The morning was bright yet refreshingly cool. The wind the night before had brought with it a cool spell, and while the drought was still going on, the villagers were glad to have a respite from the heat.
Kagome was the first up, despite having been so tired the night before. Her sleep had been deep, and despite a nightmare, when she finally opened her eyes, she felt refreshed and ready for the day.
She was a little surprised to see InuYasha was still deep asleep, sitting up in his usual position, his back against a wall, and even more surprised when she rose, left to wash and dress, and found him still asleep when she returned. His hair looked paler than normal, for some reason, when he wore his pale green clothing. Hakama and haori, a simpler cut than his usual crimson clothing, was the hanyou's fall back outfit, something he could wear if meds were needed.
It was a rough night last night, she thought, What with Xether and Neith.
It was still hard to believe that she killed Xether.
Kagome sat outside the hut on a little blanket, InuYasha's haori draped over her lap as she worked on sewing up the tears. She had eaten a light breakfast outside, afraid she might awaken them. The hanyou's gi and haori had been washed earlier, and hung up to dry. She mended the haori while she waited for the gi to finish drying.
Kagome paused, and placed a hand over the Shikon, hidden under her shirt.
I did it. Myself. No one helping me, not even DarkWind. Me.
While she felt good about being able to call on the Shikon when she had needed it, and hadn't suffered any ill effects, she still forced the memory of Xether's death from her mind. Burning the Shadeling alive hadn't been her intention, and the screams still echoed in her ears.
It was a nightmare that had awoken her, the sound of the Shadeling burning, the crackling of the flames. Kagome had wanted to stop her, yes, and she knew that meant killing her. But...not like that.
I didn't feel anything, though, when I was doing it. I had no feelings. It was like...stepping on a bug.
Will it always be like that? If I use it again, will I be able to just...kill someone, without even feeling anything?
She wasn't sure she liked that thought.
Wait until I tell DarkWind what I did, though! she thought happily, He'll be so proud of me!
Several hours later, the others had risen, and had gone about some daily chores. InuYasha went fishing, after hearing some of the elders weren't eating as much as they should be. He grouched and grumbled about it, but no one forced him, and he returned later with a basket of fish for them.
Miroku was outside, helping an older woman with some packages she needed moved. He found it warmer than he was used to. Usually on such a warm day, he would be wearing his lighter robes. Today, however, he wore what he had been wearing for a while now; grey pants and shirt.
Since putting aside the monk's robes, he discovered how cooling they used to be. As the hem moved, it often kicked up a small breeze about himself. Now he felt somewhat trapped in his clothing.
He supposed he could put his hair back, into the familiar, usual ponytail, but he seemed uneasy about it. He had even put aside the simple hairstyle of the monk, and although a ponytail wasn't restricted only to monks, he felt wrong about doing it.
So for now, he sweltered.
Putting the last box down on the floor, he stood up, wiping the sweat from his face with his sleeve, when motion caught his eye.
A young woman was walking past the window, going somewhere.
Miroku paused.
She was a somewhat striking woman, but the strange thing was that Miroku couldn't place just why she seemed striking. Certainly she was attractive, but was no astonishing beauty. Her hair was dark, shoulder length. She wore rather simple clothing; skirt, shirt and sandals. They seemed to be older as well, a little faded.
Miroku stilled, watching her as she walked by. A voice interrupted him.
"Ah, there she goes again."
He turned, looking down at the old woman. Toothless, she grinned a gummy grin at him, "She's interesting, isn't she?"
"Who is she?" he asked.
"I have no idea. She doesn't live in this village. She doesn't talk much, just comes in here from time to time and buys some supplies. Simple things. Rice, vegetables, a few things like that. Then she leaves again."
Miroku moved so he could see her better, before she vanished from sight, "She's never given a name?"
"Not as far as I know, no. She's very quiet. As I said, she comes here to buy some things, and seems to be looking for someone."
Miroku looked at her, "Why do you say that?"
"She studies faces very intently. I have seen her standing in one place, looking into the faces of men as they walk by."
