Chapter II Hidden In Leaves
Tossing a green apple back and forth between her hands in contemplation, Kagome glanced at her son out the corner of her eye, watching as he happily munched on his own. The two of them had been traveling for a week already and Kagome was beginning to wonder if anything exciting would ever happen to them. Even at that moment she wished to be back on the hunt for jewel shards instead of roaming around the wild like a lost animal with no sense of direction whatsoever. Though she supposed being able to freely move of her own accord with no orders gave her a bit of freedom to move at her own pace this time.
Heaving a sigh, she glanced up at the leaves that decorated the trees, their green hues changing into fiery reds and oranges, golden yellows and soft browns. Autumn was upon them now and she couldn't help but breath in the wondrous crisp scent of rain that was sure to reach them within a day as they walked towards wherever they were headed. That also meant though, that the two of them would have to find shelter later that evening in order to keep themselves from catching a chill from the change in weather.
It was one of those moments that she wished more then ever, that she was still able to travel back to the future in order to bring warmer clothes to the past. Then again, she supposed that it was a good thing she could not travel to the future anymore, for living in luxury like that would have done her more harm then good. It was a good life lesson for her that she was sure her mother would have taught her eventually despite allowing her to remain a teenager who traveled through a magical well. Though a kind woman, Kagome's mother wasn't one to overly spoil her children, for a little while she would hold their hands to help them grow, and then eventually, just like riding a bicycle, she learned to let her children go.
Looking down at her soon who was nearly finished his apple, made her appreciate all that her own mother did for her, allowing her to grow and change like this. A smile fluttered across her lips as she sank her teeth into her apple and enjoyed the flavor that rolled over her tongue. Despite not knowing what direction they were headed in, or where they would end up, Kagome treasured this moment with Shippou, for she knew days like this wouldn't happen all the time. No, she learned her lesson from Naraku, they all did, and it was to learn to cherish the moments they had, for no one knew when everything would up and change, leaving them lifeless and filled with agony.
"Mama?"
Gazing down into bright emerald, her smile grew, "Yes?"
"Do you know where we are headed?"
Chuckling softly to herself she stopped in her tracks and kneeled down to place a hand on her son's shoulders who had grown to be the height of her waist now, "No Shippou, I do not. I had been wondering where we were headed just moments before, but I would like to think that no matter where we go, we will always have fun."
A grin replaced the small frown that had crossed his lips and his eyes sparkled with joy, "Yes mama! Always, we'll always have fun together."
Ruffling his crimson locks she stood up with a light laugh, his indignant expression at her actions leaving her a little amused. Deciding she liked teasing him, she ruffled his hair once more only for him to lightly shoo away her hand, least his messy hair become even more rumpled in appearance. Laughing softly she turned and began to walk away, her son quickly following in her footsteps, not wanting to be left behind.
Later in the day, as Kagome predicted, the two were forced to take shelter in a small cave, a small fire burning before them to keep them warm against the cool crisp air. Their breathes hung like white wisps in the air for a moment before fading off only to be replaced by more, the cool air trying to soak into their bodies. Shippou rested in her lap, his smaller body seeking heat from both her and the flames before them, in the process he too kept her warm. It was one of those moments that warmed her heart as she pulled a woolen blanket tighter around their bodies, her azure gaze staring off into the distance.
Leaves of many colors fell to the ground, carried upon a soft breeze that had slowly begun to get stronger as the dark skies cried upon the lands, watering the earth with the tears of heaven. From her place by the fire, such a sight was whimsical and breathtaking in it's natural state, something she could only ever see in the past then the future. It was a sight she would burn into her memory forever if only to save it's sight for those rough patches that were sure to turn up in the future.
Without waking her son, she slowly slid him from her lap and placed him upon his own bedroll before lightly placing the blanket upon him. After that was done, she slowly stood and scanned her surroundings before walking towards the entrance to the cave, enchanted slips of parchment in her hand to ward off any who approached them in the night. Then after placing them upon the entrance to the cave, she turned back to her own bedroll and pulled another blanket over her shoulders and reaching over, dropped a couple more pieces of wood over the dimming flames before she too laid down to rest her eyes. The soft crackle of the flames soothing her, along with the light patter of rain against the trees outside the cave, lulling her into a deep sleep that left her peaceful and unaware for the rest of the night.
Soft rays of light woke her the following morning, her eyes slowly opening to gaze out at forest that looked stunning in the sunlight. Droplets of rain from the night before sparkled in the sunlight as they sat upon the brightly colored leaves of autumn. The carpet of fallen leaves upon the ground and were damp from the light rain seemed made for walking upon, as if it was a long twisting road filled with many wonders that left her in awe. She would never get over such a magical sight as speckled birds hummed their morning song and the soft light of the sun shone down upon such a beautiful world.
Of course such a sight made her realize how much of this scenery would be lost to the changing of time as humans took the world over. It made her glad to experience such a sight, made her glad she could be apart of the past even more now, then before.
