Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I claim to own, InuYasha and Co. They are the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Media. I don't have to money to pay them for him.
Ownage: So far, I only own Taru. I will tell you of any characters I make up at the end of the chapter.
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Chapter Three - Shattered Jewel
Know that when one door closes, a window opens.
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Kagome gave a squeak of surprise when InuYasha flung her onto her back, thrusting a bow and some arrows at her. "W-what am I supposed to do with these?"
"Shoot the damn thing down! If it merges completely with the jewel, it'll be too late. It's already swallowed it, so shoot the damn arrow!" He jostled her as if it would make her go faster.
The truth was, she'd never touched a bow in her life. Though her grandfather had wanted her to take archery, she'd put it off until both had forgotten about it. She had no practice and couldn't hit the bird standing still, much less with InuYasha running as he was.
Suddenly, she felt him stop. So he's going to give me a chance to get a clear shot? Thank--- Just as quickly as he'd halted, he leapt into the air, making Kagome scream.
"Don't tell me you're afraid of fucking heights! Damnit, are you good for anything?!" he shouted, his hold on the backs of her thighs tightening. "You'd better get over whatever you're afraid of! That thing's about to be too far away for you to even get near it with an arrow!"
Sick of his rudeness, she quickly aimed an arrow at the bird. Please hit. Please. She pulled the bowstring tight and released the arrow, watching in astonishment as it flew straight for the bird, pushed on by a beautiful streak of purple light. It cut through the air perfectly, making a direct path for the youkai…then fell flat only a little ways away from it.
InuYasha, disbelieving that he had just witnessed a miko missing with a bow and arrow, fell to the ground, slamming his face into the dirt. She had…missed. Kaede had told him of her deep-seated belief that Kagome was Kikyo's reincarnation and she had…missed a shot. It couldn't possibly be right! Kikyo was a skilled archer, easily hitting a target moving much faster than herself. He'd never seen her miss what she was aiming for.
But Kagome had just missed what should have been an easy target!
"Damnit, girl, what the hell's wrong with you?! Kikyo could have hit that without a problem!"
"I'm not Kikyo, you idiot!" she returned, standing from where he lay on his stomach. "I'm Kagome. Ka-go-me. And I told you, I've never used a bow in my life!"
He snarled, a retort on his tongue, until he saw that she wasn't even paying any attention to him. Instead, she was already making her way back to the village, following the crow at a run. He stood, perplexed. Shouldn't she be trying to run away from something that just recently tried to kill her…?
Shaking his head, he went after her, scooping her onto his back once more.
When she tried to wriggle away, he said, "I can get you to the village faster than you can yourself. So don't even start with me."
She gasped, the scent of indignation rising on her, but agreed quietly.
He ran, both of them silent, to the village, but stopped when he saw the river. The crow was swooping down towards a woman and her child just as they reached the edge of the water.
"My son!" the woman cried when the crow snatched him from her hand, carrying him high in the air. She raced towards them, but was stopped by her husband, who wrapped his arms around her. InuYasha knew he was telling her that someone would save their son, though he wouldn't believe it himself.
Leaping once more into the air, InuYasha slashed through the bird, knowing that the jewel would make it regenerate. He landed on the other side of the river, setting Kagome down so she could find the jewel. "Where is the damned jewel?!"
She ignored him to inhale sharply before diving into the water. He watched where she went--how is a human moving that fast in the water?--and saw she intended to save the child. The jewel, you idiot! Get the damned jewel!
She swam to the other riverbank, bringing the boy with her. Villagers surrounded her and the boy, bringing them both onto the bank.
Correction: Taru brought them both onto the riverbank. He leaned over Kagome, checking her arms and legs for injury, too closely for InuYasha not to snarl in fury.
She pried them away from him--good, now he knows not to fucking touch her--and looked back to InuYasha.
"Where's the jewel?!" he shouted across the roaring waters, furious. She'd abandoned the jewel and had another man handling her. There was only so much he could take, damnit!
She lifted her nose at him and turned away, allowing Taru to take her elbow to lead her back to the village.
Pure rage rose in InuYasha. Damn that woman. How the hell do I get her to look for the jewel…. As though it had heard his thoughts, the crow's body began to regenerate, each of the pieces coming together.