Miroku continued to watch as she walked out of sight.
It's very strange...
Back at the hut he was sharing with the others, Miroku found InuYasha outside, resting under a tree.
"InuYasha, do you smell a demon aroun..." he fell silent, suddenly feeling rather stupid. They were in a village full of humans, hanyou, and demons. There would be something terribly wrong with InuYasha if he didn't sense or smell a demon.
InuYasha watched Miroku curiously, "Why, what's going on?"
Seating himself beside InuYasha, Miroku spoke, explaining what he had seen.
"Well, did you sense she was a demon?"
Miroku sighed, "Like you, I doubt I would be able to pin anything down. This whole village is swimming with demonic auras. A pity I cannot distern the auras from good demons verses evil ones."
InuYasha's back against a tree, hands behind his head, he turned his head to look at Miroku. It was still kind of weird seeing him with that hairstyle, but it was getting more familiar now, "Why did you think she was a demon, anyway? You said she was just walking along, right?"
Miroku nodded, "Yes, but...there was something...drawing me to her."
InuYasha blinked, a little uneasily. Was Miroku going back to his womanizing ways, now, after all this time had passed?
Miroke didn't notice. He was studying the ground before him, as if the answer was there, hidden, "There is definately something strange about her, I just don't know what."
"Well...you shouldn't be surprised. You've been trained for years to sense things like that."
Miroku, shook his head, smiling a bitter smile, "I've put those ways behind me, InuYasha."
InuYasha snorted, "So you think you can just put all that to one side, huh? Get real, Miroku. You've been training as a monk for all your life, you can't just take it off as easily as you took off those robes."
Miroku looked away, voice angry, "You don't understand."
"You're damn right I don't," InuYasha suddenly snapped, "I might not exactly be an expert on monks or anything, Miroku, but I know you were a damn good one. You clowned around a lot, and sometimes you did things that an "upright" monk wouldn't do, but I've seen monks running from things you ran towards!"
"I'm not talking about this, InuYasha," Miroku's voice was strained.
"No, why should you?" InuYasha growled, "You might actually see sense."
With a muffled curse, Miroku stood up, striding away from the hanyou, moving away from the village a little.
InuYasha cursed under his breath. He could probably have tried to do that better, but he got angry when Miroku spoke that way. Miroku knew more about the spiritual world and it's ways than anyone else he knew. No matter how low you were feeling, Miroku usually knew just how to get to the bottom of everything and make you see sense.
Why couldn't he do that for himself?
Muttering under his breath, he looked up as a shadow fell over him, blinking to see Kagome standing there. She had her backpack on her back.
"Are you going back already!?"
Kagome blinked, "Uh...yeah, I have to. There's a test coming up, and I need to take it. What's wrong?"
InuYasha sighed, "Nothing. Miroku's just being an idiot, that's all."
"Miroku?"
InuYasha stood up, "He won't talk about taking up the monk's robes again, just keeps telling me I don't understand. Of course I don't understand, I'm no monk!"
Kagome sighed, "I know. It just seems so...wrong. He's been a monk as long as I've known him. Sango has told him he can't blame himself for what happened, but...he still feels he's not capable of it anymore. He's doubting himself, his faith."
InuYasha huffed.
"It must be hard, to doubt yourself, doubt something you've believed in for years and years. To think that all this time it was just a sham. But we won't help him by trying to force him back into it, InuYasha."
"I know, I know! I just got angry." He sighed, then looked at her, "You...this test is important, huh?"
Kagome nodded, "It is. I'd invite you to come over with me, but...well...it's kinda hard to study when you come over, no offense."
"Yeah, fine," he shrugged. InuYasha remembered how it had felt, to hold Kagome inside that cave, to hold her in his arms.
And she had let him.
Finally...after all this time...his patience was paying off. She was warming up to him again. And he wouldn't do anything to risk that. So if he had to stay here while she went home, so be it.
Besides...tonight was the new moon. He'd just be hanging around the place anyway, not really doing anything.
Being bored.