With a small smile upon her lips, she sat up and added kindle to the dead fire and relit it in order to make their morning breakfast before heading out. Placing a small pot upon it, she poured a bit of water from her waterskin into the pot and let it sit there to boil as she took out a small parcel with dried salted deer meat waiting to be cooked over the fire for their morning meal.
"Mama?" a soft childlike voice called out from underneath his covers.
Chuckling to herself she pulled the blanket away from his head to stare into sleepy emerald eyes, "So you're awake now?"
"Yes mama," he murmured as he sat up and began to rub the sleep from his eyes, his small hands fisted in order to do so. It reminded her of how much of a kid he really still was in light of everything that had happened to them over the long years.
Her calloused hand reached out to stroke her son's bright red hair, her eyes softly watching him as her other hand held the parcel of meat. When she spotted the boiled water from the corner of her eye she quickly removed the pot and replace it with a couple pieces of meat from the package. Returning the rest to it's spot in her light leather bag, she returned to the task of making their morning breakfast.
It wasn't long later that the two had the cave cleaned out and discarded of the burnt fire wood before they were headed upon their way once more. Clouds still covered the sky, barely covering the sun as they made their way towards the south, it was a change in direction from their long traveled roads. By midday the light had vanished completely and Kagome had resigned herself to pulling a long cloak from her pack in order to keep herself warm and dry from the rain that was sure to break away from the skies anytime soon. Her son had pulled on his own cloak as well, as both kept their small leather packs underneath their cloaks to keep their equipment dry.
As the first droplets of rain began to fall, Kagome and Shippou had steadied their pace to a slow walk to keep themselves from coming upon any kind of accident they were sure to face. While she had moved on from being clumsy and ungraceful, she still had her moments where she broke away from that and once more reverted to the teen she had been when she had first come through the well.
It was in that moment though, that destiny made itself present as they broke through some trees and came upon a road that had been well traveled upon. A large traveling caravan was upon the move, many canvas cover wagons moved in concession, one after another, looking like a train as they moved. It was surely a sight to see especially in this time of year and what made it even more curious was the sight of youkai and humans working side by side. Hanyous could also be seen hiding out in some of the wagons, though they were impeccably young, it warmed her heart to see such unity in two spiteful races. It made her wonder where they were headed and why so many of them were headed there.
As her son and herself stopped along side the road to watch this concession, a small head poked out from one of the wagons and spotted her miko robes that peeked out from under her cloak. In a small whoop of happiness, the young girl hopped out of her wagon and raced towards the two of them, her cat-like ears on top her head twitching in anticipation. Her big hazel eyes gazed up at Kagome as the girl slid to a stop right in front of her leaving an small smile to etch itself deeper upon Kagome's lips.
The young hanyou girl reached out a clawed hand to grip the miko's as she began to pull her towards the wagon she had been traveling. Many curious eyes watched as the young girl did this, their own gazes aware of the young kitsune that followed in her steps, watching them warily as they moved. It relaxed them all to know that the miko traveled with her own youkai companion especially seeing as most mikos would never be caught traveling with a youkai. They were made to kill youkai, not befriend them, which made a few of them wonder what made her so different, why was she willing to let a young youkai follow her around like her own adopted son did.
"Can you help my brother?" the young hanyou asked, her hazel eyes shining hopefully up at Kagome as they stopped just outside the wagon.
Glancing at the wagon they walked beside, she found her gaze being drawn towards the cloth covered back that swung open just enough for the sickly body of a young hanyou to catch her sight. She was in no way able to say no to either the little girl or her heart for that matter, as she nodded her consent and looked down at the hanyou bouncing around her. Taking one look at her son who was watching the bouncing hanyou curiously, she let herself be drawn into the back or the caravan where an slightly older looking girl sat there looking after the young hanyou the best she could.
Long locks of red fell over the young female youkai's shoulder as her piercing gold eyes glanced up to look at the new comers to the caravan. Her eyes widened as she shifted around to let the miko who had graced them with her company, to come up to the boy to see if she could do anything to help. While the miko checked the boy, the red haired youkai looked at the other youkai that had entered, his emerald eyes watching the woman and the sickly hanyou closely, almost as if he was looking out for her. It was strange to see a miko looking after hanyou, or even letting a youkai follow her around as her companion. More then that, to see someone that was almost close to being her own kin hanging around a miko whose natural enemy were youkai, it was a strange sight.
"Shippou."
"Yes mama."
Those that resided in the caravan excluding the miko, her son Shippou, and the sickly hanyou, all glanced at the two shocked. The young hanyou girl, and the young kitsune youkai hadn't ever heard, let alone seen a youkai call a miko mother, it was stranger to see that these two corresponded well. Barely a word spoke, but already Shippou was readying whatever was needed in order to heal the young hanyou's brother at any cost. It left the others wondering how long the two had been together for such a bond to have happened between them. At the moment though, their thoughts on the subject were put on hold when the young hanyou boy began coughing, his dull emerald eyes open and staring up at the ceiling, unseeing.
