Warning: Too tired to proofread so please excuse the mistakes littered in this chapter.
Days passed with Kagome showing little change throughout the journey. They still had some time until they reached Kou and despite Hakuei's best efforts, Kagome continued to close herself off. The only person she talked to was Hakuei and, on rare occasions, Seishun as long as the princess was there. Anyone else and the girl wouldn't utter a word. Despite Hakuei giving Kagome her peace, she still couldn't help but wish to question her on the events leading to her state.
Seishun told me what he and the other men saw when they went to investigate the bandits and I only wish I could have come with to see with my own eyes. I don't want to push her but the urge to find out more about Kagome's powers is hard to resist, Hakuei thought.
It was right after Hakuei and the others came back to the camp after hearing the signal of Kagome's return. Hakuei had been worried about Kagome and so stayed behind to take care of her wounds, knowing the girl wasn't too keen on anyone but those familiar to her too close. Seishun and a few other men were sent out to take care of the bandits left over who might still be after Kagome. The wounds on her body weren't any ordinary ones. It was as if she'd been burned by something and upon touching them, Hakuei's fingers tingled with some strange power. She recognized it almost instantly from Kagome's training with her bow. It felt the same as the pink energy that had encircled the arrows she'd fired. There was no hint of any other wounds caused by any weapons. She had been the one to hurt herself.
Or perhaps someone within the gang has peculiar powers that allow them to redirect techniques fired at them back at their enemy, was what she'd thought at the time.
When Seishun came back with the men and gave his report, that idea had been shot out the window. The whole landscape had been destroyed. Trees were snapped in half, rocks broken into pieces, the grass destroyed, and the men burned badly from some strange power. Hakuei had concluded that Kagome had unleashed a sudden burst of energy that perhaps was a little too much for even herself to handle and thus her current state. The men were questioned but all she got were panicked ramblings and vague explanations that didn't tell her much.
Hakuei snuck a peak at the girl plaguing her thoughts. They'd stopped once more for rest until daylight tomorrow where they'd pack up and once more be on their way. Seishun charged at her with his sword and she blocked it with her own, neither of the two backing down. Kagome's eyes, which held no light within them, followed the two's movements as they swung at each other back and forth. Her eyes held little recognition, her mind off in a world of its own. She spaced out often these days, her mind wandering and refusing to return to reality. Whatever had happened within the bandits' headquarters had really affected her and it made Hakuei all the more curious. What had happened to turn someone as strong as her into an almost empty shell of herself?
Hakuei pushed Seishun back and charged with a confident swing of her sword at the male, who barely dodged in time to miss a slash to his shoulder. He moved from left to right, avoiding the strikes at him and swung at her head, only to be parried. A sigh sounded from her right and Hakuei snuck another glance at the raven haired girl watching them. She distanced herself from her sparring partner and sheathed her sword, the male following her example.
"I think that's enough for today. We should start preparing for dinner," Hakuei said.
An idea struck her at that moment and she smiled. If there was one thing that could possibly help Kagome even if a little it was food. How long had it been since Hakuei was able to cook herself? With all the chaos going on she hadn't had much time to herself.
"Seishun, would you mind looking after Kagome for a bit?" Hakuei asked.
He nodded, already moving to the said girl's side. "Of course, I don't mind. Is there something you need to take care of?"
"Yes. It's been a while since I last cooked. Today dinner will be on me!"
Seishun froze.
"Please take good care of Kagome while I get everything ready. I'm counting on you."
The male spun around and opened his mouth to let out some protest. It was too late. He'd taken way too long to recover from that news and she'd already left. He shuddered. As much as he loved his leader, she could not cook to save her own life. Seishun regarded Kagome. "Do you think it's too late to run away?"
"..."
"I thought so too."
