Arrows and Scars
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Disclaimer: I own nothing from Inuyasha or the Walking Dead unfortunately. So, you know, no suing please.
Chapter Two: Scratched Up China Doll
The morning light hit Kagome's eyes as she woke up in a large green tent she shared with Souta.
It had been over a month since the young priestess and her brother began staying at the Quarry.
Kagome sat up from her sleeping bag, wiped last night's sleep from her eyes and glance over at her brother, who was still sound asleep. Taking advantage of the privacy, she quickly dressed in into a pair of blue jeans, gray hiking boots, and a dark red tank top. Kagome also slipped on a gray long sleeved over shirt, and put her hair up in a high ponytail.
The last thing the young priestess put on was a necklace that held a clear spherical jewel at the end.
The hollow remains of the Shikon no Tama.
Kagome often asked herself why she kept the trinket with her, since it no longer had any power. 'I guess it's a reminder of how far I've come,' she concluded to herself.
After she dressed, Kagome woke up Souta so he could get dressed and they both could start their day. Her brother put on a pair blue jeans, white sneakers, and a navy blue shirt today.
The Higurashi siblings exited their tent and made their way over to Lori, who was teaching the kids out of some school books that they scavenged on a run a few weeks ago. Reading, writing and math was something the mothers of the camp desperately wanted their children to keep track with.
"Good morning Kagome," Lori greeted the priestess, as she helped her son with his school work. "Good morning Souta," she said smiling at the little boy. The camp members had adjusted to Souta silence, and never pressured him to speak out of respect of Kagome's wishes.
"Good morning, Mrs. Grimes," Kagome greeted the woman, "Hey Carl."
The young Grimes smiled at her, "Morning Kagome."
"And sweetie, please call me Lori," she told the priestess.
Kagome mentally cursed herself, "Sorry. It's a habit. Our mother made sure we kept our manners wherever we go."
Lori chuckled, "Well she taught you right."
Souta frowned slightly at the mention of his mother.
"You ready to do some math problems, Souta?" Lori asked him. The Higurashi boy's frown immediately turned sour and shook his head vigorously. Carl laughed at his friend's actions, feeling the exact same way. "Nuh uh," Lori shook her head in disapproval, "None of that."
Souta pouted as he sat down and began working in his math workbook.
Kagome ruffled her brother's head, "Behave yourself for Lori. I'm going to go out for a little while but I'll be close by, alright?"
Souta nodded to his sister before he continued working.
Kagome left him to make her rounds around the camp. Every day, after she left Souta to his lessons, the priestess would greet everyone with a good morning and offered her assistance when a person needed help with chores. Afterwards, she would walk into the woods to look for herbs and plants, medicinal or edible, for the camp. Shane had assigned her the job after she helped Eliza with a really bad knee scrap and found healing herbs to disinfect the wound. Kagome was happy to help and was glad she could be useful to the group.
After Kagome gathered the herbs and plants for the day, she headed back to camp to help cook lunch.
This meant she had to stop by a certain tent that was occupied by two men.
"Well lookie here, Lil' brother," Merle Dixon nudged his brother as he exited the tent. Daryl Dixon was already outside the tent, sharpening his hunting knife. The young Dixon looked at Kagome for a moment before going back to his task. "The China Doll is back," the oldest Dixon stated in approval. Merle started calling Kagome 'China Doll' since her eyes were a wide and unique blue color that he'd only seen on dolls in stores.
Kagome didn't mind the obviously racist nickname, having being called a lot worse in the past. 'And at least he's not grabbing my ass or man handling me to be his woman,' she thought gratefully before greeting the oldest Dixon with a polite smile.
"Hello Merle," Kagome greeted before looking at the youngest Dixon, "Hey Daryl." The young hunter gave her nod in acknowledgment, but didn't look away from his task. Daryl didn't really talk much, but he was somewhat nice to Kagome. He didn't really interact much with anyone else at camp. 'I guess I wouldn't either if people looked down on me too,' Kagome thought to herself.
From day one, everyone at camp had warned Kagome to stay away from the Dixons. She understood their reasons: Merle was rude and obviously racist. And while Daryl was quiet, he followed his brother's example in vulgarity.
However, Kagome could see the good qualities in the Dixon men and the goodness in their souls.
It was Merle's idea to put the 'alarm system' that was around camp. A line of tin cans and metal objects hanging on a string that would make noise if they were touched by Walkers.