"Wench, the demon's being put back together! You have to get the jewel out of it or it'll just go after the humans again!" InuYasha shouted, knowing that if she would risk the waters between them to save just the boy, she would do her best to get the jewel if it would save the entire village.
Instantly, she twisted--though she still glared at him--and caught sight of the demon putting itself back together, rising out of the water. She took a step back with a sharply inhaled breath but quickly composed herself.
The boy cried once more, trying to snatch something off his shoulder. Kagome plucked it off, though InuYasha still couldn't tell what it was.
He saw her go to one of the men of the village and gently take his bow and one arrow from him.
He looked up and saw that the bird was too far away for it to help anything.
Too fucking late, girl! The bird's gone! You couldn't hit it from up close and you expect--is that the thing's foot?!
She had strapped the foot onto the arrow, aiming straight for the bird. Letting go of the arrow, it curved in the air, flying elegantly through the air, but she had let go of the bowstring when her arrow had ducked a little from the pressure. It wouldn't get near the bird, especially at this distance.
But at the last moment, it surprised everyone: her arrow curved upward and it seemed like it was being…pulled to the crow. How could she do that?
Then he remembered: the youkai was being regenerated by the jewel. The foot, because of the jewel, would go straight back to the crow, which would bring the purifying arrow with it. He turned his gaze to her. If she had figured that out all on her own, she was a smart girl, though she didn't seem to care much for Taru's life: he had grabbed her around the waist to lift her over a small hole. And she let him.
Furious, InuYasha forgot about the jewel for a moment and leapt over the river in one jump, landing just behind them. "Goddamnit, ningen, don't fucking touch her!"
Taru turned both him and Kagome back to face InuYasha, but a sudden purple-pink light stopped them all from yelling or fighting. The horrified look on Kagome's face caused the hanyou to turn his head just in time to see the Shikon no Tama split into tiny pieces, spreading throughout the area with mesmerizing streaks of purple beams, arching against the sky.
In stunned incredulity, InuYasha's mind began to race haphazardly with questions he might never know the answer to.
How the hell did she manage to crack the damn Shikon no Tama?! I saw demons shooting arrows at it all the time while it was in Kikyo's care and nothing had managed to break it! Hell, I even sliced at it with my claws! If we couldn't do it, how the fuck did a puny ningen do it?!
He stared as shard after shard lit the sky beautifully, creating an illusion of sunset.
His senses returned swiftly, fury rising.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" he shouted after the moment of disbelief had passed. He turned on Kagome once more. "Goddamnit, miko!" He stalked towards her even as Taru blocked his path. "Move it human. I'm not in the mood for your bullshit."
Taru crossed his arms over his massive chest. "You'd better not even think about it, hanyou. I won't let you touch her."
"Did I give you a choice?" With that, he grabbed the warrior's shoulder and shoved him brutally away, hearing in his subconscious the sound of him hitting the bridge, causing it to collapse. "Damnit, wench," he began ferociously. "You'd better hope that that jewel can be put back together."
She looked up at him bravely, though her indecision wavered in her eyes. "Fine. If you don't want to know the good news about this, then."
He raised an eyebrow at her in question.
"First, the crow's dead so he can't eat the villagers. Second," she raised her closed fist to his eye level. Opening it, palm up, she showed him a small shard of the jewel. "I caught one of the shards."
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Later, Taru walked into the head priestesses' hut, watching two mikos and a hanyou sitting around a small fire, talking about what had occurred. Cracking his sore back, he moved to take his spot between the mikos, ignoring the half-breed's snarl of warning. "I would like to know what happened today."
The darkness outside the window crept into the small lighted area, the flames growing weaker. Kaede stood. "I will tell ye when I return with the fire wood." She walked out of the hut, seeming worried.
He looked to Kagome for answers. "What happened to the Shikon no Tama today? Is it reversible?"
The young girl sighed before looking back to him. She had redressed into proper miko garb, giving InuYasha his haori back. "I broke it. That's about all we know. There could be any number of shards out there and we wouldn't know we had them all until we had them. There could be hundreds, there could be thousands, or there could be two. We can't be sure until we get individual shards." Another sigh left her. "This isn't going to help my chances of getting home."