Kagome stared down at the bubbling green goo acting as her dinner tonight. On another bowl sat burned rice with chunks in it that she couldn't recognize. There was also undercooked meat, what she believed was salad, and a bunch of other dishes that she didn't even wanna guess what they were. Seishun was close to passing out. Hakuei looked expectantly at her, waiting for the moment she took a bite of the woman's cooking. The men were conflicted between running away or forcing the abomination Hakuei considered food down their throats in fear of what the princess would say or do to them if they didn't.
"What's wrong? Please eat up. There's more where that came from," Hakuei said.
The men shared tortured looks between themselves.
Kagome stared down at her food still, unable to look Hakuei in the eye. The woman had done all this for Kagome's sake, she knew. If missing Inuyasha so much didn't kill her, she was sure the food will. Still, she couldn't bring it in herself to reject it. She gulped, picking up her chopsticks to gather up some of the burnt rice. Her hand trembled and her mind screamed at her not to put it in her mouth. The urge to run away was strong and tempting, yet she braved herself and opened her mouth.
Hakuei made this for me. After all the trouble I put her through, it would be disrespectful not to accept the food, she told herself.
Hakuei did this for her. Hakuei did this for her. It was an attempt at cheering her up. Kagome would have been fine with just the thought, it truly touched her how much Hakuei did for her despite the two not knowing each other for long. If she ate this, Hakuei would be happy. This was the least she could do.
That's what she told herself.
Kagome took in a deep breath and braced herself for the worse. Her mouth opened and she shoved the food in her inside.
Hakuei sat dejectedly at Kagome's bedside.
"I'm so sorry! Even though I made that meal to get you to feel better, instead I only made the situation worse. I am truly sorry, please forgive me," Hakuei said, bowing deeply to the girl.
A cloud of gloom hovered over the dejected princess as she bowed low to Kagome. The girl lay trembled within the covers of her makeshift bed, her face green with sickness and a barf bucket standing at her other side. Despite it being her who was the victim, Kagome couldn't help but feel like an incredible jerk for upsetting Hakuei. The woman had tried so hard to cheer her up and Kagome couldn't stomach it, literally. The food was beyond horrible and for a moment there she truly believed she was dying. Seishun was still passed out in his own tent and the other men... Kagome could only guess they weren't any better. How Hakuei still remained well was a mystery to her, considering the princess must've tasted her own cooking even if a little of it.
Kagome weakly shook her head, a small strained smile spreading on her face. "It's alright. I appreciate the gesture and really, it wasn't so bad. I guess I'm just not used to the food. You don't have to apologize. After all, I'm the one who's been causing the trouble."
"But I'm the reason you're lying in bed sick," Hakuei muttered.
"It's nothing, I'm telling you. I'll be better soon, anyway. To be honest, I'm really happy that you decided to cook something for me. You have no idea how grateful I am to you," Kagome replied.
A smile peaked through her dejected expression. "You haven't been feeling well since... that incident. I wanted to make you feel better."
"You did, really."
Kagome grinned at the princess to reassure her. It would have looked convincing had she not puked into her bucket a moment later. Hakuei was immediately at her side fretting over her well being.
Hakuei observed Kagome from a distance. She had no idea what the girl was doing although it looked as if she was in deep meditation. Every now and then she would yell out for something to come to her while stretching out her arm as if she were to catch something. Nothing would happen and the girl would sigh dejectedly before trying once again. Seishun stood beside her, eyebrow raised.
"What's she doing?"
"I... am not sure. Originally I thought she was meditating but now I doubt it."
Hakuei approached the girl sitting cross-legged on the grass. Her Azusa bow lay a few feet away on the lush green grass, almost hidden within the tall narrow leaves. The girl shot her hand out in front of her, crying out once more, "Come!"
...
Another dejected sigh.
"Um, if I may ask, what are you trying to accomplish Kagome?" Hakuei asked.
Kagome broke from her sulking to regard the princess. She pursed her lips and turned to look at her bow after a moment of silence. "I'm trying to call my bow to me."
"Huh?"
"I have... had a friend who possessed this sword that he could call to him whenever in trouble even if it was far away. I thought that maybe I could do the same thing with my bow since it's a magical weapon unlike a normal bow. I haven't had any luck so far though," she explained.