InuYasha and Kagome located Sango, who was sitting outside their hut, making a few small repairs to her Hiraikotsu.
"Sango, can I borrow Kirara, to head back to the well, please?"
"Certainly, Kagome, I'm sure she won't mind. She's getting a little bored around here, I'm sure she'd love a good run."
Kirara, in her kitten form, ran from Sango's lap eagerly, morphing into her huge form, growling in a friendly manner at Kagome. Kagome laughed, scratching behind Kirara's ears, "Thank you, sweetheart, I appreciate it."
InuYasha hopped on, reaching down for Kagome, as Miroku came out of the hut. He started to settle himself next to the demon slayer, "Are you going to staying over there, InuYasha?"
"Nah, Kagome needs to study," he pulled Kagome up, "I'll be back on Kirara shortly."
"Before nightfall, yes?" Miroku asked.
Kagome frowned, "Before ni..." she blinked, looking over her shoulder at InuYasha, "It's the new moon! You'll be human!"
"Yeah, so?"
"Are you...maybe I shouldn't go."
InuYasha blinked, "What? Why?"
Kagome faltered, not sure what, exactly to say. InuYasha crossed his arm, huffing a little, "I'm going to turn into a human, Kagome, not a butterfly. I'll be fine."
Kagome studied his face, then laughed a little, "Right. Ok."
Kirara turned, lunging into the air, as Kagome waved, "I'll be back in a day or two!"
"Take care, Kagome!" Sango called, waving back.
Sango watched as the flying feline vanished from sight, smiling. She was glad Kirara had taken so quickly to her new friends. Normally the feline demon was very picky about who she let on her back - cats weren't pack animals, after all, like horses. But Kirara had no problems with letting one of her friends climb aboard.
Beside her, she heard Miroku sigh.
Sango looked across to him, "Miroku?"
Miroku looked up at Sango, and smiled, "Sorry."
"That was a big sigh. Is anything wrong?"
"No, not really. Just...something on my mind."
Warily, the Demon Slayer watched him. She remembered Miroku telling her that one day, very soon, he was going to take her aside and talk to her, about something important. About them. And that this time, he wouldn't let Sango put him off any more.
But Miroku continued, "I saw a woman today in the village, and I can't seem to get her out of my mind."
Sango froze, in the act of affixing a patch to her armor. Emotions welled up inside her, and her stomach flip-flopped. Now she suddenly felt a flash of despair at his words.
She fought to keep her voice neutral, "Oh?"
"Yes," Miroku said, oblivious to the turmoil he had just caused, "There was something definately odd about her, yet I'm unable to put my finger on it."
Relief welled through Sango, and she grabbed the needle, giving it a harsh yank, as if it personally had upset her, "Oh. Odd. Well...how do you mean? Did you sense anything about her? Any dark auras?"
Miroku shook his head, looking over at her, "No, and that's just it. Yet I spoke with InuYasha earlier, and we both agreed that it would be diffucult, if not outright impossible, to sense any demons here anyway, not in this village."
"Yes, that's true," Sango said, looking back at him, "This would be a good place for an evil demon to hide, if it was able to keep it's intentions well-hidden."
"Yes."
"What did she look like?"
"Well...she was rather attractive, to be honest, though no great ravishing beauty. She wore very simple clothing. One of the elders of the village told me she lives outside the village, and only comes in here from time to time to buy some supplies. But that it seemed as if she searched for someone while she was here."
"Searched? Any idea who?"
Miroku shook his head, "No. Other than she seems to search the faces of the men only."
Sango fell quiet, then spoke, "A brother, perhaps, or father. Or even a husband or lover who's gone missing?"
"That's what I thought at first as well, yet the old woman didn't say if she ever asked around. I would assume a woman looking for someone so important to her would be asking around as well. As I said, it's very odd."
Sango bit off the thread, finishing her sewing, "Well, if she lives just outside the village, do you want to go and see if we can find her? Maybe she needs help."
Miroku regarded her, "Hmmm. Perhaps we should. Let's wait for InuYasha to return."