Worried, Kagome placed a cool cloth over the boy's forehead as she instructed her son to heat the water in her canteen. Doing so with his kitsune fire, he quickly warmed the canteen and then poured some into a bowl he had pulled out of one of their packs to use. From there, he pulled out two more items meant for grinding, a suribachi and a surikogi which he planned to use to make special tea his mother had once taught him to make in times like this. After placing some of the herbs he had taken out of one of the packs, he placed them inside the suribachi and used the surikogi to start grinding the plans into small bits.
Once the dried plants were crushed, he added them to the heated water and let them steep, while he was doing this his mother was busy checking the young child for other symptoms. While the two are doing this, a woman enters the back of the caravan and pauses, her emerald eyes taking in the sight of the woman helping her son and the miko robes that Kagome wore. Instead asking what the miko was doing there, the woman sat herself next to the hanyou cat and the kitsune girl, her worried gaze firmly resting on the hanyou boy that Kagome was tending to.
For the next hour Kagome concentrated on the child until there was little more she could do but wait, and by then, she had turned her attention to the woman who had grabbed onto the boy's hand.
"Is he your son?" Kagome asked softly, her gaze gently probing.
Shifting her gaze from the boy to the miko, the woman gave a slight nod, her long braid falling over her shoulder as she did so, "Yes. His name is Sanyu. He's my precious baby, I almost lost him in birth long ago, and because he survived, we named his Sanyu, happiness."
Smiling at the woman, Kagome placed a hand over hers, "He'll be alright, I can promise you that, he's already no longer in danger and is on his way to making a full recovery. I'm sure in about a week he'll be running around happily, and getting into as much trouble as boys his age tend to do."
Taking her hand from her daughter's, she grabbed a hold of Kagome's and gave them a light squeeze, "Thank you miko, for everything."
Returning the smile, Kagome gave a small chuckle, "It's no problem at all, but I suppose you should be thanking the young girl at your side for coming to me. Another day and there wouldn't have been anything I could do for little Sanyu."
Turning towards the cat hanyou, the woman pulled her into a tight hug, tears collecting at the corner of her bright emerald eyes, "Thank you so much Chidori, my baby girl. Thank you."
Clutching her mother to her, Chidori let tears of her own fall down her cheeks in happiness her own whispered words reaching her mother's ears. The kitsune youkai just smile brightly at the two as she turned towards Kagome and gave a small bow, her gold eyes filled with thanks for what Kagome had down. Whispering her own welcomes in return, Kagome once more turned her attention back to the boy who within an hour had already gained back his natural color, and the dull glaze of his eyes had all but vanished leaving him to sleep peaceful and to wake up more aware of his surroundings then before.
It was in that moment that Kagome became aware of two things. One, she was extremely glad that her miko powers also allowed her to heal those of youkai nature, and two, it made her realize just how much she loved making others happy. While growing up and going on quests to find shards of the shikon no tama, helping people had seemed like a duty, something she had to do in order to correct some of her errors. Then when questing had finished and she had settled down, it became even more important that she helped the people of the village, but they more often then not, went to Kikyo for that, and so she felt obsolete. Now, sitting there in the caravan, the happiness around her made itself known, the fact that others were happy because of her, made her feel something she hadn't felt in a long time.
Heaving a soft sigh, she stroked the young hanyou's hair, her eyes staring into the distance as her son watched her with a knowing look in his eyes. He too had learned that they were appreciated and that small things really made his mother happy more then anything else ever had. To see her giving real smiles, it was a wonderful change to behold before him, and he couldn't wait to experience more of what made her, Kagome, his adoptive mother.
Turning her attention back to the happy trio, Kagome's smile softened even more, "If it is alright with you, um..."
The mother of Sanyu and Chidori turned to her and gave a small chuckle, "I'm sorry, I never introduced myself, my name is Ren."
Bowing her head a little Kagome murmured a soft thank you before continuing, "As I was saying, if it is alright with you Ren-san, I would like to stay overnight to make sure he doesn't relapse."
Eyes widening, an even bigger smile crossed Ren's lips, "Of course Miko-sama, we would be delighted to have you stay longer. I just hope we're not taking you away from any pressing matters."
Shaking her head, Kagome chuckled, "No, no, my son and I were headed in no particular direction. We're just travelers with an unknown destination."
"Unknown?" Emerald eyes widened, "You just travel anywhere?"
Letting laugh escape her pale lips Kagome nodded, "Yes, that's how we've always done it, even when we hunted Naraku. I guess traveling feels so natural even now that we don't bother looking for a destination."
If possible Ren's eyes got wider along with the other two, "Naraku? That vile hanyou? You went after him?"
Blinking, Kagome settled back letting her son curl up next to her as he rested his head on her knee, "That is such a long story."
The kitsune girl sat up straighter with her wide golden eyes, "Oh please tell us Miko-sama, please. We wish to hear your great tale!"