He raised an eyebrow at that, glanced at InuYasha from over her head. He was studying her intently, gold eyes watching every breath she took carefully. Could it be true that a miko--a pure maiden--is the Mate of a half-breed? I was led to believe that demons only mated with other youkai! Maybe it has something to do with his human blood…. His thoughts stopped abruptly when the creature glared up at him, snapping his teeth at him. His features were transformed slightly, faint markings pulsing on his face. Those hadn't been there before…nor had the dark marks lining his eyes. Could this man be more demon than I thought?
Turning up his nose slightly, he moved his gaze back to Kagome, who's eyes went from him to the hanyou and back frantically. "Should I even ask what kind of silent male conversation was just taking place?"
Leaving neither of them time to answer, Kaede stepped into the room again, holding an armful of wood. "Do not hurt yourself again, Taru. You either, Kagome. Your hip hasn't yet healed. Sit back down," she commanded when they rose to help her. She moved slowly towards the other side of the room, stumbling slightly.
"Go help her, hanyou," Taru ordered fiercely, knowing that InuYasha wouldn't listen to him.
When the half-breed opened his mouth to tell him what to do with his self-assured request, Kagome turned to him--undoubtedly to reprimand him.
But she surprised him once more.
In an innocent voice--there was no deception in her tone--Kagome asked, "InuYasha, would you please help her?"
With a lot of grumbling, he rose, scooping all of the wood out of Kaede's arms and bringing it easily to the corner of the room, dropping it uncaringly. "There," he growled, walking over with two small logs to put into the fire. "Happy?" he snarled as he plopped down next to Kagome once more, watching her face intently.
She smiled at him and yawned. "Yes. Thank you." Her eyelids began to droop, another yawn coming from her. When her body started to sway, InuYasha wrapped an arm around her waist, tugging her into his side. Too exhausted to protest, she leaned her head onto his shoulder and promptly fell asleep.
Though jealousy bit at his heart, Taru turned back to Kaede, who sat down next to him. "May we have the story now, miko?"
She cleared her throat. "I can tell you only my theories on it." She looked him in the eye. "First, I don't know how Kagome was able to break the jewel when no other could scratch it. I cannot explain such things. But I do believe that her power scattered it in many different places, sending shards all across the area, if not farther."
Taru looked back at the sleeping girl, wondering how such a tiny person could hold enough power to shatter the Jewel of Four Souls. If not even demons had been able to score its surface, how had she been able to achieve the impossible?
"Where did she come from?" he asked, remembering her continually talking about "home." Wasn't this her home?
"She says she came from the dry well in the Forest of InuYasha and that she lives in Toe-key-oh. But I cannot believe that she came from the dry well since nothing that has ever gone in has ever come out. The Bone-Eater's Well has the power to extinguish youkai bones in less than a day. So how could such a fragile girl appear from it?"
"She has great spiritual powers, if I heard correctly."
"Ah, yes, that she does." Kaede looked at the young girl fondly, noticing the hanyou's relaxed position beside her. She knew he was listening intently, deciding to keep his opinions to himself. Could this be the InuYasha I remember from my childhood?
Gazing back at the warrior, she continued. "I believe she is the reincarnation of my late sister, Kikyo, who died after pinning InuYasha to the Goshinboku."
"And you feel no anger towards him?"
"Of course I feel some resentment towards him; I am only human, after all. Though I am beginning to question it, he is believed to be the one who struck down my sister then returned to our village to steal the jewel."
"How is it that Kagome is her reincarnation? How do you know?"
"Ye must know the story of my sister's death before ye will understand.
"She was young, but looked much older than her years. She met InuYasha one day and soon he was always around her, whether he was trying to hide it in the village or standing next to her by the river. Anyone could see that they were both lonely souls, needing something from one another."
InuYasha snarled from the corner. "That bitch?! She betrayed me, damnit! She pinned me to a tree for fifty years! The only reason I'm even out of that damn spell is because of--" He stopped, not knowing what else to say.
"I have theories about that, as well." Kaede turned back to Taru. "After awhile, I thought nothing of my sister leaving our home early to meet him. But one morning I had a premonition of sorts. I knew that something would go wrong that day. Sister Kikyo was acting strange, dazing in and out daydreams constantly. That wasn't like her. She was focused a lot of the time, barely relaxing even when she slept.