Sango blinked, "InuYasha, why? He might be gone for hours. Why don't we go now?"
Miroku smiled charmingly, "Well, I wouldn't want him to think we didn't need his assistance. He might be offended."
Sango smiled softly, "You've become such a terrible liar."
Miroku blinked.
She smiled, "I'm fine, Miroku. I'm all healed up, and I can fight just fine. We don't need an extra person with us to look out to me. Just let me change, and I'll be ready."
Miroku opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again, having nothing else to say.
"Besides," she laughed, "InuYasha will be human tonight, remember? We wouldn't be able to depend on his hanyou strength anyway."
"Yes...I suppose..."
Sango stood up, "I'll leave InuYasha a note, letting him and Kirara know where we're heading. Human or hanyou, Kirara can track us, and they can catch up to us if they want."
Miroku nodded, standing as well, "I suppose I have no choice, really."
"That's right," Sango smiled, and headed inside to change.
Kagome hopped down off the giant feline's back, InuYasha landing beside her. Kagome spoke as she walked towards the well, "I should only be gone for three days. Study, take the test, and pick up a few things. Then I'll be back. Is there anything over there you'd like me to pick up, InuYasha?"
He shrugged non-commitially, "No, not really. Don't tire youself out too much studying."
She smiled, "I won't."
Kagome stepped up onto the rim of the well, and InuYasha handed her her nearly depleted yellow backpack. He carefully helped her over the edge of the well, and watched as she vanished into the darkness. There was a brief pale blue flare, then nothing.
InuYasha sighed, and suddenly thought about something Kagome had told him before. If her well was permanently open all the time now, to anyone, they were going to have to see about finding some way of keeping demons away from it. Her grandfather had charms and sutras surrounding the well on her side, but Kagome didn't have a lot of faith in them. Besides, it was very unlikely anyone from her time would be nosing around the well and fall in.
No, they were going to have to get some charms and things and put on the well here.
His first thought was Miroku - and he silently cursed, pushing that away. It was extremely unlikely Miroku would want to put spells and sutras around the well if he felt he was no longer a monk.
It would have to be Kaede, then.
The last thing we need is for a bunch of demons to cross over here, and start trouble in Kagome's world. She told me people over there don't even believe in demons anymore. Those Pleese probably wouldn't be able to do much.
Gazing into the well, InuYasha frowned.
Why were there no demons in Kagome's world? Not only that, but why were they not even believed in anymore? If there was only about 500 or so years between Kagome's time and his...well...demons lived longer than that, most of them. There should be some still there.
It made no sense.
Unless...were they somehow hiding? Had demons learned to mask their auras from humans? Were they, in fact, living among the humans there?
No, that can't be. If there were demons over there, I would have smelled them, all the times I've run around her city. Her world smells, but they shouldn't be able to hide the scent of a demon.
He frowned.
What about the young ones, just being born now? Like little Sokai? She might live to be almost 500, maybe even more if she gained powers.
He thought about Sokai, and the other demons he had met since awakening, demons that weren't especially evil. All the ones in the village seemed nice enough. What happened to the children there? What about the ones that would be born over the next 500 years?
Were they all just wiped out, in one go?
Oddly, InuYasha found himself suddenly thinking about Kouga, and his tribe. Sure, he was a flea-bitten fur-bag, but not even Kouga deserved to just have his entire pack wiped out.
Kagome said something about a legend they have, of some human Shogun, who wiped all the demons out on the entire island of Nippon. Every last one. But...a human? Every demon? Even the powerful ones?
InuYasha had a hard time imagining any human being able to kill Sesshomaru, even a Shogun.
InuYasha remained looking down into the well, startled back to reality when something large bumped into his back, pushing lightly against him.
For a brief second, he started to go for his Tetsusaiga, but the thunderous rumblings that started up halted him.
Blinking, he looked over his shoulder to see Kirara rubbing her massive head against his back, purring.
InuYasha suddenly laughed, and turned, gently petting the feline's head, "Yeah, I get the hint, we'll start back."