Beyond Distant Time
Chapter IV
More Trouble Than He's Worth
"Bunta-kun, stop!" Kagome called out and the boy paused in mid-swing.
She launched herself at the boy, digging her fingers into the mass of tentacles around his arm. She then let her powers run free.
"You insolent wench!" Sounga screamed in pain and couldn't let go fast enough for its liking. In the end, the blade fell to the ground, scorched, smoking and with hairline fractures in its jewelled hilt.
Bunta soon joined it on the ground, staring at his mangled and destroyed arm.
"Bunta-kun?" Kagome hesitantly asked.
"Why?" Bunta's lips quivered. "Why do you save him?! Not even his own sword wants him alive!"
Jyaki was starting to form around Bunta, an energy born from deep, negative emotions. Kagome crouched down to his eye-level and stared at him. She couldn't answer. In fact, she just realised that she saved Inu no Taishou's life again.
What was it with fate and giving her an out of her stupid decisions at every turn? And why didn't she take those outs? Why couldn't she let Inu no Taishou die and let time take its course?
A tendril of jyaki spiralled in front of her eyes, bringing her back to the present. Well, she had something more urgent at hand.
Looking at the ever despairing Bunta, Kagome did the first thing that came to mind. "SNAP OUT OF IT!" She slapped him so hard that he was thrown to the ground. The jyaki immediately dissolved as his negative feelings were replaced by shock and pain.
"Can you even see the situation?" Kagome yelled at his prone form. "We have a hellish sword that's nigh-indestructible, and capable of possessing people, and you want to kill the only one capable of keeping it from destroying the world?!"
Bunta tensed, but he didn't move.
"Furthermore, Izayoi-hime wants him to live! Inuyasha wants him to live! Hell, I bet even Sesshoumaru and his mother wants him to live. What right do we have to take him from them?" Kagome felt hot tears streak down her face, and he angrily wiped them away, smearing sooty marks on her cheeks. "All this destruction and death! And for what?! To keep a man from a woman who willingly bears his child? To keep Izayoi-hime captured? What the hell is the reason for all this?!" Her last question ended in a scream of frustration, and even Bunta could tell that it wasn't directed solely at the Inu no Taishou situation.
Bunta slowly sat up, hand to his stinging cheek. He looked at her with large eyes. "You know him."
Kagome stopped, desperately reigning in herself. "I just know that he will be missed if he died."
"You're a strange miko." Bunta looked down at his arm. "You know and care too much about youkai, when you should kill them instead."
Kagome half-smiled. "Youkai are people too. It's true that I've killed and helped to kill many. But I have also befriended a lot of them. You wouldn't like me killing you because Takemaru tried to kill me?"
"Takemaru-sama tried to kill you?!" Bunta stared at her.
"And died because he was consumed by jyaki and couldn't handle my purification."
"Jyaki?" Bunta only knew a few of the legends surrounding miko and couldn't place the term.
"A type of energy that takes over the aura of humans and youkai who get consumed by negative emotions. Of course, some youkai are capable of using jyaki without the negative emotions, but in general rage, fear, despair or something else must trigger it. You almost let it take hold in your aura when I slapped you." Kagome explained.
"Takemaru-sama was consumed by jyaki?" Bunta couldn't believe it.
Kagome sighed and looked towards the burning buildings. The thick, black smoke told her that the ever falling snow would soon put the fires out. "In his case it was jealousy –no, it was more like envy. He wanted what he couldn't have, and in order to get it, he was prepared to sacrifice any number of soldiers on a fool's errand."
"We were sacrifices?"
"I didn't notice it until now, actually. Of course, I knew that killing a healthy Inu no Taishou would be impossible for any human, but he was severely injured before coming here." Kagome smiled an ironic smile, lifting her head to look at the full moon. "But now, I realise just how many were the young of low birth and abysmal abilities, or old and too senile for their experience to be useful, or just old women, or nasty companion-servants that no Fujiwara lady would like to have. Even the palace is unkempt and out of the way, useless unless trade picks up in this region."
