- THE TIES THAT BIND -
An InuYasha FanStory

Chapter Six: Woman of Mysteries
000
Jaken gawked as the human girl snapped the comb in half, a faltering pink light twining between her fingers. She did it! he thought, stunned. The human girl had done it! He was even more surprised, however, when her eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped against the mountain of skulls behind her, unconscious.

"Oh…oh no!" he cried, stumbling to his feet and staring around. "Oh! Sesshoumaru-sama! Sesshoumaru-sama!" he cried, scrambling into the forest back towards the stream. If the girl died, he would most likely be blamed for it.

He gulped, his eyes going wide. "Sesshoooooumaru-samaaaa!"

000

Sango adjusted the strap to her Hiraikotsu, glancing over her shoulder at the sullen hanyou. He tugged on his necklace irritably, glowering at her as she met his gaze. She rolled her eyes slightly, shaking her head and turning away.

"Hurry up now. The forest is big and it'll take awhile to find them, I'm sure," she said, motioning to him and setting off along the path into the forest. The other villagers watched them go silently. No one waved their goodbyes and no laughing children danced at her heels. The fire that had burned down the town had burned their happiness along with it.

And it is all his fault. It is all InuYasha's fault, she thought darkly. There was nothing she could do about it now, however. Kaede insisted that she could not kill him – and besides, his sensitive nose would lead her to the girl. He said he could smell his 'brother', if not the girl, and that his brother had taken the girl away with him.

She was determined to find the girl as quickly as possible and be done with the whole affair. She had business to deal with in the other towns – though the note she had sent to her father would explain her situation, and they would send another warrior off to the village that had already hired her skills. She still felt bad about abandoning the job, but it seemed there was nothing she could do about it. She must chase down this girl with her Shikon no Tama – and then when that was done, she could end the hateful hanyou's life.

She would enjoy that.

000

Sesshoumaru followed with a frown as Jaken lead him through the forest hurriedly. They came to a small clearing, the first thing he noticed being a large and disturbing pile of human skulls. He cocked his head to the side with curiously before his golden gaze wandered down to rest on the collapsed figure of the human girl. Her body was rubbed raw, crisscrossed with a thousand deep cuts. Blood smeared over her glossy white skin and her hair hung messily over her unconscious face. She looked worn and battered and for a moment his heart stopped in his chest. He did not know the limits of humans, and could not tell if these wounds would be fatal to her.

Her chest rose shallowly as she took a breath and he found his heart beating again. He moved forward, leaning down next to her. He glanced to her hands, a hint of surprise in his eyes as he noted one half of a comb in one hand, the other in the other hand.

So she is the one who defeated the youkai, he pondered. It was, for some reason, not all that surprising to him. He leaned down, scooping up her frail body in his arms and turning away – the bits of comb slipping from her limp hands and clattering powerlessly to the ground. Jaken hovered at his heels, his wide eyes staring up at him in silent wonder. Sesshoumaru ignored him, stepping over the branches and brambles lightly as he led the way back to the stream.

It seems we won't be getting anywhere today, he thought with a hint of irritation. He certainly wasn't going to carry her all the way across the countryside – he didn't particularly enjoy carrying her even the short distance to the stream. There was no helping that though, and when they finally reached it he set her down carefully on a rock. He turned to Jaken then, who followed behind faithfully.

"When she awakes, tell her to wash herself," he commanded. He leaned down, plucking from the waters the oni sword Yura of the Hair had carried with her. He stared at it appraisingly for a moment before tossing it away, watching as the blade drifted downstream. He turned, stepping towards the forest again.

"Tell her to wash herself. And make a fire. I will bring back food later tonight." Jaken dropped into a clumsy bow, squawking that he would do so. Sesshoumaru turned away, satisfied, and disappeared into the forest.

000

When Kagome finally awoke the sun was still high in the sky but slowly beginning its decent towards the opposite horizon. Despite the fact that the day was bright, a fire flickered nearby and the little youkai she traveled with prodded it absently with the tip of his staff. She watched him silently for a moment, her eyes only half open, before she pushed herself up onto her elbows. Once again her entire body ached as if she had just been beaten to a pulp – not only because she had just slept on the hard surface of a rock, but the many wounds that still decorated her body were probably beginning to get infected.

The little youkai glanced her way as she stirred and she was surprised to see a relieved expression flash across his face. She grimaced, hunching her shoulders and squeezing her eyes shut as a wave of pain flooded over her. Jaken scrambled to his feet at this, rushing over to the rock and stopping in front of her.

"I thought you might die there, for a little while. You humans are so weak after all, and can be done in by the tiniest of scratches," he remarked somewhat arrogantly. She glanced up at him, a scowl touching her lips as she arched a brow. She was in no mood to be insulted for the terrible crime of being 'human'.

Perhaps Jaken got the picture, because he quickly coughed and changed the subject: "Sesshoumaru-sama instructed that you bathe after you wake." He motioned with his staff towards the stream. Kagome followed the movement, her eyes settling on the water and slowly widening.

"In that?" she hissed. She could still see chunks of ice breaking up and floating through the relatively shallow water, and bits of snow rested atop some of the rocks. It looked utterly freezing.

"Yes, that," Jaken responded haughtily. "Where else would you be bathing?" Kagome shuddered as she pushed herself up to a sitting position. She glanced down at her body and grimaced – she was covered with her own blood, dry, flaky and utterly disgusting. While the water did not in the least way look appealing to her stiff body, neither did walking around covered in blood and dirt.

