Instead of trying to talk to her, which he knew would be a waste of time when he pretty much failed at words; his hand seized her wrist as he pulled her body onto his back. She didn't fall and gracefully nestled herself against his back like it was the most natural thing to do.
"Come on, let's get this over with so we can-" Inuyasha's voice dropped a pitch, "deal with more urgent matters." Claws dug into the woman's thighs lightly and he didn't miss the hitch in her breath when he did it. Something deep in his gut told him, this little mission they were doing for the village was going to be a bit harder than before and it wasn't due to any unforeseen demon that lay ahead. No, just by the warmth dripping through his back from the young woman cuddled up on his back, it was going to be harder simply to keep himself in check.
The miko smiled, loving the feel of him against her. If only they could have been like that couple, so carefree and loving. Internally she felt like she was betraying her duty but her heart knew better. A man loved her and she him. There shouldn't be anything wrong with showing one that kind of love to another by touch. Secretly, while she rode Inuyasha's back, a decision was made.
It was time to show him.
---
It was just passed the sunset when they found the village that had requested Kikyou's presence. Many of the huts looked like they were packed with grains and surplus with herbal gardens along side it. Villagers didn't give so much notice to the young woman compared to the man with dog ears. At first Inuyasha was getting irritated by all the looks and was going to lay the law down but was held back by a simple hand that gently cupped his. Thinking to find the young miko's, he was surprised to find a girl no higher than his kneecap looking up at him with beautiful Aquarian eyes. "Hallo," she smiled, her dark hair waving about in pigtails.
"Uh- Hi." Inuyasha replied lamely as he searched for a mother that would rip the kid away from him. It seemed that he was going to be surprised many a times this trip as he found a pair of parental eyes watching him and the child with – mirth?
He turned to find Kikyou's eyes mimicking the child's mother. They thought this was amusing?
Getting ready to growl the hanyou was cut off when the child tugged on his hand and pulled him down to her level. "Come and play'wth me. Sssh, but we gotta be rweally qwuiet owkay?"
Inuyasha, not knowing what the hell to say anymore, just nodded.
Kikyou bent down and brushed the young child's bangs from her eyes making her giggle. "Can you tell me where the head master of the village is little one?"
The child nodded and pointed a pudgy finger toward a hut with a small porch in front. "Thank you. Inuyasha you can wait here while I speak with him. It seems," she glanced from child to hanyou with a smile "you're a bit busy."
"Keh!" Before he could protest that he wasn't going to stand there with a little imp grabbing him, the miko was already stepping on the porch by the time he opened his mouth.
For Fuck's sake she was fast!
A tug on his sleeve however caused Inuyasha to forget about the miko's speed as he was pulled down the pathway.
---
The room was small, leaving only enough space for one person to live in yet Kikyou found herself in front of the chief of the village with a woman the same age as he. Her hair had gone white and traveled down her back freely while her hands worked grinding herbs together in a stone bowl. The chief also had white hair but was mixed with pepper strands. "Excuse my intrusion, but I'm Lady Kikyou, you summoned me here."
Dark sandy eyes came up to meet Kikyou's chocolate molten ones and she nearly gasped in surprise. They were the color of the sand on the shoreline, bits of blue flecking at the edges; it was an ocean. Never before had she seen such beautiful eyes like these. They crinkled as the man smiled, taking note of the woman's gaze. "Yes we did and I thank you for coming so quickly on such a short notice."
The chief's voice was sweet and gentle and Kikyou couldn't stop herself from reciprocating it. "I was told this was a peaceful village, never having any troubles. Knowledge that it was being attacked however gave enough vigor to bring me here." The old man nodded for the miko to sit down on the thin mat by the window.
"Some of the villagers have already passed by when they caught sight of you on the beach. You're traveling with a hanyou, a young male hanyou?" The question somewhat killed off the sweetness of the man and Kikyou had to stop herself from scolding. "Yes. Yes I am." Her eyes glazed a bit as she watched the old man's never quiver from their gentle nature. "Is there a problem with that?" The bite in the question fell on deaf ears and Kikyou once again wondered about the man in front of her when soft textured chuckles were her only reply.