"But Izayoi-hime and Takemaru-sama-!" Bunta frantically tried to deny it.
"A princess who sleeps with youkai and an uncontrollable, insane soldier?" Kagome had seen it hundreds of times in her travels, even tried to interfere a few times, but the one time she succeeded, the people she tried to save committed suicide out of disgrace. "Isn't it better to throw such trash out? And even if Inu no Taishou dies, the Fujiwara clan gets the honour of killing him. Either way, they win."
"No... way..." And then Bunta broke down.
Kagome looked at him, her features softening. She wasn't the kind of person to kick the dog that was down. "But they're wrong. Everyone has potential to become something."
She crouched and looked at him, and he blushed. "Why don't you start anew. You don't have to be a warrior to have a great, exciting life. Farmers and scholars also face their battles."
"Miko-sama..." Bunta trailed off, thinking for a moment. He then abruptly stood up. "Wait here!"
"Bunta-kun?" Kagome's eyes trailed him before he disappeared behind a small house. She then turned towards Inu no Taishou. "You know, you're more trouble than you're worth."
She didn't believe her eyes when he stirred. She hurried to his side while at the same time reaching behind herself for an arrow. After all, you couldn't be too careful.
She leaned over him and his eyes opened. They weren't red. "Hey, you're still alive?"
"Miko." He rasped out through heavy breathing.
It took Kagome a second to get the question. "Yes, I'm a miko."
"You're not-" His eyes started to close, "-supposed to be here."
"What?" Kagome blinked.
"I'm not supposed to be alive."
"Hey wait! Don't fall asleep again! What do you mean?"
~*~
When Bunta returned, he found an annoyed and perplexed miko prodding the shoulder-guards of the youkai's armour. He cleared his throat.
Kagome turned her head and was surprised to see Bunta leading two horses with a wagon. "Bunta-kun?"
"You wont get far by carrying him and without supplies, right?" Bunta asked. "I'll help you lift him up and then I find any survivors and tell them that you both died."
Kagome gaped. She had certainly not expected him to think so far ahead. "Thank you."
The wagon was already packed with supplies, but there was enough room on a pile of blankets to accommodate the unconscious youkai. The problem was just to get Inu no Taishou on. Whatever supernatural ability Kagome had used to pull him out of the burning building, it must have been really something, because now, even with the two of them, they were unable to lift Inu no Taishou onto the wagon. Finally, Kagome made a decision to remove his armour before lifting him again.
It wasn't until Inu no Taishou's armour was halfway off that she noticed Bunta's stare. "What is it?"
"You seem... adept at removing youkai armour," Bunta stammered out.
Kagome blinked as her fingers snapped open another hidden lock. "Well, I've seen Sesshoumaru remove his armour a few times when he visited Rin-chan..."
"Sesshoumaru?" Bunta's eyebrows flew up. "You mentioned him before."
"Inu no Taishou's youkai son," Kagome simply answered.
"And Rin?"
"A miko apprentice," Kagome answered without thinking.
"So his family likes humans?"
Kagome's mind came to a screeching halt, realising that Rin wouldn't be born in two-hundred years or so. "Sesshoumaru only likes one human. In fact, first time I met him he nearly killed me, so I wouldn't say that the family as a whole likes humans. They just wont seek you out just to kill you unless you bother them."
"Oh." Bunta helped her lift the armour off Inu no Taishou. "But you see this Sesshoumaru discard his armour often?"
Kagome was flabbergasted, searching his face to see if he was serious. Then she saw the twinkle in his eyes. "You have a sick mind."
"You have to admit that it's strange." Bunta protested as they finally got the armour off.
They were cut off as red fabric was released from where it had been between Inu no Taishou and the armour. Kagome picked it up.
"What is it?" Bunta asked.
"The skin of a fire rat," Kagome answered.
"Huh, anyway, isn't it strange that you are around youkai so much?" Bunta dismissed the red cloth.
