Chapter 4: Evil Spirits Be Gone!

Kagome packed all of the necessary items she would need for her journey as a traveling miko. She had already gone home for her bi-annual checkup to find out that she was progressing so well that the doctor decided to see her once a year instead of twice yearly. She was even more surprised to find out that Dr. Atsushi and her mother were still dating and, that it was starting to look serious.

Souta seemed to be OK with it, but Jiichan, she noticed, was a bit surly over the affair. 'I guess he thinks that he will have to do his own cooking if Mom marries and moves out. 'Kagome guessed.

No wonder. Jiichan's cooking came in two flavors: burned to a crisp or raw.

While she was happy for her Mom to find love and romance again, it just made her realize exactly how lonely she was when it came to matters of the heart.

Kagome was a bit nervous about traveling on her own, but Kaede kept reassuring her that she would be fine. "Miko and Monks are revered by both demons and humans alike. Not even bandits, as evil as they are, will bother holy people for fear of their soul. Naraku, of course, was an exception. For the most part you will be welcome everywhere you go. Especially since, you are the Shikon Miko Kagome. Just wait. You will see how it is." Kaede informed her.

The morning Kagome left was beautiful and sunny. With a large leather satchel, sleeping bag and cooking utensils strapped to her back, her bow and two quivers of arrows slung across her shoulder and a short sword at her hip, she was ready.

Kagome did not want to wear the traditional red and white miko clothing, (thanks to being mistaken for Kikyo one too many times) but still needed to be recognized as a traveling miko. So she, with some suggestions from Kaede, modified the miko outfit just a bit. While red and white was much more popular among miko, it being the most basic of miko uniform colors, as long as the clothing styles were adhered to, the colors could be changed. Usually the colors the miko wore reflected that of the local Lord from whose lands the miko in question hailed from. In this case, Kagome's local lord was Lord Immuto. His colors were blue and white.

Therefore, Kagome, on Kaede's good advice, still wore the traditional hakama, only it was blue instead of red and did not billow out so much to make long-distance walking easier for her. Kagome did not want to wear the geta sandals while traveling either. It just wasn't practical for walking long distances. She opted instead for black calf high boots, similar to what Lord Sesshomaru wore, except they came from her own era and had very cushiony insoles. Even her haroi, while still white had blue ribbon that matched her hakama, entwined in the sleeves that were tighter fitting around her arms and did not billow so much either. She really hated it when her sleeves became entangled with her bowstring. She didn't know how other miko managed it. Kagome's bow was a more modern compound bow, which gave her greater control, more power and longer distance. Of course, she could still shoot with a miko longbow, and kept the bow she acquired from Mount Azusa at Kaede's hut, in honor of Kikyo, Kaede's deceased elder sister. She just favored the compound bow better, since she trained with it almost constantly during the three years she was at home after the well was sealed.

As Kagome walked along the fairly busy road, going to Jinenji's farm, her first major stop on her journey, she knew that her bow got a few strange looks, especially from the occasional soldier, who she knew wanted to stop and ask her questions about it. However, because of her miko status, just like Kaede told her, they didn't bother her. As she traveled, she thought about all that Kaede told her concerning Lord Sesshomaru, demons and holy people in general.

'Maybe it is just me that Sesshomaru doesn't like.' Kagome thought while walking. 'Of course, I don't know why he keeps calling me Inuyasha's cast-off, considering we never really courted or anything. Well I did have a bit of a crush on him for a while, but that was a long time ago and turned out to be nothing more that friendship. At least now, Sesshomaru can't say that I am contaminating his presence if I am not around. Moreover, I can honestly say that I didn't avoid him by running away. I am continuing my miko training. That is all.'

'Oh just who am I kidding? I am running away.' She thought angrily to herself. 'When did I become such a coward? Is what Sesshomaru said to me true? Did I really use Inuyasha as a shield to hide behind whenever my big mouth ran away from me?'

'Gosh,' she thought, 'I remember movies that had all talk-and-no-action characters like that. My school friends and I would make bets on how soon it would be before that person got his butt stomped. We always laughed about it too because people like that deserved it. Now look at me. Am I like that? Was I like that? Oooh, Sesshomaru, you make me so mad! Making me second-guess myself like that!'

'I didn't use Inuyasha like that!' She declared. 'I mean, sure I wasn't very good with a bow yet and I didn't have much control over my powers either, but I wasn't a coward hiding behind anybody!'

Kagome kicked some rocks out of her path as she continued to walk down the road musing to herself and starting to insert small hand gestures while thinking, 'How dare he say such things! He's a coward! Yeah, afraid to show his true feelings to anyone for fear somebody will take his feelings and use them against him. I mean, sure back when his dad died he probably had to do that and I get it that royal families are pretty stoic in public…' Kagome trailed off her thinking and idly stared at the scenery around her before thinking, 'Just look at the royal family in England. The Queen over there barely cracks a smile during royal functions! Of course, that pretty lady that married that good looking prince a few years back is always smiling, but…well she wasn't born into it so…Uggh! I'm second-guessing my second-guesses! Gosh Kagome, can you confuse yourself just a little bit more here?

Kagome continued walking down the road, unmindful of some of the odd looks she was starting to get from various travelers as they passed her, headed in the opposite direction. She just continued to think to herself, trying to make sense of all Kaede told her, sometimes mumbling a word or two out loud.