"Of course not and besides it isn't my business anyway. I've just never met a miko who friends a demon. It's quite," he paused and she could have sworn she saw mirth in those deep hypnotizing eyes but it flickered away just as suddenly as it appeared, "refreshing."
Deciding best to change the subject to the matter that brought her and the hanyou there, Kikyou ran over the facts and rumors she'd heard. Mainly all of them were true, minus a few minor details.
After discussing what the elder man saw himself with some of what the other villagers stated Kikyou could smell a rouse in the works. "I see. Well I shall go speak with my companion to find what our next step should be." Standing, she headed for the doorway before turning with one hand on the door mat "Afterward, I will return to elucidate what will be done." The old man's nod was all the conformation she needed. The air tasted fresh against her lips and the wind tousled her hair about playfully. It was going to become cold, she mused.
"HHHEEEYYYY! THAT'S MY HAIR! OUCH OUCH! GEEEET OFF! Don't! Don't you touch em'! Ouch I SAID NOT TO TOUCH THEM!" The shouts had the miko nearly jumping out of her skin as she twisted around to witness Inuyasha with the same small child from before on his shoulders while she yanked on his puppy ears. Kikyou couldn't help wince as she heard a yelp of pain erupt from the hanyou's lips. He was wrestling with the young girl's form as she kept a strong hold of his ears. Villagers and young children stood outside watching, some giggling while others simply were astonished that a little girl was beating a grown man.
The miko walked up to the pair and raised a hand to the young girl's face, covering it with her palm. "Do you know who it is?" Kikyou asked. The girl giggled.
"It's you!"
"You who?"
The girl sighed annoyed a bit that "you" wasn't good enough for a name. "The miko with the long pwetty black hair!"
"Oh." Kikyou's hand was pulled away with the pudgy hands and Inuyasha's ears were forgotten. She smiled down at the miko with a toothy grin. "Isn't that me?"
"Yesss," The girl giggled as she put her arms out which Kikyou took and pulled the girl from the hanyou's shoulders. "Your' funny."
"Thank you," Smiling, Kikyou found Inuyasha watching her carefully as he rubbed his abused ears. "Are you alright Inuyasha?"
"Keh. Fine."
Kikyou gave him a sweet smile that had him turning his eyes away briefly with stained cheeks. "What's your name?" She watched as the young girl's eyes danced.
"Ishuiya," Little fingers dug into her robe's sleeve as the girl suddenly seemed to lose her valor and hid her face in the fabric with a giggle.
"That's a pretty name. Do you think you can apologize to my friend Inuyasha, Ishuiya, I think you hurt him." Kikyou heard the hanyou scoff at the word hurt but didn't push on it. Were his ears truly that sensitive?
"I'm sowwy." Two little eyes looked up to two not so happy amber ones and softened the hanyou's attitude, a little.
"Keh. Fine. Just don't do it again," The little girl nodded and turned to look at Kikyou, asking for praise. She received it with a smile and a hug from the miko.
"Ishuiya, tell me, have you seen any demons or creatures lurking about that didn't belong near the village?" Kikyou questioned as the girl pulled back from the hug. The little girl put a pudgy finger to her face and her brow furrowed.
"No. But my sista might have." Kikyou nodded and asked her to lead her and Inuyasha to the sibling. The little girl obliged without hesitation and proceeded to pull the miko's hand down the path of the main trail between two sides of the village. After walking for only five minutes, Ishuiya stopped and put a finger to her lips to be silent as she pushed passed a threshold cloth and walked in a tiny hut. Once Kikyou and Inuyasha both stepped in, they noticed a small frame in a pallet over in the corner of the hut. Kikyou's lips fell to a small frown and turned to ask Ishuiya what was wrong with her sister when she noticed the small unshed tears building at the corner of the girl's eyes.