Daryl helped the camp by hunting in the woods and brought back a variety of meat.
"Any luck out there today?" Kagome asked, referring to their hunting in the woods.
"Me and Merle caught three rabbits. Brought half a dozen squirrel'," Daryl finally spoke, before putting down his knife and showing her his kill, already skinned and ready for cooking. "Gonna have to go deeper in the woods tomorrow. Find a deer if we're lucky."
Kagome nodded, "We'll make do with this for now. Thank you so much," she said in appreciation. The priestess disliked the fact that the camp members didn't really acknowledge or thank the Dixons for what they do, so she made sure to express her gratitude as often as possible. "Is there anything I can do for the both of you? I'm doing laundry tomorrow, I could do yours if you want?"
Merle gave an amused and flirtatious smile, "Really want to get in Ol' Merle's pants don't ya, China Doll?"
Daryl rolled his eyes, "Shut up, Merle."
Instead of being offended, Kagome gave a sarcastic snap of her fingers, "Darn. You found out my master plan," she said with mock disappointment.
"Kagome," Amy called out as she walked up to her with Souta, Carl, Sophia, Eliza and Louis in tow. "The kids and are going to go for a swim in the lake. Do you want to come?" asked the young blond woman.
Kagome gave a small look of longing, since she loved to swim. But it only lasted a moment. 'I don't want Amy or anyone else to see them,' the priestess thought to herself, as she instinctively rubbed the left side of her body and arm with her right hand.
Instead, Kagome shook her head in response, "No, that's okay."
Merle looked at Amy in amusement, since she looked very uncomfortable being close to him and Daryl. "Ain't ya gonna give your Ol' Pal Merle an invite, Goldie Locks?"
Amy gave him a look of disgust, making the oldest Dixon chuckle.
Sophia frowned at Kagome after she refused the offer, since really liked the priestess. "Please Kagome, come with us," the little girl begged.
The priestess shook her head again, "I'm sorry Sophia. I can't" she replied, hating seeing the disappointed look on the children's faces. "But how about after dinner, I'll tell another story to make it up to all of you." The kid's eyes immediately brightened as they nodded in agreement. Souta went over to hug his sister good bye. Kagome kissed the top of his head, "Go have fun. Love you," she told him.
"Your brother's still a little chatter box I see," Merle said sarcastically after Amy and the children left.
Kagome sighed in disappointment, "I'm worried...But I have to be patient with him," the priestess replied. "Anyway, just gather your dirty cloths tonight and I'll come for it in the morning."
"Appreciate that, China Doll," Merle told her with a hint of respect. The oldest Dixon only showed such kindness to those he deemed worthy of it. Kagome had earned it from him after her first few weeks at the camp. She treated everyone the same, and she never complained about doing any of the hard work around camp like some of the other survivors had done. 'Not bad with that bow of hers either,' he added to himself, having witnessed Kagome's skills when she went hunting with him once.
"Thanks," Daryl mumbled to her before he reached for his crossbow.
Kagome looked at the weapon in fascination, "One of these days you're going to have to teach me how to use that."
Daryl snorted, "I don't have to 'do' anythin'," he replied as he stated cleaning the bolts of animal blood.
Kagome face fell, "Well then. I guess I don't have to 'do' your laundry then," she threatened.
Merle smirked in amusement, "She's got you there, Darlyina."
The youngest Dixon glared at his brother, hating that nick name. "It's an empty threat. And she knows it," he remarked simply. Daryl was a very observant person, and he had watched everyone at this camp closely. And from what he's seen, the Asian woman would never hesitate to give a helping hand. He also observed that she never asked for anything in return.
Kagome's frown changed to a small smile, "You better be lucky I'm nice, mister," she playfully scolded as she gathered the rabbits and squirrel. "Thanks again for the meat," she told Daryl before walking off to season and cook the freshly caught hunt.
Shane watched Kagome as she made herself comfortable near the camp fire next to Jacqui, before he glared at the Dixons. He often second guessed himself when he allowed the redneck's to enter their camp. Lori often voiced how uncomfortable she was for having the Dixons here, but Shane insisted that they needed their hunting skills. 'But that doesn't mean the others need to get cozy with those Dixons,' Shane thought to himself as he strutted over to the campfire. "Afternoon ladies," he greeted, "How's it going?"