Kagome put the skin onto the wagon before answering. "I don't know. I've been around them for a long time. In fact, one of my first friends in these parts was a inu hanyou. Then I befriended a kitsune youkai, then a houshi that came with a tanuki youkai, then a taijiya with a neko youkai, and also, I became friends with an ookami youkai pack."
"A houshi with a tanuki? A taijiya with a youkai? You befriended ookami? You are aware that ookami eats humans, right?" It was Bunta's turn to be flabbergasted.
"As you can see, I'm quite used to judging people on their own merits, rather than their species," Kagome brightly said.
Bunta snapped out of it, and he shook his head to clear it. "Your home village must be very interesting."
Kagome smiled forlornly. "Yes it is."
"Will your return after this?" Please take me with you!
Kagome looked down. "I don't think I can return."
Finally, Bunta took the hint and changed the subject. "So, lets get this youkai-sama onto the wagon, you ready?"
Kagome moved to Inu no Taishou's arms while Bunta took the legs. It meant that Kagome took most of the weight, but it couldn't be helped as Bunta was still too jumpy and tried to touch Inu no Taishou as little as possible. Therefore it was with much grunting, twisting and general muscle aching that they managed to get the large "man" onto the wagon.
"You're more trouble than you're worth," Kagome repeated, wondering how the hell Inu no Taishou managed to sleep through all of that.
Suddenly, they heard a distant call and Kagome and Bunta froze.
"There were survivors?" Kagome asked Bunta.
"Yeah, they ran when they started the fire." Bunta stared in the direction of the voices. "I should meet them and tell them that you're both dead. Then they wont try to pursue you."
"Right, just help me with this," Kagome motioned towards the armour, and they heaved it onto the wagon. Looking at the exhausted boy with mangled (but still functioning, because Sounga wouldn't cripple its own host) right arm, Kagome suddenly declared, "you should be a scholar."
"Huh?" Bunta blinked as she retrieved Inu no Taishou's swords and scabbards.
"You like gathering information, don't you?" Kagome smiled, before she took the reins of the horses and started to walk away.
Bunta stared after her as she went through the destroyed wall and disappeared into the forest. He didn't move until a taller boy suddenly materialised by his side.
"Bunta! What are we going to do? Most of our elders are dead and I can't find Takemaru-sama, Izayoi-hime or Miko-sama anywhere! I thought you died when the youkai burst through the gates. Hey, are you listening?"
Yes, what was he going to do? Well, maybe he would become a scholar. Maybe he even would write. The Legend of the Youkai no Miko, perhaps? A smile, despite the situation, appeared. Then he turned towards his companion. "Takemaru-sama, Izayoi-hime, Miko-sama and the youkai are dead. They died inside a burning building."
~*~
Kagome's eyes darted around the trail of the snowy forest. While Bunta's proclamation of their deaths would keep the immediate attacks from humans away, Kagome was still travelling with a bloody, unconscious youkai, and it wasn't as if Naraku's ability to merge with youkai and steal their powers were unique. Kagome was willing to bet that once Inu no Taishou's blood's scent had spread, she would have her hands full with glory-seeking youkai.
And on top of it all, she had to listen to Sounga's complaints.
"Why aren't you killing him? You're a miko! Come on, you know that you want to kill him. He tried to kill you!" Sounga whined.
"Oh shut up!" Kagome snapped. No wonder Saya was so annoying if he had to listen to that for hundreds of years!
…
Kagome stopped and turned towards the wagon, her eyebrow twitching. "Saya, come out!"
Nothing happened.
"Saya, if you don't come out in five seconds I'm using your amulet as target practice!" Kagome threatened.
A tiny light floated up from the wagon and formed the spectral youkai. "No need for that I assure you, Miko-sama!"
"Why didn't you come out earlier?" Kagome asked. Like when Inu no Taishou used Sounga.
"We-ell, I thought it looked like you had everything under control!" Saya brightly replied.