"Ishuiya?" A little voice, weakened from some type of pain called out into the room.
"Sayla! You should be resting." Ishuiya went to the side and watched as her sister's expression changed when she took notice of the two visitors in her home. Her face was pale with jet black hair stricken along her face. The miko's heart lurched. The girl had a fever and she seemed to be losing the battle of whatever illness ailed her.
Dark circles rounded under her eyes, making her look far older and frail than probably what she was. Kikyou stepped forward and bent down to raise a hand toward her forehead when the girl backed up, her eyes darker. "Who are you?" Her voice quivered with distrust.
"Lady Kikyou. I'm a miko," Dropping her hand down, Kikyou smiled softly and finished her introductions, "And behind me is Inuyasha, a friend of mine. I don't mean to frighten you." The girl seemed to ease back at the tenderness of the miko's voice.
"Oh. You must be the miko the village chief summoned."
"That is correct. You seem to be not doing to well. Is there anything I could do?' Kikyou watched as Sayla's eyes glazed over with pain and fell back onto the blankets of her bedding. Immediately, a hand was placed against her forehead. Kikyou's smile turned sour as she found the girl was burning up and her skin felt ice cold. Moving her blanket's from her body, she tried to locate what was causing the fever.
"Inuyasha, Ishuiya can you please go out toward the…" Kikyou's eyes came across marks marred along the girl's hip bone. Swollen and bruising, claws seemed to have dug through the girl's skin and it looked like it was infected. Fighting the need to throw up, Sayla tried to sit up but was forced back down with a palm flat against her shoulder. "Inuyasha, she has an infection. Try and hunt down her parents and the chief elder." Nodding, the hanyou started to head for the doorway when Ishuiya blocked his path and squeaked "You can't! If they find out that Sayla"
"Be quiet Ishuiya!" Sayla barked, her body drooping against Kikyou's. She didn't know what was going on between the sisters but decided that if they couldn't use the aid of the village then she was just going to make use of what she could.
"Fine. Inuyasha, do you remember the herbs that bring down swelling and fevers?" The hanyou's long silver locks fell into his eyes as he nodded with "yeah". "Good. Please get them for me. Ishuiya, show him where the herbal gardens are and when your done bring me a bucket, water and a rag." The little tyrant from before was completely lost in the young one's eyes as she took the miko's orders and led Inuyasha to the gardens.
As the two disappeared, Kikyou turned her attention back to the older child lying down against her. Her eyes were skeptic. "You need to tell me how you managed to get this wound, but that will wait until later. We need you healthy again." The girl blinked her eyes wide with disbelief.
Could the miko truly care about her that much?
After awhile, Inuyasha returned with the herbs lying flat in the sleeve of his haori and a bucket of water sloshing back in forth in his other arm as Ishuiya was next to him, torn rags bunched in her arms along with some more herbs she probably got while showing Inuyasha the garden.
"Pour and boil the water in the kettle Ishuiya," Kikyou motioned and the girl set to work as Inuyasha went and placed the herbs and before moving to help Ishuiya by the fire pit. Water and fire brimmed as Kikyou pulled the hot water in the kettle and poured some in another bucket that had been beside the fire pit. She tore a few rags and dipped them in the hot water and moved to place it against the wound. "This will hurt," She warned Sayla who nodded as her fingers twisted in the bedding.
---
Kikyou leaned back into the wall beside the sleeping Sayla. Across from her she could hear the soft snores of Ishuiya who was cuddled up in Inuyasha's lap. The hanyou had been daunting sleep that weighed his eyelids. Eventually he succumbed and mumbled about only taking a small nap. Moving her gaze, her eyes fell on two open ones. "They're not really ours," Sayla said quietly, her voice hoarse from the screaming she did earlier when Kikyou had cleaned the wound, "They're not really our parents I mean. Ours were killed in a riot at our village way back west. We came here with travelers who happened by the wreck the pillagers caused." Her voice began to shake and she took a shallow breath. "Ever since Ishuiya and I have been alone, minus the help of the couple who'd been keeping an eye on us. We live alone."