Hakuei nodded in understanding. "Is this sword of your friend's similar to your bow?"
"...no, not really. His sword was created from a demon to fight against other demons and it possesses demonic powers. My bow on the other hand is a sacred bow created by the Spirit of Mount Azusa. It possesses pure energy that destroys anything not pure. But since both of them seem to have some kind of will of their own, or at least I've felt as if it was trying to communicate with me this one time, I thought maybe just like how my friend can call his sword to him, I can do the same with the bow. Maybe it was just wishful thinking."
"Kagome, may I hold that bow of yours for a moment?" Hakuei asked.
Kagome nodded and watched the woman pick it up off the ground. Hakuei hummed thoughtfully as she slid her fingers from one end to the other. "Perhaps it's not that you can't do it because they're different. Rather, the problem may lie in the fact you and your weapon are not in sync."
"Huh?"
"This bow, although it is not the same as my Metal Vessel, I believe it works similarly. You see, in order for a Dungeon Capturer to use their Djinn, they must be able to draw out its power. In order to do that, the two have to be in sync. The more one is in sync with their Djinn, the more power they are able to wield. Once we have reached complete synchronization, it is then we are able to achieve the highest level of power and are able to use our Djinn Equips. Well, the Djinn is the one who picks the one most compatible with it so there isn't as much worry about not being able to synchronize with them. The biggest problem would probably be the amount of Magoi a Metal Vessel User possesses."
Kagome frowned, taking back her longbow from Hakuei's outstretched hand. If the problem is that I'm not compatible with the longbow then does that mean I won't ever be able to fully master it? Kikyo was the one who the longbow was originally supposed to go to. I was only able to get it because it would save her life. Although Kikyo wasn't really saved from death. The longbow didn't belong to Kagome. She could never become completely in sync with it because it wasn't her who the Spirit of Mount Azusa chose. Even if she was untrained, she knew she had quite a bit of energy within her so that couldn't be the problem.
It didn't chose me...
"Is something the matter, Kagome?" Hakuei questioned.
Kagome shook her head, ridding the dejected expression from her face. "No, it's nothing, I just... I'm not the original owner of this bow. To be honest, the one it was originally supposed to go to was someone else. That means I won't be able to synchronize with it."
Hakuei smiled. "What are you talking about?"
"Huh?"
"Kagome, if you and that longbow truly weren't compatible, there's no way you would be able to use any of its powers. Maybe it's true that the two of you aren't completely in sync but that doesn't mean you'll never be able to master it. You'll just have to work hard to bring it up. Get to know your weapon, trust each other, and prove to it that you are worthy of its full power. There's no need to fret," Hakuei stated.
"But it... it didn't chose me."
"Kagome, tell me, how did you acquire this sacred longbow. Did you not go through a test?"
Kagome nodded. "Actually... the Spirit of Mount Azusa, the one to create this longbow, gave me a test to see what kind of person I was."
"Did this other person who you say the longbow was originally supposed to go to get tested?"
"No. She couldn't."
"Then you were the only one who it tested."
"Yes..."
"Did it allow anyone else to participate in the test?"
"No..."
"Why do you doubt the ownership of this bow then? Kagome, this person was never tested. Nobody else but you were either. If what you say is true, how would it have been able to know whether that person was worthy of the bow or not? It couldn't have known that person's true nature. The only one it took the chance to test was you and you passed it. That means that this Spirit of Mount Azusa believed you to be worthy of this bow. Not that other person, not anyone else, but you. You are the true owner of this bow so you should never doubt that. But if you still don't wanna believe me then take some time to get to know your weapon and the will inside. If it still doesn't completely respond to you then you can stop. However, I have no doubt that you will be able to master it one day. Just believe in yourself," Hakuei told Kagome.
"Hakuei..."