"That day, a demon attacked the village. It was InuYasha. He went to where the jewel was kept when it wasn't around Kikyo's neck. He then ran from the village into the forest, no doubt to make his wish upon the jewel." She looked over at InuYasha. "Kikyo followed through the village soon after. Her clothes were soaked in blood, her shoulder savagely torn. I and the rest of the villagers pursued her into the forest, getting there in time to see her pin InuYasha to the tree. Then she collapsed to the ground." The old woman's eye filled with tears. "I ran to her.
"I pleaded with her to allow us to help her. It would take time for her wound to heal, but she could have lived through it. She told me no, that it was her time to go. Then I was ordered to burn the Shikon no Tama with her body. With that, she fell to the ground and died."
Everything was silent in the small room. InuYasha's glare softened and Taru could read in the way he held Kagome tighter that he was glad she wasn't awake for the tale. Of course not; what woman in her right mind would stay with a man who killed an innocent?
Sighing, Kaede closed her eyes and went on. "The Shikon no Tama, as ye know, disappeared for fifty years, seemingly destroyed." Opening her eyes, she leveled them on Kagome. "When Kagome was attacked by Mistress Centipede, the jewel emerged from a wound in her body. And then she used an unbelievable amount of spiritual power to throw the youkai away from her, forcing it to crash into some trees. The trees--many of which were centuries old--were broken like branches. That kind of power I have only seen in one other miko: my sister."
"Doesn't mean she's a fucking reincarnation of that bitch," InuYasha snarled restlessly, his voice raised.
Kagome's eyes flashed open and she flung herself upright, looking around the room in groggy disconcertion. She blinked a few times before fully awakening. "What's going on?" she asked quickly, looking at each shadow suspiciously.
"Go back to sleep, Kagome," InuYasha commanded rudely, pulling her back to him. He didn't glance down at her. "Just dragging back old memories."
She blinked at him, then turned to Kaede. "What old memories?"
"Nothing that you should care about, goddamnit!"
Taru chose that moment to jump in. "We are discussing InuYasha's and Kikyo's deaths and how one led to the other." He smirked at InuYasha's angry growl. "She deserves to know everything about her Mate, doesn't she?" His eyes glittered with challenge.
The hanyou rose, arm leaving Kagome. With a dark look towards the warrior currently plaguing him, he stormed from the hut, nearly breaking it down with his heavy footfalls.
Kagome looked to Kaede in confusion. "What has him so agitated?"
Kaede relayed the story to the younger woman, gauging every reaction the girl gave. She doesn't act as though it bothers her, Taru noted. She just takes it all in with a nod and ponders it for but a moment.
At the end of the story, Kagome pursed her lips. "But that can't be right at all. Have you seen how InuYasha acts each time Kikyo is brought up? He couldn't possibly have wounded her as you all seem to believe he did." She brought a finger to her chin, tapping it against the soft skin there. "But why does everyone believe he did so? That is what I'm wondering."
Taru's eyes widened at her first question. "He curses her whenever he gets the chance!"
"But have you seen his eyes? They get this…I don't know…hurt look in them. He couldn't have done it with a clear conscience. He probably would have killed himself if he had!" He could practically see her mind working. Glancing up at Kaede, she asked, "Are you sure it was InuYasha who struck Kikyo?"
"She demanded to know why he would betray her before she died. I cannot see why she would say that unless he was the cause of her death."
"But that doesn't make any sense."
0…0…0
InuYasha sat on a tree limb, on leg dangling while he had the other bent for his chin to rest on. He stared towards the noticeable tip of the Sacred Tree, mind wandering.
Kikyo said that I betrayed her? Damnit, how could I have done that if I was so in love with her? I was even willing to become a worthless mortal for her! But she thinks that I would strike her? He paused in his thinking. Does Kagome believe that I could have done that?
His mind was so full, he didn't notice when a small form climbed the tree until he heard a feminine voice say, "All right, this is totally not working." He looked down to see Kagome at the base of the tree, her knees and palms imprinted from the bark of the tree. Raising an eyebrow, he waited for her explanation.