'Anyway, since Kaede told me that Sesshomaru's lands have been rather peaceful for the last fifty years or so, you think that he would loosen up a bit. Maybe crack a smile. Surely after two hundred years he's weeded out all of his enemies at court and all.'

Passersby would hear Kagome mumble the words such as "smile" and "enemies" and hurry away from her, thinking that something might be wrong with the slightly strange miko. Kagome continued with her thoughts, oblivious to what was happening around her.

'Or maybe he hasn't. After all, demons do live for hundreds, if not thousands of years. They have plenty of time to lie in wait before making a move when you least expect it. Like putting poison in your food or a noose around your neck in a dark hallway.'

Kagome shook her head. 'Now I am starting to sound like a bad murder mystery movie, where every time the lights go out, somebody dies. Yuck!'

'Makes me wonder if Sesshomaru didn't just clean house and be done with it because he needed to catch the real person, or demon, behind all of those assassination attempts? I mean, in that Greek story where Hercules fought the Hydra, he couldn't simply kill it by cutting off its head. Two more heads would grow back for each one he cut off. No Hercules had to destroy the Hydra's body as well.' Kagome tried to remember exactly how the Hydra story went .'At least,' she thought to herself, ' I think that's how the story went. Maybe it wasn't even Hercules who fought the Hydra at all. Geesh, Kagome, can't even get a story to argue your point about right.' She sighed in frustration out loud.

'I wonder if that is what Sesshomaru tried to do. Is that why he needed Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga? To destroy the "Hydra" once and for all, so to speak? Did he think it would make him look weak to ask Inuyasha for help and so he had to steal it from him? Especially since he never really helped Inuyasha after the Lady Izayoi died? Would Inuyasha have helped Sesshomaru if he did ask?'

Kagome continued to ponder as she trudged on the dirt road.

'Hmmm. Probably not back then, no. Now. Well I don't know. They still aren't on the best of terms, but at least Inuyasha and Sesshomaru aren't trying to kill each other every time they meet now. I think. They certainly aren't all hugs and kisses either.' Kagome giggled at the sudden thought of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha hugging and kissing each other like some of her friends would do in middle school.

Again, Kagome was oblivious to the sudden stares and whispers of "odd" and "crazy" other passersby were saying every time she laughed out loud or made angry noises at what she thought about.

Suddenly, Kagome felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see a concerned-looking middle-aged farmer with who appeared to be his wife and young son, along with a mildly prosperous merchant, along with the merchant's two guards.

"Excuse me Lady Miko." The farmer politely bowed and asked, "Is there an evil spirit here that you are trying to banish?"

"An evil spirit?" Kagome blinked at him.

"Yes, Lady Miko. You see we noticed, "Here the farmer gestured to the small group standing around her, "you seemed to be arguing with something in the middle of the road while waving your hands around. Are you trying to subdue it? Do you need some assistance? If so, this kind merchant has graciously consented to allow you the use of his two fine, strong guards to help you subdue the evil creature, should you require it."

As the farmer pointed to the merchant and the two guards, all three men bowed to Kagome while the merchant added, "Yes Lady Miko. My two guards are very strong and well trained. If you need help, they will be more than happy to assist you. "

Kagome stared at the small group that hovered almost anxiously around her. 'Uh oh. How do you find yourself in these kinds of messes Kagome! Great. If you tell them the truth, they will think you are crazy or a fool. That won't go down too well around these parts. No one would want a fool miko to help them.'

Kagome thought quickly and answered, "Oh um, thank you, but I won't be requiring any assistance today. I've just finished subduing the evil spirit and it won't bother anyone else anymore. Ha ha." She smiled weakly at the group before continuing.

"Thank you so much for your concern and for allowing me the use of two such fine, strong soldiers." Kagome bowed, and missed the two guards giving each other a glance before pulling their shoulders back while puffing out their chests with pride. After all, a pretty miko doesn't come along every day handing out compliments to them.

Meanwhile, the merchant beamed at Kagome's praise of his soldiers. He, Tashi, against his father's wishes, hired these two guards himself, instead of taking the old family steward as a traveling companion. His father argued that the guards weren't needed on such a short overnight trip along a peaceful road. He was just throwing away good money. Now he, Tashi, would tell his Father all about how his two guards, no, his bodyguards, helped a miko, yes a beautiful miko, as she struggled to subdue a horrible, evil spirit who was about to take his life! Moreover, she thanked him profusely and blessed him as well! Well, just as soon as he asked her to bless him.

"Lady Miko," the merchant bowed once again to Kagome before introducing himself, "My name is Tashi. I, on behalf of everyone would like to congratulate you on banishing said evil spirit and would humbly ask that you please bless all of us so that the spirit in question won't come after us as revenge for helping you to subdue it?"

Kagome looked at all of the anxious faces in front of her before giving a silent sigh to herself and, answering with a smile replied, "Of course I will Tashi. Thank you for suggesting it."

Then, after giving a hurried blessing to the grateful group and, reassuring them once again that the evil spirit won't be following them, bowed once again while saying thanks, and hurried down the road.

'Gosh Kagome,' she thought to herself, 'you really have to watch what you say around here! Or in this case think!'