Instead of smiling, Kagome gave a small sigh and shook her head a bit, "Only if you do something for me in return."
"What is that Miko-sama?" the kitsune asked apprehensively.
Smiling gently at them, Kagome tilted her head to the left, "What's your name young one?"
Blinking, the youkai's eyes widened, "I'm called Ayako, Miko-sama."
"Okay," Kagome nodded her well, "well then, Ayako-chan, Ren-san, Chidori-chan, my request is that you all call me Kagome. I've always hated formalities, and if I'm going to be looking after the boy, then it just doesn't seem right to use any on me."
Startled, the three glanced at each other, unsure of how to take this request. No miko had ever asked them of this before, but then again, this was the first miko they had seen that had been willing to travel with youkai and talk with hanyou as if they were equals. The fact that not only was she talking to them as equals, but as if they were comrades, didn't escape their knowledge either, instead, it only furthered their belief that they couldn't of had any better luck then the miko sitting before them. Shippou on the other hand, couldn't help the small snicker that escaped his lips, already knowing the way his mother was before anyone. It was something that always excited him to see, every time they left the village to go to the next.
"Yes Kagome-sam."
Sighing but knowing she wouldn't get them to completely take off the honorific, she decided to settle with the telling of her tale, "I suggest you prepare yourself for this tale and get comfortable, for it'll be long and filled with treacherous roads." Once she had seen to their comfort and had changed Sanyu's cloth, she sat back and began stroking Shippou's fiery hair, "This tale starts just over fifty years ago with a miko who guarded the Shikon no Tama and her hanyou lover."
They listened with rapt attention as Kagome told the story of Kikyo and Inuyasha, how Naraku's trickery had pitted the two against each other in a fit of rage and anger. She told how Onigumo had loved the miko Kikyo and had sold his body and soul to the youkai in order to become strong enough to take Kikyo and the jewel she safe guarded. Kagome told of how the hanyou Inuyasha stole the jewel after being tricked, and raced away in order to use the jewel to make him a full youkai. She told of how in a fit of anger and sorrow, the miko Kikyo had sealed her lover to the Goshinboku unable to fully kill her love.
"But Kagome-sama," Chidori spoke up, "why didn't they see through the trickery? Was Naraku really that great and powerful that he destroyed the love between the two? I thought love was supposed to be powerful."
Chuckling sadly, Kagome shook her head, "Unfortunately Naraku was a devious hanyou who had devious plots and schemes. If anything could be said of the twisted hanyou, it was that he was intelligent, but he had no idea about the bonds of friendship and love that eventually led to his downfall. While tricking the miko and the hanyou boy was easy, it was because their trust in the world was already so fragile. The miko always suspected that someone would try to use her for the jewel, and while she was kind, she was jaded and worn from protecting the shikon no tama. She was planning on getting her hanyou to wish upon the jewel so that he could become human, all in order to rid the world of the shikon forever.
"As for the hanyou, he had spent his life running and fighting, forever separated from everything because he was a disgrace, a contaminated being that should have never existed, or at least that's what everyone constantly told him. He constantly felt as if he was trying to make up for some sort of short coming that was never his fault, and yet he was the one always blamed. By humans, it was because of his youkai father, a creature who had abandoned him at first sight, and to youkai, it was because his mother had enchanted her way into his father's bed. So he was left alone, untrusting of the world or anyone until he had met the miko he would later come to fall in love with."
It was Ayako this time who interrupted with her own questions, "So because the world had turned their back upon them, they felt unable to trust anyone? Not even what their own hearts told them?"
Giving a half smile, Kagome heaved a sigh, "Especially because of what their hearts told them. Its not easy to bare your heart to someone, and once you do, you're showing your own weaknesses and strength to that individual, giving them the power to either destroy you, or make you feel loved. Because the world showed so little of love and kindness to them, it was hard to do the same for each other, despite the comradery they found in each other. Once Naraku played them against each other, is was easy to turn their love, their untrusting hearts upon one another."
Sometime during the telling of the story, Kagome had noticed that the caravan had stopped moving and that she had attracted an arrange of listeners. Many of the young children were listening from outside, their ears intent upon her story as she told the tale of Kikyo and Inuyasha. It was almost hard to believe that so many had come to listen to her tales and adventures, and it left her wondering herself, if the tales were that great. She suppose so though, for even while telling it, she got into the telling so much that she felt she was reliving it herself, even though she hadn't ever seen what had happened between Inuyasha and Kikyo all those many years ago.
Just when she was about to pick up her tale again, a male cat youkai looked into the back of the caravan his hazel eyes glancing over them, "Miko-sama, the caravan leaders wish to speak to you."
Eyes widening a bit, Kagome nodded and stood, her son following in her wake as the two prepared to leave the back of the caravan, "Make sure you change his cloth every once in a while, and when he wakes up, to give him some more of that tea I had prepared for him."