She shrugged, understanding his unspoken thoughts. "I tried climbing up. I'm not much of a climber." She eyed the trunk suspiciously. "Unless you rigged this thing somehow. I've never had much trouble with trees before now." Her hands on her hips, she turned that look up at him. "How did you get up there anyways?"
"I jumped."
She seemed surprised for a few moments before regaining her equilibrium. "Well, you should jump right back down now."
He threw her a yeah-right look before returning his line of vision to the horizon.
"Fine then. I'll just go back to the hut and sleep." She paused. "Actually, I don't think I will. Taru has been cordially invited to stay there with us and he kinda creeps me out." Pause. "Well, I guess he kinda has his moments."
Snarling, InuYasha leapt down. "That ningen had better not be doing anything to you!" he shouted furiously.
"Ah, good, you've come down." She patted his cheek playfully. "Now there's no point for you to go back up. Come on; let's go somewhere and talk." She grabbed one of his wrists and tugged forcefully, expecting him to follow after her. When she just bounced right back towards him, she gave him a threatening glare. "I want to talk to you about all this stuff. From the 'Mate' thing to the Kikyo thing." Her eyes narrowed even more. "And I will get my answers, even if I have to beat them out of you."
He raked his gaze over you, stating without words that he thought he might be able to take her down in a fight of physical strength.
Glower intensifying, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Shut up. I could totally beat you in a fight. Believe it."
A small chuckle left him at her devious look. On her face, it seemed to be having the opposite affect than the desired one she had thought it would.
She grinned. "So you do know how to laugh. I didn't think you had it in you." While he contorted his features back into a scowl at the unexpected words, she tugged him along, winning the battle only because of his wandering thoughts. She led him into the forest until they reached the Goshinboku. She sat them both down, his back to the tree trunk. "Now," she said, "I want to know your side of your death. Tell me what happened with you."
He gave her a stern look. "I'm not going to tell you about that."
She raised an eyebrow, watching him for a moment, then shrugged. "Fine. That one can wait. We'll move on to how you believe that we're 'Mates'. I have no idea what that means, so you'd better give me the whole story. From facts to personal opinions. Anything counts."
He rolled his eyes, covering his embarrassment with aggression. Folding his arms into his sleeves, he said, "First of all, you don't get to choose who you mate. It's all told by the youkai involved. Or the hanyou." He stopped, obviously thinking over the next words to say. He looked away from her. "Usually, demons and humans aren't Mates. Usually, it's just youkai. And they can tell who is their Mate by using any of their senses. It depends on which sense is most powerful to their kind.
"Like water demons. They go by sight because their eyesight is so strong since they live under water. Bat demons--and others that usually only come out at night--use hearing. Dragons have to feel their Mate to know for sure. I don't know of any kind that use taste besides bug demons, but they rarely mate. Still others use scent--like me." His eyes moved back to her, wondering how she was taking all this information.
She nodded, encouraging him to go on. When he didn't, she asked impatiently, "And…? What does being mated mean? How do you know if a youkai or whatever is mated at all? I mean, you can't take some other guy's Mate, right?"
Great. I had been hoping that she would get it with the whole "mated" thing. Damnit, she wants me to explain it to her?! "Well, being Mates is a lot like…uhm..." He stopped once more, wondering what she would understand. He snapped his fingers when the obvious answer hit him. "It's a lot like you humans getting 'married'." He watched her eyes widen and her mouth drop open in shock. "What? What'd I say?"
"You said it's like getting married. Only you don't get to choose who you're mated to." She scooted away from him. "You expect me, when I'm only fifteen, to get married?! You'd better think again!" She stood swiftly, turning to flee.
His hand shot out to grab her wrist, jerking her to sit down next to him. "Oh no you don't! You wanted to know what I was talking about and now I have to tell you the rest. Then it'll be outta the way and we can get over all this stupid shit." At her panicked look, he growled, "No, you aren't getting away from this. You wanted to know, I'll damn well tell you."
Pulling her arm towards him, he asked, "Now, what was the other question you asked?" When she locked her mouth closed, he felt his lip begin turning up at her childish stubborn attitude. "Come on, Kagome; ask me again."
She glared at him. "I swear, I'm going to get you back for this!" Sighing in annoyance, she asked once more, "How do you know if someone is already someone else's Mate?"