Silence swept the room until Kikyou let a small sigh slip from her lips and closed her eyes. "It must be hard. To live alone with just a younger sibling to watch over," Kikyou opened her eyes to see the girl watching her attentively "it must be hard for you."
The girl's mouth opened but she couldn't find any words to say, so she snapped. "What would you know?"
Kikyou's expression was unreadable, "Enough to know how hard it is to be so young and yet have to be strong and block any vulnerability for the sake of your younger sister."
Sayla's eyes were once again lost. "You have a younger sister?"
Finally a smile pulled at her lips. "Yes. About your age now."
Something pulled at her heart and Sayla dropped her stare to the floor. "Did you also lose your parents at are age?"
"Yes."
"So you do know what its like to always have to be responsible for someone smaller than you even though you're just a child yourself."
The brush against her hair made her eyes jump up to find the miko smiling gently at her, her fingers brushing against the scalp of her small head as the girl loosened her tension in her body. "Yes, I do." Kikyou whispered.
---
It was daybreak by the time everyone had been roused up from their slumber. Kikyou had fallen asleep next to Sayla while she had cuddled under her arm. Inuyasha had been the first one up and found the small bundle of energy in his lap when his eyes crossed over on the other end of the room. Kikyou's face had seemed…peaceful for once yet he could still smell sadness about her.
"So, are you going to spill what happened to you?" Inuyasha asked over the rice in his mouth. His amber eyes were a bit dull though Kikyou didn't make much of a mention over it. Instead she waited for Sayla to swallow her own rice and answer Inuyasha's question. She did but hesitated every now and then as she sought words describe for what happened.
"Ishuiya and I were busy trying to fish over out by the shoreline. At the time, we hadn't heard anything on the women missing. So it wasn't much of a deal for us to be alone out there." Sayla paused to wipe some rice from her mouth and looked up to Inuyasha. "Demons aren't truly feared around here so even if we did happen upon one, we would have just thought of them as travelers. But" Sayla lost eye contact with Inuyasha and stared just over his shoulder, "right away we knew those guys were bad news."
"Therw lauwghs scawed me," Ishuiya added, her hands wrapped over top of one of Inuyasha's clawed ones. Inuyasha scoffed and ran a hand through her dark locks.
"And here I thought you were fearless." The little girl smiled and leaned against the hanyou's chest while she played with a strand of his hair. Kikyou couldn't help smiling at the scene before her but quickly turned to the matter at hand.
"Could you tell what they wanted?" Kikyou questioned as Sayla managed a bit more food in her mouth.
"From what I heard it was women. But they only wanted young virgins. I've only heard demons or humans want virgins when they were either trying to bed them or were going to use them for some sort of ritual." Sayla watched as the miko's eyes widened. "What, like I'm not supposed to know about bedding and intercourse." She watched as the miko's cheeks grew a bit red and saw the hanyou's hands clamp down over the child in his lap who wiggled wanting to know what was said. Sayla giggled. "Oh I see" pointing toward the hanyou and looked at Kikyou, "the two of you are…"
"Where did you get hurt?" Kikyou rushed, determined not allow the girl to finish her sentence.
Sayla lost a bit of her giddiness at the two and frowned. "Well we accidentally were loud and I rushed Ishuiya toward the village."
"You tried to fight them off and give your sister a chance to find refuge," Inuyasha finished; his hands already intertwined with the little girl's again.
Sayla simply nodded and wound the blanket that was around her tighter.
"From what I could tell from your wound, the demons have a dull poisonous tip on their claws. Though it wasn't enough to reach your heart quickly, it still caused an infection. There are only a few demons with that ability." Kikyou thought of out loud as she reached toward the fire pit and grabbed a cup filled with tea and handed it to Sayla who sipped at it experimentally until knowing it was cool enough to drink.