Chidori and Ayako both nodded as they stayed behind to look after the boy while Ren and the cat youkai led Kagome and Shippou towards the meeting place. Kagome could hardly believe her eyes when she stepped out of the back of the caravan though. They were in a fairly large clearing overlooking a small village just a few miles away, sunlight poured into the clearing and many had made small little campfires and prepared to stay for the night. Children of all kinds rushed around playing games with each other while the woman looked after their campsite and laid out laundry to air dry and beds to air out. It was a peaceful sight that warmed Kagome's heart as she and Shippou made their way over to the largest campsite in the clearing.
The men all stood around watching as the four of them got closer, some women were there to, their gazes piercing and suspicious. Shippou walked a little a head of Kagome trying to look ferocious and strong while Kagome kept her hand upon his shoulder in order to keep him from doing anything they might later regret. The two of them understood well that unless invited, none was welcome within their traveling group which made Kagome both at ease and otherwise. She only hoped they would at least let her stay in order to help the boy, and then she would leave them to their devices and carry on to wherever her adventure takes her next.
"Miko-sama," one of the elders addressed her, his wizened ebony eyes watching her steadily, "Kentetsu has informed me that you have no specific direction you are headed in."
Frowning, she glanced around before her azure gaze landed upon the cat youkai that had come to get her only moments ago. It was quite obvious from the glances he kept passing Ren, that he was the father of those two hanyou, and if he had been traveling with them while she was helping the boy, then he would have heard her conversation. Turning her eyes to her son, their gazes met and his emerald sparkled with worry for what might happen upon their answer, but Kagome was not.
Turning her sight back to the elders, she gave a firm nod, "That is right, elder-sama, I'm not headed in any particular direction."
Nodding his head at her answer, he glanced around at the different people standing around them before turning his attention back towards her, "I also hear that you travel with a youkai companion and that you call him your son, is this not also true?"
"Yes," she answered, brows furrowed, wondering where they were going with this, "I've adopted him as my son and have looked after him these past couple of years since our first meeting. May I inquire, elder-sama, where it is you are going with these questions?"
Giving a nod towards her, he heaved a sigh, "In order for us to answer your question, you must hear me out, Miko-sama. Many of us, as you see, are youkai, hanyou, or even human. We are outcasts with our villages and have left our homes least someone try to harm us more then they already have. In our travels we have come together as a family, making our way towards a rumored place, said to be grander then any of us could imagine. It is said by some travelers that to the south there is a great city filled with all kinds of youkai and human, living together in prosperity and peace, as if they know nothing of the discord among their races. Hanyou are welcomed and not shunned, and all types of children school together and are raised up to learn the ways of the city and history of Japan.
"We wish to go there and become apart of that great community and feel free to be among our different races without prejudice."
Listening to the old youkai, Kagome found herself wondering if such a place existed, and if so, why hadn't her companions or herself ever hear of it? More importantly, why hadn't Naraku ever tried to take advantage of such a place, unless it was like Horai Island and had its own barrier that kept out evils like him. If that was the case though, she feared what type of repercussions would come with having such a barrier, and what would happen if it were to ever fall.
"What is this place called?" She asked softly.
Heaving a sigh the elder shook his head, "No one knows Miko-sama, only that it lays to the South and if the guards of the city find us worthy, they will guide us there from a certain point."
Frowning thoughtfully, Kagome gave a slight nod, "I see. Alright, so what is it you wish to ask me then, Elder-sama?"
Looking around, there were no longer any hostile faces, instead they appear almost beseeching as if they understood what their elder was asking for and agreeing. Whatever the case was, they no longer seemed as if they didn't trust her, but quite the opposite, though Kagome had no clue why they had quickly changed their attitude towards her. She hadn't done anything worthwhile or anything really, that would make them loose their guard around her, even more so since she could understand why they were acting so. Still, it would be interesting to hear what the elder had to ask her in the light of everything going on around them.
Turning his attention towards her once more, the elder sighed again, "We wish to ask for your help upon this journey Miko-sama, in order to keep the children happy and safe, to help the sickly and to ward off those youkai who would seek to harm us."
It was in that small moment that Kagome felt a pull to say yes, and it made her wonder why exactly she had so desperately wanted to agree. Upon seeing the pleading faces of those around them, save a couple here or there that were a little more reserved regardless, she had almost said yes. It was her son's face in the end that had her fully agreeing and saying she would be more then happy to accompany them upon their travels. She supposed that he wanted to be around others his age, to feel like he was a kid again before they went off upon another adventure. For that reason alone, she caved in and full heartedly accepted the traveling group's request.
……
Sitting herself in front of a small campfire, Kagome glanced up into the black sky, the stars shining extra bright that night for the weary travelers. Most of the children were already asleep while the adults were finishing off their duties for the night, the wives heading to bed and the husbands staying up a little longer for a drink here or there. Despite being travel worn, most of the people seemed to have rejoiced in her coming, for they were a happy cheerful lot that sung and danced together before sending off their children to bed. Shippou was already asleep upon his bedroll, but Kagome herself could not sleep, her mind traveling back to conversation from earlier.