"Hello Shane," Jacqui greeted.
Kagome saw the look in Shane's eyes and sighed. She knew what he was thinking, having had this conversation with him before...Many times before actually. "Nothing happened with the Dixons, Shane," she stated up front.
Shane rubbed the back of his head, trying to act casual but the strictness in his voice was noted, "They make the other campers uneasy."
"And they protect and feed us too," Kagome argued, "Don't hear people complain much about that. Or show any appreciation"
Shane huffed through his nose at the stubborn woman, "Just be careful around them, alright?"
Kagome rolled her eyes but still nodded, just so Shane would go away. As much as she appreciated the former police officer's generosity of letting her and Souta stay at their camp, he was very controlling.
Jacqui gave Kagome a small scornful look, "He's just worried about you, honey."
"I know," she replied as she went back to cooking the rabbits. "And I'm grateful for him and all of you. But Shane doesn't have to worry about the Dixons. They're rude but theirs good in them if you look hard enough."
Jacqui looked skeptical but then started to smile, "Your mother must have been very proud of you."
Kagome looked up at her in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"You see the good in everyone, honey," she explained, "Not a lot of people can do that."
Kagome smiled lightly at the compliment.
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"I don't think it's a good idea," Glenn expressed to Shane later that night. Everyone was gathered at the campfire. Kagome sat next Amy with Souta snuggled at her other side.
Shane shook his head, "It's starting to get too dangerous to be out there on your own."
"He's got a point," Dale expressed his concern, "You did run into trouble the last time."
Glenn was in charge of salvaging things in and out of Atlanta. The city had become infested with thousands of Walkers. Usually, he would be able to slip in and out of the city with no problem. But on his last run a few days ago, Glenn had been seen by over ten Walkers. He managed to get away before anything happened, but he lost all the canned goods and supplies that he had found that day. "I came back didn't I," Glenn argued, "More people would just draw more attention."
Merle, who was leaning against a tree away from the group, disagreed, "More eyes wouldn't hurt out there, Chinaman."
Glenn looked over at the hunter hesitantly, "I'm Korean."
Merle snorted in reply.
Kagome gave him a scornful glare, "Merle," she warned him with her tone to behave.
"No one goes out on their own anymore," Shane decreed.
Glenn sighed at being over ruled, "Fine. Who's gonna come with me?"
"I'll go," Andrea offered, wanting to be more useful around the camp.
"Me too," T-Dog volunteered.
Kagome thought about volunteering but one look at Souta made her change her mind. 'I don't know how he'd handle me being so far away.'
Jacqui volunteered shortly after T-Dog, followed by Morales and Merle. Everyone was surprised when the oldest Dixon had volunteered, and looked at him suspiciously.
"Th-thanks," Glenn said to Merle, wondering what his ulterior motives could be.
The hunter gave a plotting smile in the dark.
Eliza, who was unaware of the adult's uneasiness, looked over at Kagome in excitement. "Could you tell us a story now, Kagome?" she asked eagerly.
The adults looked from what they were doing to the priestess. Telling stories around a camp fire was one of the few things that people still found normal, and they found Kagome's stories were very captivating.
"Umm," Kagome mumbled pondering, "What kind of story would you like to hear?" she asked all the children.
"Another cool one," Carl said thrillingly "Like the one with the evil spider demon."
"No," Sophia protested, "I don't like that story. That spider demon was too scary."
Kagome gave a half smile, "Yes. The spider demon scares me too...But, not all demons are scary or even evil."
All of the adults looked surprised by Kagome's statement.
Louis tilted his head in innocent confusion, "They aren't?"
"Nope. Right Souta?" Kagome asked her brother who nodded yes. "In fact, my favorite story is the love story between a demon and a Japanese noble woman."
Sophia's eyes lit up with joy, "Could you tell it to us?" One look from Carol made the little girl remember her manners, "May you please tell it to us?"
Everyone who was interested, adults included, nodded in anticipation.
"Alright then. Once upon a time," Kagome began, "There was a noble family that had a daughter named Izayoi, who was the most beautiful girl in all the land. She was so fair, that her parents were overly protective of her, and had an escort at Izayoi's side at all times. But one day, Izayoi decided that she would explore the world on her own and snuck out of her house without any escorts or guards. Sadly, Izayoi quickly became lost in the woods."
Merle snorted, "Typical," he muttered, earning him a few shushes from the children.