"Yeah, but from the scent I picked up from the wound, it was definitely a cougar demon."
The miko turned as Inuyasha shrugged. "I've ran across their kind once or twice. They love to raid and pillage peaceful villages and steal the young girls. Though I'm not certain what they do with them."
"Did you pick up a scent any near by?" Kikyou asked and Inuyasha shook his head.
"None. It seems they are also quite slick with keeping undetected."
Nodding at the hanyou's words, Sayla quickly added "They were complaining about how one of the women's bodies had been wounded and left a trail of blood of some sort. Though I'm pretty sure they must have gotten rid of it-" Inuyasha quickly interjected.
"But they can't rid the smell already floating in the air." A smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth.
"Do you think it's possible that the scent is strong enough to track, Inuyasha?" The miko, still sitting with her legs perched beside her bottom started to pull her hair from its tie. Black strands floated and graced her shoulders lightly and Inuyasha was abstracted by the simple action as one strand slipped just along her face. "Inuyasha?" Kikyou's eyebrow rose at the look on the man's face. "Are you alright?"
"Oh brother," Sayla mumbled, though neither adult addressed it.
The hanyou blinked and quickly recovered his dropped mouth while hustling the little child in his arms to get up. She didn't and squished herself further against him, nearly melting to his haori, Ishuiya let out a small yawn and her eyes drooped.
Kikyou held a hand up to her lips as she tried to stop the laughter. Unsettled, Inuyasha simply glared at her through hooded eyes as the little girl used one of his hands for a pillow and sighed happily, sleep taking over.
"It seems we will have to wait until she wakes. In the mean time," Kikyou brushed her hands up in her hair, pulling it back up into a loose tail and could have sworn she heard a small whimper from Inuyasha's direction. "I wish to take a gander around the village; see if I turn up with anything that will help us find these cougar demons. With some luck, the demons might have left something behind or one of the women."
Inuyasha tried to stumble up but the little girl on him chained him to the floor of the hut. "Don't worry Inuyasha; being alert isn't simply a demon trait." She smirked at the look she received for the comment and turned to Sayla who was starting to crawl back in her sleeping pallet. "Also I'm going to attain more herbs for your wounds."
---
Eventually after making sure the hanyou didn't follow behind, lurking in the shadows as if she couldn't hear the curses and accidental rustling of fabric, Kikyou made it to a small clearing of homes. They were strikingly different from the others and almost appeared to have been swept up and placed in the wrong community of villagers. Instead of old wood or water logged planks, these homes had tiles of wood, stretched out along the top of the huts and also much greenery scaling the outside walls.
Lilies and from what she could tell yellow and blue flowers she'd never come across before littered the pathway that led to the doorway.
Hairs stood along the back of her neck as she started forward and felt an aura that shouldn't have been in a peaceful village. It felt…demonic.
Warily she approached the homes when she heard a call of her name from behind. She turned to find a young woman, her hair a light brown that was floating about her face as she ran toward her and stopped to take a deep breath. "Lady Kikyou, the village chief wishes to speak with you."
Kikyou nodded before her attention drew toward the huts again. "I'll be there shortly just as soon as I-" The woman stood up straight and shook her head.
"No, he wishes to see you now."
"Why does he insist on seeing me so early?" Kikyou knew there were only few villagers up so early in the morning but it didn't seem like anything was erroneous of the atmosphere, save for the huts and their aura.
"Another woman was taken last night," Out of breath, the young woman rushed her words quickly and Kikyou almost asked her to repeat what she said when the woman started to shiver. "A woman yet again was taken while we all slept. No one saw anything, but please the chief wishes to speak with you of the matter."
There was no need for words and Kikyou started to move away from the grouping of huts when something zinged right into the back of her spine. She knew it was just a strange feeling that swathed her but at the same time that was all that was necessary to be on high alert. "Tell me, who lives in these huts?"