"In other words; you were too scared to come out." Kagome deadpanned.
"I wouldn't say that," Saya protested.
Kagome sighed. "It's okay, but you don't happen to know where we can find some allies? There'll be youkai coming out of the woodwork soon and it would be nice to have someone at my back."
"Myouga should be somewhere in the forest," Saya supplied.
"Myouga is a scaredy-flea, I doubt he would be of any use," Kagome disagreed.
He looked at her strangely, but continued. "Toutousai should be nearby."
"Better, but he isn't exactly a fighter," Kagome grumbled. She remembered too many times when the blacksmith would prefer to just sit and watch from a safe distance. Very safe distance.
"If you're going to the ocean, there's always Sesshoumaru-sama," Saya said. "But asking him to protect you would be suicid-"
Kagome brightened. "That's it!"
Saya waved his arms in protest. "No it isn't! Sesshoumaru-sama will kill you, then kill me for telling you about him!"
"You're a ghost," Kagome pointed out. "Besides, I'm sure I can reason with him."
"Are you even listening? You will die before you have a chance to speak!"
"Then please let her do it," Sounga cut in.
"I could always use Tessaiga to trade with," Kagome mused aloud, ignoring them both.
"What?! You can't just trade away someone else's sword!" Saya was actually shaking. A warrior's soul is their sword, after all.
"He wont have any use for it if he's dead," Kagome cheerfully replied.
"It's utterly wrong!" Saya cried out.
Kagome was about to answer when she heard something. A tiny voice, and it was coming closer.
"MASTER! I'll save you from the miko!" came a tiny voice filled with bravado.
Kagome blinked as she felt a tiny pinprick on her neck. Reflexively, she smacked the offender, making him fall down onto the wagon. "Myouga-jiichan?"
"There you are!" Saya called from his place by Sounga's scabbard.
But Myouga didn't answer, and Kagome frowned. Being flattened never silenced the talkative flea before. Looking closer at him, Kagome yelped as youki suddenly surged from the diminutive youkai. Stumbling backwards, Kagome landed on her bottom and stared in disbelief as Myouga started to grow.
And grow.
And grow some more until he was the size of a soccer-ball. His eyes were red.
Well... That never happened before.
Sensing the danger, the horses nervously danced in place. Fearful, but too well-trained in dangerous situations to panic. Kagome realised that she had to do something quick, before the horses' patience ran out and they bolted.
Backing slowly away from Myouga, she dodged his next attack and reached blindly into the wagon.
"Wha-?!" both Saya and Sounga was cut off as she used them to smack Myouga over the head.
"BAD MYOUGA!" Kagome yelled as she kept smacking him into the ground with the sheathed sword. "BAD, BAD MYOUGA!"
Finally Myouga fell unconscious and returned back to his usual size, and Kagome breathed a sigh of relief.
"That was-" Saya was cut off.
"That was the most humiliating victory that I've ever been a part of, you better pray that you die before I kill you, you bitch!" Sounga ranted.
"Oh shut up, both of you!" Kagome snapped at them. "I didn't see you two come up with any bright ideas."
"That's because I want you dead, you stupid bitch!"
"It'll go on like that for centuries," Saya glumly grumbled. "Last time it took two-hundred and fifty-seven years to shut it up."
"Oh really?" Kagome's temper snapped and she sent a generous spark of purifying energy into Sounga's hilt. "SHUT UP!"
Sounga quieted down, but its aura promised terrible revenge once it managed to possess someone again. Kagome once more ignored it and prodded Myouga with her toe. "Hey, Myouga-jiichan, wake up. I need you to find Toutousai and Sesshoumaru for me."
End of Chapter
I went back and changed Ryuukossei to Ryuukotsusei as the tsu in his name was large and not small (as in Tessaiga). At least on the Japanese Wikipedia it's like that. For the record, Tessaiga's kana was written like this: てっさいが, while Ryuukotsusei's kana was written like this: りゅうこつせい . The tsu is these characters: っ, つ.