"The noble girl was frightened when she realized she lost her way," Kagome continued, "Izayoi knew that demons lived in the woods, and they would kill and eat her if she wasn't careful. And she was right. A bear demon had found Izayoi and began to chase her." Sophia and Eliza gasped in terror for the noble girl. "Izayoi ran as fast as she could through the woods but the bear demon caught up to her. She knew she was going to die and screamed out in fear...Then suddenly, Izayoi was saved. By another demon, who was known across the land as the great dog general, Inu no Tashio." Everyone blinked in surprise, "He had long silver hair with golden eyes and markings on his face. And he was, without a doubt, the most handsome being that Izayoi had ever seen."
Amy raised a brow, "Demons can be good-looking?"
"Yes," Kagome answered, "Some of the most powerful demons in existence are the ones that can masquerade themselves as humans."
"Cool," Carl said enthusiastically, making Souta chuckle.
Kagome smiled at her brother before she continued, "After the Inu no Tashio killed the gluttonous bear demon, he turned to Izayoi. He didn't say a word. All he did was stare at the human girl in front of him. Before Izayoi could thank the Inu no Tashio, he vanished back into the woods, leaving the noble girl bewildered. For many years, ever since that first night, Izayoi would continue to sneak away from her home, hoping to catch a glimpse of the demon that had saved her life. But she could never find him...One day, Izayoi's parents had announced that they had arranged for her to marry a noble man named Takemaru. Although he was a man of wealth and nobility, Izayoi knew she could never truly love Takemaru. But her parents gave her no choice in the matter...On the eve of her wedding, Izayoi ran into the woods one last time, hoping to see the Inu no Tashio and tell him farewell."
"Did she find him?" Sophia asked giddily, wanting to know what happened next.
Kagome smiled at the eager faces not just from the children, but from the adults as well. "As a matter of fact, she did. The Inu no Tashio had heard the rumors of Izayoi's engagement and hurried to find her before it was too late. For you see, the Inu no Tashio had always been fascinated by humans and ever since she was a little girl, the demon was entranced by Izayoi's beauty and protected her by keeping away threats from both demons and humans since the first night they met. He had watched the noble girl as she became a woman, and had grown fond of Izayoi's grace, kindness, and courage. Before he had even realized it, the Inu no Tashio had fallen in love with Izayoi...When they finally reunited, Izayoi was so thrilled to see the Inu no Tashio that she kissed him with all the love in her heart, before she confessed how much she wished she could marry him instead. Izayoi would rather give her heart to a demon who cared for her, than a greedy rich human whom she could never truly love. The Inu no Tashio confessed his love for her as well, and together they ran away to marry. A few months later, Izayoi was baring their first child."
"Wait a minute," T-Dog interrupted, completely baffled. "You're telling me that Izayoi had a baby with a demon?"
Kagome nodded, "Yes. A half demon. In my country we call them hanyous."
"Hanyous," Sophia tried to pronounce the name correctly.
"That's right," Kagome nodded with praise. "Unfortunately, Izayoi's family was furious when they heard of their daughter's marriage and pregnancy. Half demons were considered unholy beings, and were detested by humans and demons alike. Many of them have even tried to kill the Inu no Tashio and Izayoi just for even being together. But the Inu no Tashio took on any threat against him and his wife, and reigned victorious every time...One night, when the Inu no Tashio was away to kill a demon who threatened them, the noble family had their soldiers kidnap Izayoi and locked her away. In order to save their daughter, they planned to kill the half demon baby the moment it was born." The children and a few women gasped at this. "The Inu no Tashio returned home wounded from his last fight, but immediately left to retrieve his beloved wife and child when he learned what happened. When the demon finally succeeded in saving his family, after he faced many of the noble family's soldiers, Izayoi had given birth to a son. Before the couple could rejoice about the birth of their child, the Inu no Tashio came face to face with Takemaru, who wanted revenge on the demon for stealing Izayoi away from him." The boys of the camps eyes widened in anticipation of a possible fight. "Before he faced Takemaru, the Inu no Tashio turned to his beloved wife and told her 'live long' before he whispered the name he wanted for his infant son."
"What'd he name the baby?" Glenn asked in curiosity.