The girl looked over the miko's shoulder toward the huts and frowned as if the question were bizarre. "No one," she flicked her gaze back to Kikyou's and her frown grew, "at least that I know of for quite some time." Kikyou could tell she was speaking the truth but it still plagued her. If no one lived there then how were all the flowers maintained like they'd just been cared for only a few days ago. "Please Lady Kikyou; we must hurry to the chief."
---
Only taking a few moments to reach the home of the village chief, Kikyou entered while the young woman who'd called for her stayed back, her fingers digging into the palm of her hands severely as the miko disappeared behind the cloth drape.
The woman stood there for a moment before her eyes scanned the village quickly and turned her gaze toward which she and the miko had come. Something didn't seem right the way the miko was reluctant to leave the abandoned homes by the herbal gardens. Was there someone there – possibly the demons who'd stolen the women of the village – residing, waiting to strike an innocent villager?
Just as her foot picked up, the flap of the door mat opened and the miko appeared, her features marred with worry – or at least it appeared to be.
"Listen to me" Kikyou trailed off, not knowing what to call the woman before her.
"Kiya." She added and Kikyou gave a small smile, though it did little to reach her eyes.
"Kiya, I need you to do me a favor. Can you please go to one of your herbal gardens and retrieve an herb that reduces infection and swelling? If you do not know what it looks like, I can describe it to you." Kiya gave her a strange face but didn't answer. "It looks similar to a willow" Her words were cut off when she noticed Kiya was eyeing her warily. "Is something the matter?"
"How is it you took little time to speak with the chief villager?" Kiya's voice quavered a little at the end and Kikyou would have sworn it was suspicion mixed with fear but ignored it instead.
"Listen, I truly do not have time for this." Kikyou started to leave, tired from all the mysteries going around the place and wanted nothing more than to help Sayla with her wounds and sleep more. Unfortunately, when she had entered the hut, she found that the chief wished to ask her one simple question. The question had shaken new questions in her own mind as he asked without any sort of jesting ways.
"Wait," Kiya called from behind her but Kikyou didn't stop and heard feet hustling behind her, "you didn't answer my question."
"As I've said, I don't have time for this." The miko moved her legs faster and found that Kiya was keeping up, only a few feet behind her until finally Kiya speed up and swung around in front of her. "Will you please leave me be? I have many things to get done and you're not helping me at all."
"Then just please listen," Eyes wavered with emotion on the young woman's face and the miko finally halted in her actions of moving around her. "These girls who've been taken, I've known them for quite awhile. Only now I'm one of the very few left of the young women in this village. The chief wishes not to scare the mothers and children but…" Kikyou watched as Kiya bowed her head, tears swimming just at the bottom of her eyes.
"The village chief sent me out simply because I'd already known the information. He told me a woman had been taken and that we needed to hurry before another would soon be. That is all."
"Still…doesn't it seem suspicious to you?" Kiya turned her gaze back up to the miko and frowned. "Why do you think he simply said what I told you and sent you away when he asked me to summon you so urgently?"
Kikyou mirrored Kiya's frown then. "I suppose." Turning back around, Kikyou went toward the hut of the chief, the light of daylight slowly starting to pour out on the roof top.
Silently, she crept up on to the porch and listened closely. She could hear small murmurs of words, all muffled by the wall of wood. Two words however did catch her senses and her heart started to beat hard against her chest. Breath stilling in her lungs, the words ran in her head as she pulled away when she heard footsteps fall closer toward her direction. Kiya followed and both women went toward the hut that Inuyasha and the children were currently residing inside.
Dead bodies.
When both women came to stop just at the doorway of the hut, Kikyou caught a glimpse of red fly through and catch her shoulders. Warmth flooded into her body as she felt her hanyou wrap his arms around her gently. "Hey are you alright?"
Kikyou opened her mouth, but nothing came out. What was she supposed to say? Trying again, she gasped when she felt warmth pressed against her forehead. She fell into the simple kiss from the hanyou and calmed her breathing.
"We have trouble," she breathed lowly.
TBC