Kagome smiled, feeling tears building in her eyes. If she had told this to anyone else who knew about herself and Kikyo, they would have no doubt agreed with her that it truly did belong to Kikyo. Because of this, she never once even thought to consider Hakuei's words. Always being compared to Kikyo had brought her self-esteem down. No matter how much she told herself she was just as worthy as Kikyo, doubts always plagued her mind. Did the spirit really pick her over Kikyo? Did someone see her true worth? Confidence swelled inside her and for once she felt that maybe Kikyo wasn't the better of the two. It was small but still enough to bring her some pride.
Hakuei stood and dusted herself off. "There is something I need to take care of. Please take my words into consideration."
"Thank you Hakuei. You have no idea how grateful I am to you, really."
"I am always happy to help. If there is anything else troubling you, do not hesitate to come to me. I'll always be there."
Kagome nodded.
The castle Hakuei lived in was huge. Kagome had been exhausted from her constant training with the longbow but the moment she saw the roof peaking through the giant gates she felt energy rushing back to her. How long had it been since she'd last seen a mansion? Miroku always took care of their sleeping arrangements whenever they were in a town and he never failed to go for the richest place. She never knew how much she missed visiting them, even if for untrue purposes, and she was reminded of those times once again.
Siting behind Hakuei on the horse the two shared, she had to resist the urge to bounce in place as she looked around. The town itself was not something she had expected. Most houses were designed the same, with the only differences between them being the size and shape as the social status of the residences inside rose. The mansion however was different.
Guards stood on either side of the intricately carved metal gates, bowing low to their princess as they moved closer. Kagome grinned, her hold around Hakuei's stomach tightening almost to the point of being painful but the princess never commented on it. With the gates opened, the men made their way through the grassed land and towards the towering mansion inside. There were few trees in the front yard and Kagome barely spotted any flowers growing. For the most part it was rather barren. Further inside Kagome could make out lush green leaves poking out from atop the palace and she wondered how the inside of the place looked. Hakuei laughed.
"Don't worry, you will be allowed to explore the palace if you wish. Of course, there are certain areas you will not be able to enter. However, I'm sure you'll enjoy the gardens," Hakuei said.
Kagome blushed, realizing she was a bit too eager to get inside.
The horses stopped almost midway and Hakuei helped Kagome down after herself. With an order to take care of their belongings and the horses, the two along with Seishun headed inside. Kagome gripped the straps of her yellow old backpack, hoping not to show her awe too much. Paintings of people, sceneries, and even animals hung on the walls and expensive artifacts stood on stands, no doubt costing more than any amount of money she could gain in her years. She especially liked the paintings of different landscapes, reminded of her adventures back in the Feudal Era. She only wished she could touch everything. Many of the artifacts were so intricately designed that Kagome couldn't believe someone had actually made it.
This was different from the ones she'd seen back in Feudal Japan but that didn't change her appreciation of the place. Kagome had to wonder though why most everything was colored red. Maybe it was the color of the family? It still looked amazing.
Passing through the halls and making turns left and right, Kagome frowned as she tried and failed to remember the way. Hakuei paused and turned to face Kagome, forcing the girl to stop as well or risk bumping into her.
"I know I promised to let you see our High Priest upon coming here but there are a few things I need to take care of before that happens. But there's another person I would like for you to meet and maybe the two of you can become friends, too," Hakuei said.
"I don't mind but who is it that you want me to meet?" Kagome inquired.
Hakuei spun on her heels and took off once more, Kagome and Seishun joining on either side of her. "My little brother. His name is Hakuryuu and he mostly keeps to himself but I assure you he is a wonderful person and I'm positive the two of you will get along. He is very skilled with weapons and perhaps he can help you with his training. Since he doesn't have anyone besides me and Seishun who he likes to hang out with, he's usually by himself training. It worries me. So if you could keep him company while I'm away that would be wonderful." She hummed, as if realizing something. "Oh, sorry. You two haven't even met but I'm already asking you to take care of him."