Kagome hesitated to answer, and a supportive squeeze from Souta's hand gave her the courage to say the name. "He named him Inuyasha...Izayoi screamed in protest at her husband, saying that she would stay with him till the very end. The Inu no Tashio drew his sword and ordered his wife to leave him...It was the one and only time he had ever raised his voice to her. Startled and very frightened, Izayoi complied with her husband's wishes and ran for her life with the baby in her arms, leaving Takemaru and the Inu no Tashio to fight." Everyone's interest was raised when the sound of the story was close to an end. "The battle raged on furiously between the human and demon, but it was clear that the Inu no Tashio was the one who was going to be victorious. In desperation, Takemaru ordered his remaining soldiers to set the place on fire, entrapping him and the Inu no Tashio inside. Both the demon and the ex-betrothed continued to battle as the building burned around them. They fought with hatred in both their hearts, as the building collapsed and left them both to burn to death...Leaving Izayoi to raise her newborn son alone."
Amy was gasping in disbelief at the end of the story, "The demon died?" Kagome nodded yes. "But-but I thought this was a happy story?" the young blond woman whined.
"No, I said it was a story about love between a demon and human," Kagome corrected, "And not every love story ends happily." Everyone looked at one another, not sure how to take the ending of the tale. "But," Kagome continued, "Although their tale ended in tragedy, the Inu no Tashio and Izayoi loved each other passionately with the time they shared together. Two beings, who had been enemies for centuries, believed that their love was worth the risks of being hated and hunted by demons and humans. And together they created something so precious that they would give their lives to protect it: A child born of two worlds...A child born from true love." Kagome looked at everyone around her to ask them a question, "Is there no greater happiness than that?"
The group looked at one another, considering her words.
"Wow," Sophia said in astonishment, "I hope I meet someone who loves me that much."
Some of the single adults nodded in agreement, including a young hunter, though no one noticed his action.
"What happened to Izayoi and the baby?" Eliza asked the priestess.
Kagome sighed, "That Eliza is a different story...For another time."
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Early the next morning, Daryl glared at the tent with his older brother inside. 'Dumb ass, Merle,' he thought with annoyance, 'What's he thinkin' goin' into the city?'
Everyone in the camp was still asleep except for Jim, who was on watch on top of the RV.
Daryl had planned to go hunting and was getting everything ready for him to leave.
That's when he spotted movement.
He glanced over at one of the tents, and saw a head sticking out.
It was Kagome, who kept her attention intently on Jim. The moment Jim turned his gaze away, she made a break for the woods, making as little noise as possible.
"The hell?" Daryl muttered before he went to follow her with his crossbow in hand.
Jim saw him go and was about to say something, when Daryl made a gesture for him to stay quiet. Jim watched the hunter go into the woods, but didn't say anything to alarm the camp. 'He has his crossbow, so he'll be fine,' Jim reasoned as he went back on watch.
Daryl followed Kagome's trail all the way to the edge of the woods, towards the lake. He quickly paused when he saw Kagome at the edge of the lake. 'Stupid girl. The fuck's she doin'?' he thought in irritation.
Before he could get her attention and call her out on her stupidity, Kagome slipped off her over shirt and began to take off her tank top.
Daryl's eyes widened in surprise at the sight before him.
Not because Kagome was now topless.
It was what he saw on her back.
Scars...Lots of them.
The early morning light was bright enough for Daryl to see the details of the marks that covered Kagome's pale skin. Whatever her former wounds were made from, they didn't heal very well. Daryl had to think back on all the times he had seen Kagome at camp, and all of them were of her wearing long sleeved over shirts. He found it odd when he first observed this since the weather was so hot. 'Now it all makes sense,' he thought to himself.
Kagome continued to undress, making Daryl's face and body go hot. The hunter quickly turned around in embarrassment and respect for the priestess. Daryl heard a splash in the water, and allowed Kagome to enjoy her swim in peace, 'Damn stupid to be by herself,' he thought bitterly while trying to regain himself. Still, Daryl stood guard, hidden behind a tree, making sure that Kagome wouldn't be disturbed or get attacked by Walkers.
When the priestess finally came out of the water, and after hearing her get redressed, Daryl came out from behind the tree and stormed over to her. "What the fuck are you doing?" he walked up and snapped at the priestess in irritation.
Kagome jumped in surprise when she saw him, "Wh-what?" She was so distracted by her swim that she didn't sense him nearby. "Wait, were you spying on me?" she accused him.
"Don't turn this on me," Daryl interjected, "How stupid could you be, bein' out here on your own?"