It was strange that her previous companions and herself had never heard of this city without a name, especially seeing that it would be like paradise to those without a place in the world. Though she supposed a city without a name would be hard to find, regardless if anyone had heard of it or not, it just meant that the people would stay safe and protected from creatures like Naraku.
Sighing softly she glanced at her son Shippou with a small smile upon her face, if such a place existed like these people said it did, then there would be safe place for her and her son to settle down. Her lips turned down at that thought though, did such a place really exist for them though? Was she free from her duties to be able to even contemplate such a thing, for the warning of her dreams had been quite clear. Her frown deepened as she turned her gaze upon their campfire, the dreams were still as secretive as ever, leaving her with more questions then answers.
"Kagome-sama?"
A soft pale hand landed on Kagome's shoulder as a figure appeared next to her, emerald eyes as expressive as the first time Kagome had seen them, "Is there something wrong Ren-san?"
The brunette ruefully as she sat next to the miko, her legs folded neatly under her as her pale hands lay clasped in her lap, "Actually," the woman murmured softly, "I've come to thank you for everything you've done for us. If it wasn't for you, I might have lost my son. I appreciate what you did for him and my family."
Letting a smile overcome her features, Kagome turned towards Ren and rook the woman's hands into her own, cradling them as if they were something fragile and yet holding them as if she could protected them from the world, "I am glad I was able to heal him for a child's life should never be cut short, just giving him that extra period to live has already made my heart happy. If there is anything I can do over the course of my stay for you, just say the worlds and I'll do anything for you that is within my power."
Those expressive emerald eyes sparkled as the woman threw her arms around Kagome knocking the two of them over leaving the miko breathless and arousing Shippou from his sleep. Ren laughed softly as she pulled herself up and off of Kagome before holding out a hand to the said miko and helped her upon her feet. Kagome laughed a little as she was being helped up and when she was on her feet, she turned her gaze towards her son who was sitting up and looking at them with blurry eyes. Another light laugh escaped her, for some strange reason, for the first time in a long time, she felt light and happy, it was something that hadn't occurred to her that would happen.
A soft happy sigh escaped her as she walked over to her son's side and kneeled down next to him, her calloused hands pushing him to lay upon his back. Gentle soothing words escaped her lips as she sung to him softly, her hands running through his hair in such a way that let him once more drift back to sleep with a content smile upon his lips. It had been such a long time since Kagome had any type of true happiness, and in one single moment, thanks to a woman whose own son is sick, Kagome found herself laughing and smiling.
Giving her son a kiss on the forehead, Kagome pushed herself to her feet and turned to give Ren a soft smile, "I think I shall check on Sanyu once more tonight and then I myself will head to bed."
"Me too," Ren said, her eyes softening at the mention of her son.
The two of them walked side by side back to the caravan that held Sanyu, their companionable silence not bothering them a bit. Kagome had, upon reaching the hanyou child, done all the checks she needed and had softly voiced to Ren that thanks to his youkai blood, he would be up and running again in a day or two. The woman had responded enthusiastically to this and had nearly fell the both of them with another hug, but Kagome had managed to catch herself before she succumbed and hit the ground with a soft thumb a light laugh escaping her lips. It felt truly wonderful to be able to make someone smile like that, it made her feel lighter, as if a burden had been taken off her shoulders as she smiled and welcomed the woman.
Once she had settled into her bedroll, she couldn't help but grin up at the sky and thank the kami for leading her to this new path and giving her a chance to become someone again. To be needed, to laugh, to cherish every moment given to her, that was what she was facing now, and her heart swelled with joy to be facing it.
Her eyes closed slowly and her grin faded to a gentle smile as she rolled onto her side and curled up. The heavy aura that had once surrounded her was gone, and in her sleep she looked so young and innocent once more, almost vulnerable. Emerald eyes brightened at the prospect as he too finally fell back to sleep, his thoughts dancing around his mother, happy to finally see a smile back upon her lips once more.
……
Sunlight filled the clearing nearly blinding her as her azure eyes opened to take in everything around her. For some reason she felt as if she was whole again, the night having left to create a new day as she turned her sights upon those that were waking up like she was. The sun had most likely risen not long ago for she could still feel the pull of the night upon her but the chattering of the birds and the dew upon the colored leaves of autumn caused her to rise from her bedroll and start the morning fire. Children's laughter echoed about the clearing as mothers made the breakfast and scolded them for their ruckus so early in the morning.
Men moved about, taking down the items that needed to be packed away and discarding the ones that they didn't need. Some left to hunt while others helped their wives, patted their child's head or talked amongst themselves, it was a magical sight to see. Everyone coordinated their movements so well with each other, as if they had done this everyday of their lives and she couldn't help but feel like part of one big family, one large community. Sure, back in the future, she had seen many sights, had watched many families as they walked together and so forth, but the camaraderie, the warmth, it was all here in this small clearing with these strange races coming together.