"No problem. If there's nothing else to do then I'm happy to stay with him. He sounds like a good little brother," Kagome said.
I wonder how Souta is doing right now, she thought.
Kagome pushed the longing thoughts from her head. "The only thing I'm worried about is our first meeting."
"What do you mean?"
"Well... let's just say that I don't leave a good first impression on people," Kagome muttered.
Sango and Inuyasha tried to kill her at first meeting. Shippo and Miroku stole from her. Kouga kidnapped her. Even Seishun and Hakuei weren't keen on her right off the bat. Kagome worried what would happen this time around. Another killing attempt? Maybe this time it would be her turn to do something to this Hakuryuu. She dreaded that meeting with all her heart. The only consolation she had was the thought that after they settled whatever went wrong, they would hopefully become friends like the others.
"Pfft." Seishun snickered into a hand, recalling the events that led up to their meeting. "So you're telling me what happened with us always happens to you?"
"Pretty much," Kagome replied, knowing what he meant. "Two of my friends tried to kill be when we first met, to tell you the truth. Two others stole from me and then there was this one guy who kidnapped me and then proclaimed I would be his wife."
Seishun only laughed harder.
"Don't worry, I'm sure nothing will happen this time around," Hakuei reassured.
Kagome smiled tightly. If only that was the cause.
AN: This chapter was a little harder to write than the first just because of the decrease in reviews. I try not to let it bother me but it worries me that I'm making a story too boring when I see something like that decreasing in amount. There isn't a lot of action so far and I hope to increase that, as well as try to make the dialogue more interesting. Well, since Kagome will be meeting quite a bit of the Kou characters, I hope to make it much more interesting. Especially the meeting between Kagome and Judar. Please put up with me a little longer.
~Review Corner~
kanamelover101: I think that's the meeting I'm looking forward to the most to write. It's sure to be hilarious if the two are involved. Judar being Judar would no doubt anger Kagome in some way. Kagome would fight a lot with him considering their personalities and I feel bad for Judar. Hehe, at least he doesn't have the Beads of Subjugation. Kagome will warm up to him eventually. Be assured that I am taking this suggestion into consideration. For now I will leave it as is and depending on how things turn out it could be possible that this will be the pairing I chose. Thank you for the review.
Tinas86Roses: You do? I'm so happy to hear that! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. Thank you for the review.
Alice: Here's the next chapter. I hope to have the next one up soon. Thanks for the review.
12345678910: I'm so happy to hear that. A lot of people usually read just for their favorite pairings and so it kinda makes me scared of both choosing and not choosing a pairing. Will people not like my story because of my decision? I'd like to think people are reading because they find my story interesting. It means a lot to me knowing that you'll continue to stick with me despite my decision. I hope to not disappoint you and I thank you for continuing to review every chapter.
Claywind: I looked back at the chapter and realized that I didn't make it clear what had happened at that moment. Well, that's been fixed. I guess that's what happens when you write in the middle of the night and not proofread the work. I'm not the best with scenes like those so I might not have portrayed it well. Kagome, having been kidnapped a lot for many reasons, would probably be more used to those situations. That's why I didn't have her breaking out into a panic and instead trying to keep her head. However, the moment someone really dares do something to her I believe she won't ignore it. I'm glad you felt the drama was alright. I hope to improve in all areas and can't wait for the day I can look at my work feeling satisfied (which will probably never happen because I always strive to improve and so my work never satisfies me). You really didn't think it was boring? I promise I won't overuse the life-or-death situations or at least I'll try. Thank you for your kind words and I look forward to your feedback :)
P.S - Judar's interactions with Kagome would be hilarious. I'm actually looking forward to writing them out and I hope you enjoy them. Hehe...
Alice aquabld: I can consider adding in a harem. As I've mentioned before, I'm not too sure about adding a pairing and even if I was, I don't know what to go with. Thank you for the suggestion. As for the next question, I do plan on giving Kagome training. How she'll get it will still be a mystery until it's revealed in a chapter. Thank you for the review.