"I can take care of myself," she snapped at him, "I just wanted to swim before everyone woke up!" Kagome didn't explain why, but by Daryl's lack of questions she immediately began to go pale. "Oh Kami...You saw them didn't you," she stated completely mortified. The priestess knew the majority of her scars were received from the final battle with Naraku. Kagome also knew how ugly they looked, which was why she kept them covered, even from her family.
After a few moments, the hunter gave a small nod, admitting what he'd seen.
Kagome gripped her over shirt tightly and looked down in shame. "I'm-I'm not going to talk about it. So don't even try to ask," she said, trying to sound threatening but failed.
Daryl didn't comment on what she had said. Instead he sighed, "Come on," he gestured his head back to camp, "We need to go back before your brother sees your missin'."
Kagome looked back up at Daryl and stared at him in amazement.
Normally, a person would want to hammer her with questions. Some of her school friends had asked about her scars in the past. Kagome hated coming up with lame excuses and seeing the looks of pity on their faces.
But with Daryl there was no pity.
Only signs of understanding that she had secrets that she didn't want to share.
Kagome gave him a grateful smile before they made their way back to camp.
Both of them walked in silence.
Awkward silence.
Too awkward for Kagome's liking.
"So, you saw my scars...What else did you see?" she asked with a light teasing tone. Daryl didn't say anything as he kept walking back to camp. "Wow," Kagome said mildly offended, "I know I'm not a perfect ten, but I thought I was okay looking at least. Guess I'm more hideous than I thought."
"Shut up," Daryl finally spoke, "You ain't hideous, alright."
Glad that he was finally talking, Kagome gave him a playful nudge, "See. You can be sweet at times."
"Stop," he told her with mild embarrassment in his tone. When they finally reached the edge of camp, Daryl halted, "Go on. I'm goin' off to hunt."
Kagome nodded, "Good luck and stay safe." Daryl said nothing as he began to walk away from her. "And Daryl," Kagome called out quietly, not wanting to wake anyone. The hunter stopped and turned his head around to look at her, "I know I said I can take care of myself...But thanks for looking out for me," she told him before walking back to her tent.
Daryl was stumped by her gratitude but didn't dwell on it. "Confusing bitch," he muttered before he went into the woods.
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"You gonna miss Ol' Merle while he's gone, China Doll?" Merle asked flirtingly, later that morning.
Kagome rolled her eyes as she gathered his dirty cloths along with Daryl's. "Oh yes, I'll be counting the hours until your return," she replied sarcastically, making Merle chuckle. "Be careful out there, Merle."
"Don't ya worry," he assured.
She nodded and began to walk away with their dirty clothes in hand when something fell out of one of Merle's pants.
A small plastic bag with something off white inside.
"What the?" Kagome questioned about to pick it up, when Merle beat her to it.
"Hey! Don't touch my stuff!" he warned her in a harsh tone that she'd never heard him use before.
"Merle," Kagome looked at him sternly, "Are those drugs?" she asked appalled.
The redneck put the bag in his pocket, "None of your damn business, chink!" he told her in an angry tone.
Kagome gaped at him from the rude remark. In anger she threw the cloths to the ground and got in Merle's face. "Merle, I don't care what you do that makes you forget about what's happened to the world." Merle raised a brow at hearing her sound so angrey. He had never even heard her raise her voice. "But if you do anything that would put these people in harm's way, I'll shoot my arrow right up your ass," Kagome warned him enraged, "Do you hear me?!"
Normally Merle would have been amused by the threat, but from the dangerous look in her eye, he could tell that threat was a serious one. So instead, he nodded, "Yea. Yea I hear ya."
Satisfied, Kagome nodded and picked up the pile of dirty cloths and began to walk away.
"Didn't know our China Doll had claws," Merle said out loud.
"I'm Japanese, Merle," she reminded him without turning around.
This time, Merle snorted in amusement.
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It had been less than an hour since the small group left for Atlanta.
"This sucks," Amy muttered as she and Kagome did some laundry with a tin of water and a washboard. The young blond didn't think that doing laundry the hard way would take so much time and energy.
"It's what we have to do," Kagome told her as she washed one of Souta's shirts. Amy was close to Kagome's age, so they become pretty close friends and often did their chores together.