Chuckling to herself as a small girl ran upon to Shippou's bedroll and looked down at his fiery red locks, her curious jade eyes wide. Crouching down the girl poked her son in the side and giggled as he flailed an arm and turned over as if he had never been disturbed. Deciding it was too fun to watch him do this, the girl poke him again and the kitsune youkai jerked up, his emerald eyes wide as he turned to stare at the giggling girl next to him. For a moment he appeared stunned and then he found himself tumbling backwards out of his bedroll which caused Kagome to start laughing at his stunned face.
"Shippou my son, what lack of manners you have." She said to him with mirth, "And here I thought I raised you better," she mock sighed leaving her son to only gawk at her in silence.
The girl on the other hand was intrigued and stood up, her small hand held out awaiting for him to shake it. Of course he shook himself out of his stupor and shook her hand before pulling away quickly and rushing to the other side of the fire, now considerably red faced.
Taking pity on the poor boy, Kagome turned kind eyes upon the girl, "What's your name young one?"
"Usagi," the girl whispered quietly, her hands suddenly behind her back as she stared shyly up at the miko before her, "is he your son?"
Grinning at the girl Kagome nodded, "Yup. I adopted him as my own a couple of years ago now. Why don't you come and join us for breakfast, your family is welcome too if you like."
A wide smile forms upon the girls lips as she grins at Kagome and sits next to Kagome, her eyes sparkling with happiness. Shippou on the other hand sulked after having been rudely awakened by that girl who was now occupying his mother's attention, it just didn't feel fair to him. Crossing his arms he turned his head to the side and huffed never once noticing his mother's amused gaze as she giggled to herself at her sweet child's jealousy.
It was shaping up to be quite a morning, she thought to herself as she poured some water from her canteen into a small pot and placed it upon a rack for the fire.
She was right about the morning though as more children who were curious came to sit next to her fire their eyes pleading with her to tell them a story. By this point Shippou had finished sulking and had taken it upon himself to help his mother narrate her stories, starting from the moment they first met. She told them of her son's trickery upon the hanyou named Inuyasha and how he had taken her shards in order to get revenge for his father. She explained of his bravery as he tried and failed to protect her from the thunder brother's and how he took his chances against the raging hanyou who didn't like what he had done.
Shippou helped her explain about their battle, how it was his illusions that saved her, and how the spirit of his father protected them from nearly dying at the thunder brother's hands. It was at this point that Shippou went on to explain about the foolish hanyou and his need to constantly be subdued due to his own sharp tongue. He also told of the times he played mean little tricks upon the foolish hanyou and hammed up his roles in their stories, how he was the big hero. It was amusing watching as he made friends with the large group of children and made Kagome feel inexplicit amounts of joy just from the scene itself.
It was in that one morning that she had felt she had made the right decision in agreeing to accompany the caravan upon their travels. She was sure that this was the right move and that wherever they were head was in the right direction and that she hoped upon their arrival that it would be everything these people were looking for.
……
"Alright Sanyu, it seems that everything is in order, you're free to move around again," Kagome informed the young cat hanyou whose cute little ears twitched in excitement, "but," she said once more, her heart going out to the boy who had suddenly deflated at her but, "I don't want you overdoing it. You're just getting over this sickness, so if you start to feel tired I want you to take a small break and sit down somewhere to rest a bit or you might relapse."
His sulky expression caused her to smile a bit as she placed a hand on the boy's shoulder causing him to look up into her eyes. If she hadn't found herself attached to the boy already, those bright emerald eyes of his would have caused her to fall in love with him at that moment. They reminded her so much of her own son's eyes that she couldn't help the smile that fell upon her lips as she gently pushed him and told him that he could go play with the other children. The boy though was hesitant which left her curious as he turned around to face her, his small clawed hands playing with the hem of his shirt as he looked down a bit, appearing to be deep in thought. After a moment though, he stopped fidgeting and lifted his head to gaze up at her, a large grin fastening itself upon his lips.
"Thank you onee-san!"
Stunned she watched as the boy raced away to go play with her son and the other children, their childish squeals and yells echoing about the clearing. Her heart swelled at the fact that he called her big sister despite the fact that he was small enough to be her son, especially in the day and age that they currently lived in. Giving a soft hm to herself, she pulled herself out of her stupor and turned only to start, her azure eyes going wide as she stared at Ren.
"Oh my," the woman spoke with amusement, "I didn't mean to startle you."
Shaking her head, Kagome gave the woman a bright smile, "No, it's alright, it's my own fault for not paying attention to my surroundings."
Clucking her tongue, the woman regarded Kagome with a tilt of her head, "You shouldn't have to be on guard here, little one, you're not longer chasing after that vile hanyou."