"The male will bite into where the female's neck meets her shoulder to make a scar. We call it getting marked." Smelling her sudden spike of fear, he added quickly, "It doesn't hurt her, though. I mean, usually a Mate is marked when…uh…well, when they're both…uhm--"
He was cut off when Kaede began running towards them, Taru close behind. The old priestess's face was contorted in urgency. "InuYasha! Kagome! There's something wrong with some of the village girls! Come quickly!"
The two looked at each other then jumped up, InuYasha scooping Kagome up onto his back before running to get to Kaede.
"What do you mean, something's wrong with them? Are they sick?" the hanyou demanded impatiently. He tilted his face upward, sniffing the wind.
"Do you think she would have come to us if they were just sick, InuYasha? We have to go to the village!" Kagome pointed her finger helpfully towards where they had come from. "We have to help them!" When he didn't move, she squeezed him with her legs. "Get a move on! Something's got to be really wrong if Kaede can't take care of it herself."
He growled something in annoyance then raced into the trees, ignoring Taru's and Kaede's protests to slow down.
They skidded to a swift stop when they caught sight of the homes, none of which had any candles lit.
This can't be good. Everyone keeps at least one candle lit at night. And I can smell blood. Human blood.
"InuYasha, are you okay? You look like you're going to be sick," Kagome said, watching his face as best she could from over his shoulder. "Are you going to be all right?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Just hang on." With that, he took off once more, going much faster than before. She gasped and clutched his back tighter, practically cutting off circulation to his legs in the process. He knew from her scent that she would be yelling at him soon, if not immediately after she got off his back.
Bring it on. I'm in the mood for a good argument.
But all thoughts left her when he stopped in the village; he could smell a youkai now. Though he couldn't discern what species it was, it was definitely female and was using something for her dirty work. And from the odor of deadly intent, she wasn't taking any prisoners.
"InuYasha, why's there a hair on your shoulder?"
He looked down to his shoulder, seeing nothing. "What do you mean? I don't see any hair!"
"Right here." She lifted her hand from his shoulder. "Can't you see it?" She paused for a moment. After that brief interlude of silence, she let out a squeak. "It…it moved! It wrapped around my hand!" She tugged on her hand, but her arm shot over his shoulder, jerking her against his shoulder. He put one arm around her waist, holding her still, about to reprimand her, but suddenly she flew over his shoulder bodily, seeming to fly through the air.
"Kagome!" he shouted, leaping towards her. He was cut off when something wrapped around his arms and legs, stopping his rescue quickly and efficiently. "Goddamnit, Kagome! What's going on?!"
She screamed his name, but was slammed into the forest, taking him from her view. He could smell her fear; adrenaline began to pump through him as his rage burst to the surface on his consciousness. "Don't fucking touch her!" he yelled as he yanked at the invisible bonds. "Don't touch my Mate!"
"I am not touching her, hanyou. I don't need to."
He roared, fighting against whatever held him locked in place. "I'll kill you for hurting her!" He pulled with all his might, but it didn't matter. Whatever had held him was gone now and he was able to move.
"There's no point for you to come. I will take the jewel shard she holds and then kill her. Half-breed scum like yourself can't even hope to save her now."
The voice seemed to be surrounding him. Where is that damn voice coming from, anyways?! He blindly slashed at the shadows, hearing Taru and Kaede return.
"InuYasha! Watch out for the girls!" Taru ordered furiously. "They're under some kind of spell!"
"What girls?!" As soon as the question left his mouth, he saw the village girls rise from the same shadows he had been attacking, each seeming unconscious, but still holding weapons. "Where the fuck did these girls come from?! I have to get to Kagome, damnit!"
He fought his instincts so as not to harm them permanently while they assaulted him. I just have to get them to stay the fuck down so I can get to Kagome! They block every time I try to get away!
His mind wandered to Kagome, silently willing her to hold on. Fight the demon, Kagome. I'll be there as soon as I can.
0…0…0
So, this is chapter three. Not sure how I like it myself, having reread it several times. I told you it followed the series!
Also, I have a poll on my profile concerning Taru's role in this story. If you would please vote, I'd be really grateful. I just want to know what should happen with the character.
Thanks again.
SS98