Amy looked over and wiped her forehead with her forearm, "You can talk. You're actually useful around here. This is pretty much all I'm good for," she gestured to the laundry.
Kagome looked up at the blond girl not pausing in her task. "We're all valuable here, Amy," she argued, "Even if you don't realize it." Amy shook her head in disbelief as she continued to wash the clothes. "If you don't believe you are, then do something about it," Kagome proposed.
Amy looked back up in confusion, "Like what?"
"Well, you can come with me later when I go out to look for more herbs," Kagome suggested. "I need someone to go with me anyway with Shane's new rule."
This made Amy's eyes widen in delight, "Really? I can come?" The priestess nodded yes. "Thanks Kagome," the blond said in excitement and gave her a side hug. Kagome giggled and hugged her friend back.
Suddenly, the sound of a radio static startled the two woman and everyone else in camp.
It was coming off the CB radio.
"Hello...Can anyone hear my voice?...If anyone is out there please respond," said someone other end of the CB.
Amy immediately ran over to the radio, since she was closest and grabbed the speaker, "Hello," she replied into the speaker.
"Hello, can you hear my voice?" a man said through the radio.
"Yes I can hear you," Amy said in excitement, "You're coming through. Over."
"If there's anyone out there please respond," the voice continued to speak. "I'm broadcasting on emergency channel. Can anyone hear me? Over. I will be approaching Atlanta on highway eighty five. Over. If anyone reads, please respond."
Dale and Kagome walked over to Amy, having heard the conversation and looked at one another in disappointment.
Whoever this man was, he couldn't hear them.
"We're just outside the city," Amy tried to tell them man, "...Can you hear me?" The sound of static was her answer. "Damn it. I lost him."
"Try again," Kagome urged.
Dale called over to Shane, "Shane. We need your help. You know how to work this thing."
Shane walked over and took the speaker from Amy, "Hello. Hello, is the person who called still in the area?" After getting no response, Shane adjusted the signal. "This is Officer Shane Walsh broadcasting to person unknown, please respond."
The camp gathered around the radio in anticipation.
The man didn't respond back.
"He's gone," Shane told everyone, putting the speaker down.
"There are others," Lori said with a hint of relief, "It's not just us."
Souta walked over to his sister, who wrapped her arm around his shoulders and drew him in close. 'If there are people still out there, then there's still hope,' Kagome thought to herself.
"It's why we leave the CB on," Shane reminded her.
"A lot of good it's been doing," Lori argued, "I keep telling you that we need to put signs on the road, to warn people to stay away from the city."
Amy nodded in agreement, "Folks have no idea of what they're getting into."
Shane sighed, "We haven't had time."
Kagome glared at Shane slightly, "We need to make some."
The office rubbed his face in mild frustration, "It's a luxury we can't afford. We're surviving," he reminded her, "We're day to day."
Dale looked from Shane to Lori, "Who do you suppose we send?"
"I'll go," Lori offered instantly and looked over to Shane, "Give me a vehicle."
"No one goes out there alone," Shane reminded her of their new rule.
"I can go too," Kagome offered, making Souta look at her in alarm.
Shane glared at her, "I said no."
Lori gave him a disappointing stare before storming away to her tent. Carl went to follow her, but he was stopped by Shane. "Nah man, you stay here with Kagome and Souta."
Carl nodded and walked over to Souta and Kagome.
The priestess looked at the little boy, "Your mom just wanted to help innocent people, that's all," she explained before looking at Souta. "And I did too...I'm sorry I did that without asking you first."
Souta nodded in understanding. Of course he knew that, but he didn't want his sister to leave him. 'I already lost mom,' he thought, 'I can't lose Kagome too'.
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"What about this one?" Amy asked, picking up a mushroom and showing it to Kagome. They both went into the woods an hour after the incident with the CB radio.
Kagome took the mushroom and inspected it, "Yep, this one's good too." Amy smiled triumphantly. "You're a pretty fast learner," she said impressed.
The blond beamed at the compliment. "Where did you learn all this stuff anyway?" Amy asked curiously.
Kagome paused for a moment before she started picking more mushrooms, "When I was in middle school, a few friends of mine and I would constantly go out and camp in the woods. I learned how to survive off the land and do things the old fashioned way."
Amy was confused but didn't question her further, "Wish I did something like that before all this. Is that when you learned to shoot a bow too?"
The priestess nodded, "Mm-hmm. I've been thinking about giving the children a few lessons if their parents will let me. I can teach you too if you'd like."