Nodding her head in agreement, Kagome turned eyes upon the children who were too busy chasing each other to notice the adult's watching eyes, "You're right, we're all finally free from that vile creature." Heaving a sigh, she turned to Ren, "It's just," pausing she collected her thoughts for a moment before heaving a sight, "I just can't help but feel as something will try to ruin the peace that we have finally found."
Laying a hand on the younger female's shoulder, she gave the girl a small sympathetic smile, "I'm sure that if that time ever comes, you will give it your all to keep a smile on those children's faces. For now though, Kagome-chan, just enjoy the peace you have found. Don't let dark thoughts cloud these happy moments."
Chuckling to herself, the miko nodded her head and gave a sly amused smirk, "No more sama? I'm hurt to think I've dropped in ranks."
Hazel eyes widened as Ren backed up a step, her hands held up, "I meant no disrespect but I thought-" the woman was interrupted by Kagome's laughter as the young miko grinned at Ren. The elder woman raised a brow and crossed her arms, unamused, "That was so mean."
Giving a cheeky grin, Kagome turned and skipped back to her camp area, calling over her shoulder to the other woman, "Yes, but you should have seen your face."
Throwing up her hands as if asking the gods why they were punishing her, Ren followed the miko if only to continue their amusing banter.
"You know," Kagome said as she kneeled down and began to pack up her supplies, Ren kneeling at her side, "your son really lives up to his name. I've never seen a child with a brighter smile upon their face like the one he displayed to me this morning. It truly amazes me and makes me feel as if the sun is before me rather then up in the sky, he can certainly brighten up the world if he put his mind to it."
Ren glanced at her two children and chuckled softly, "Surprisingly he has always been that way, even if he's sick or has hurt himself. In all the years since I've had him I've never once heard him raise his voice or seen him cry, if anything he's always smiling and happy. He's never been real talkative but you can tell just by looking in his eyes that he's already telling you everything there is to know about him and everything around him. Even now that boy still takes me by surprise, but I suppose that just makes him so much like his father."
Laughing now Ren turned her gaze upon Kagome who was staring at the children with wonder in her eyes, "Chidori is more like me on the other hand, loud, rambunctious and so full of life. Nothing stops her in her tracks for long and she's always taking such great care of Sanyu, you can tell she loves him so much. She's impulsive and sometimes a little brash, which is why it didn't surprise me when I heard she had taken you by the hand and brought you over to our caravan to help her brother out. For all that front she puts up though, she's a good girl with a large heart and I can tell that no matter what, my little girl will never go astray."
Smiling Kagome turned her head and nodded at Ren, "I used to be like her, and probably a part of me still is," she turned her eyes upon the cloudless skies, "my mother used to say the same things of me. She was always telling everyone of her impulsive daughter who had an infinity for life and could never be deterred from helping someone in need. She always told me that she could never be prouder of me then she already was, she said that no matter what, she knew I would follow my heart and that she wished me all the best in the world. I miss her so much."
Despite the smile upon her face, tears collected in the corner of her eyes but she did not shed them, "When my way home was taken from me, I cried and shouted that it was not fair. For a long time I felt as if a part of me had died and I could not move, could not eat, sometimes I swore that could not even breath. If it were not for my son, I probably would have stopped living that day." Chuckling she turned to grin at Ren whose bright hazel showed her distress for the younger woman, "One morning my friends had, had enough and dragged me from my bedroll and forced me to look around and open my eyes. It was a day I could never forget, for those worried eyes all staring back at me, it was the sadness in my son's gaze that broke whatever sorrow I had been wallowing in.
"I told myself that I never wanted to see tears in his eyes again. I found myself that day once more and began to pick up the pieces of my broken life and started fresh. He's been by my side ever since and your son, Sanyu, reminds me so much of Shippou, your daughter, of my old life, and I can't help but feel as if I'm connected once more to the world. I feel whole and at peace here. Thank you."
Tears rolled down the elder woman's face as she pulled a surprised miko into her arms and held her tight, "While I can never replace your mother," Ren spoke, "you'll always have a place here in this caravan. So thank you, for everything you've done for my family and know that whatever is within my power, I will help you should you ever ask."
Kagome closed her eyes and hugged the woman back, the echos of people around her causing her heart to tighten with the knowledge that she had a home again. Children's laughter hung in the air, adults chatted and moved about gathering their things and all during this, peace wove itself around each and every heart. It was a sight she would never let go of. It was like magic, this camaraderie she had found, hidden in the brightly colored leaves of fall, and she wondered if maybe fate was finally kind enough to let her find herself a home once more.
It always left me breathless, those small moments like the one in the clearing. This was a life I had always dreamed of, had always envisioned and I could have never imagined that I would have found something, anything like the one I had found myself in that day. It was from that moment I had found myself saying that no matter what I would protect them, this new family of mine, even after we reached the gates of the large city of the south. Of course I never knew that despite fate's loving hand that morning, that day, that I would be sentenced to keeping my vow, no matter the cost. I never knew that despite everything, I would find myself unable to protect one of those I cherished most.