"That'd be awesome," Amy agreed to the offer before looking around the forest floor, "I think that's all there is." Kagome nodded in agreement before they went back to camp. The priestess looked at the blond woman and saw the gloom look on her face. "Andrea will be back soon," she assured her.
"I hope so," Amy mumbled as she went over to hand the mushrooms to Lori. "Here you go. We already checked to see if their poisonous."
"Thanks," Lori said as dumped the mushrooms into a bowl, "I saw some acorns the other day. I'm gonna go gather them up."
Kagome attempted to follow her, "No one can go out alone remember."
"I'll be fine. And you need to cook the mushrooms anyway," Lori said before walking off.
Kagome shrugged off the older woman's strange behavior before sitting down to cook the mushrooms, "I wonder what that was about."
Amy rolled her eyes, "Isn't it obvious?" Kagome shrugged her shoulders. "She wants to be alone with a certain police officer."
The priestess eyes widened and looked around camp, where Shane was nowhere to be seen. "No way?" she said in disbelief. 'Shane and Lori are together?' Kagome thought surprised.
"Way," Amy replied in amusement from Kagome's reaction.
"Does Carl know?" Kagome asked still in shock.
"I doubt it," Amy told her.
Kagome shook her head at the new information, 'I wonder why they're keeping their relationship a secret.'
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A few hours later, Amy continuously paced back and forth, "It's late. They should have been back by now," she stated, referring to the group in the city.
Kagome sighed as her friend's distress.
"Worrying won't make it better," Dale pointed out, as he and Jim worked on the RV's engine.
Amy continued pacing till the radio squawking made her and everyone at camp jump.
"Hello, base camp," said a voice on the radio.
"T-Dog," Kagome identified the voice.
"Hello? Can anybody out there hear me?" T-Dog yelled into the radio.
Dale climbed up the RV to the roof, where they kept the CB radio. They figured moving the radio at a higher altitude would increase the signal.
"Base camp, this is T-Dog. Anybody hear me?" he desperately yelled.
Dale picked up the speaker, "Hello? Hello? Reception's bad on this end. Repeat. Repeat."
"Shane is that you?" T-Dog questioned.
"Is it them?" Lori questioned.
Dale gestured for her to be quiet. "Were' in some deep shit. We're trapped in the department store."
Shane rubbed the back of his head nervously, contemplating on what to do. "He said there trapped."
"There are geeks all over the place..." T-Dog continued, until the last part of the sentence came out as static.
"T-Dog, repeat that last. Repeat," Dale informed him.
The static continued.
T-Dog's signal had been cut off.
"He said the department store," Lori told everyone what she heard. She looked over to the officer desperately, "Shane."
"No way," he replied immediately, "We do not risk the rest of the group. Y'all know that."
Amy glared at him in anger, "You're just going to leave her!"
Shane tried to speak to the young blond woman calmly, "Amy, I know this isn't easy."
"She volunteered to go!" Amy argued, "She did it to help the rest of us!"
"I know. And Andrea knew the risks, right?" Shane pointed out to her.
Kagome looked at Shane in disbelief, "If you were stuck out there, wouldn't you want us to come get you?" she argued.
"Not if it put anyone else at risk," Shane replied sounding reasonable. "They're trapped. That means they're gone. We just have to deal with that...There's nothing we can do."
Angry tears fell down Andrea's face, "She's my sister you son of a bitch!" she screeched in his face before running away, unable to take his words anymore.
Kagome sent Shane a deadly glare before she followed the blond girl towards her and Andrea's tent. "Amy," Kagome called to her as she entered the tent and saw the blond crying her eyes out. The priestess sat down next to Amy, who buried her face in Kagome's shoulder. "It's going to be okay. Andrea will find a way back to you," Kagome said while wrapping her arm around Amy, giving her a side hug.
"How do you know?" she muttered thorough her tears.
"Because I'm a big sister too," Kagome explained, "And if it was me out there, I'd fight like hell to get back to Souta...Andrea is going to do whatever it takes to get back here. Just for you."
Amy's tears finally stopped and gave a small smile.
And that's it for chapter two. So what do you think? How'd you like the moments between Kagome and Daryl? Next time: Rick appears, Daryl's pissed, and Kagome volunteers to go to Atlanta...Oh my.
Till Then My Readers