Her eyes scanned the sluggishly flowing water carefully. It was an open area – Jaken would be able to see her easily from the pathway. The only place that added even a measure of privacy was on the other side of the large rock that overhung the stream that she was currently sitting on. As long as she kept her back facing the little youkai he would only be able to see anything but the back of her head and shoulders. She didn't like the idea of bathing in plain sight, but neither Jaken nor Sesshoumaru seemed like the type who would have any desire to peek at her. She was only human after all.

She glanced away, towards the little fire Jaken had made and then into the forest. "Where did Sesshoumaru-sama go?" she asked. "Was he all right after the battle? He wasn't injured, was he?" She didn't know why the idea of Sesshoumaru being injured bothered her, but it wasn't something she questioned either. Even if she were to stumble across an injured Sesshoumaru in the future she would have been worried for his health. He was InuYasha's brother after all, no matter how bad their relations were.

"He is fine. I do not know where he has gone to, but he said he would bring food later tonight," Jaken replied crisply, nodding towards the fire. Kagome sighed – when they weren't on the trail, Sesshoumaru was rarely with them. She wasn't sure whether she should be grateful for that or not. At least when he wasn't around she didn't have to worry about pesky, unanswerable questions.

"Alright then. You go sit by the fire. And don't peek! I'll wash off now," Kagome said, waving him away.

"As if I would," the little youkai grumbled as he waddled off the rock and back towards the fire. He purposefully sat with his back turned toward her and the stream. She eyed him carefully for a moment, goose bumps rising on her torn skin as her gaze wandered over the female head of the staff that faced her. That thing was truly unsettling – the semi-alive head seeming to stare at her with dead eyes.

She shook her head dismissively and turned her hands to the slow and painful process of peeling off her clothing one by one. They too were caked with dry blood and full of little cuts and tears. She didn't have her bag either, so she couldn't really change into a new pair of clothing – and she couldn't wash these if she didn't have anything to change into while they dried.

She heaved a sigh, resigning herself to having to pull them back on when she was done. Then she turned her gaze to the icy water, hunching her shoulders as she moved to the edge of the rock.

"Well, I might as well get it over with quickly," she mumbled, gritting her teeth. She bit down hard on her bottom lip as she slipped off the rock and into the freezing water.

For an instant she couldn't breathe. The wind was knocked out of her and it seemed as if her entire body went into shock. A moment later searing pain was flashing up her spine and a half strangled scream escaped her throat. It seemed that the ice in the water was seeping into her body through her many wounds, freezing her to the very marrow of her bones.

"Human! What's wrong? What's wrong, human!" cried Jaken. She could hear his scrambled footsteps. She wrapped her arms around her chest and ducked deeper into the numbing water.

"I-I-I'm f-f-fine! Don't come o-o-over her-r-re!" she called to him, chattering the words out through teeth that clicked together wildly. The sound of footsteps paused and then resumed, this time going the other way, back towards the fire.

"A-a-and you can s-s-t-t-top calling me h-h-human, you k-k-know. I have a n-n-name!" she called back to him once she was sure that he was back in place where he couldn't see much of her. She began the process of cleaning her body as quickly as she possibly could. She rubbed her hands vigorously down her legs, peeling the blood back from her wounds. It stung like hell but the quicker she got it all off, the quicker she could get out of the freezing water.

"I see the human is up." Kagome froze, her hands stopping in their relentless work as the cool voice of Sesshoumaru accosted her ears. She glanced around quickly and was relieved to see that he wasn't even looking towards her. He had stepped out of the forest near Jaken and was looking down at his little youkai companion, two creatures that looked like rabbits dangling from his clawed hands.

"She is noisy for one who has recently been knocked unconscious," he commented as she squeaked and ducked back into the water. She could hear Jaken's chuckle and gritted her teeth in frustration.

"I s-s-said my n-n-name is not h-h-human! It's K-K-K-Kagome, thank you v-v-v-very m-m-much!" she hissed through chattering teeth. She was not graced with a reply, however, and quickly went back to the unhappy job of cleaning her aching body.

When she had finally got the blood and dirt off of her she was stunned to see how many cuts she had across her body. They had been obscured by the grime before, leaving her without a clue as to just how many she had, but now that she had a clear view of them she couldn't even begin to count how many there were. For an instant she had to admit to herself, however grudgingly, that she was thankful for Jaken's help earlier. If he hadn't burned the threads away, who knew how much damage they would have caused?

"I'm c-c-c-coming out n-n-now! Don't l-l-l-look!" she called over her shoulder. She turned around slowly, placing her hands on the rock and pulling herself up over the edge. The winter air was chill, but not nearly so chill as the water she had bathed in and she was grateful to feel the warmth of the sun on her skin. She glanced quickly to the two youkai and blinked in surprise.

Sesshoumaru's back – and Jaken's as well – was turned towards her, but that was not what was so surprising. Folded neatly on the rock in front of her was some fresh clothing – it was plain but neat, the type of clothing that peasants wore but obviously made of new threads. She picked it up carefully, her fingers sliding up and down the seams slowly. She wondered when he had moved close enough to place the clothing on the rock but, with a slight blush, decided not to think about that and shifted her thoughts elsewhere.

So that's what he was doing, she thought. Not only was he hunting, but he went to get me new clothing. I wonder where he got it…is there a village nearby? Did he just walk in among the humans and take it? A smile twitched on the edges of her lips – she wished she could have been there to see it. A great taiyoukai like him striding calmly into a village of humans to do nothing but acquire some female peasant clothing. She wondered what the humans had done. Her smile faded. She wondered if any of them had tried to attack him – wondered if he had killed them.

She took a deep breath, pushing those unpleasant thoughts aside and unfolding the clothing. The air wasn't as chill as the water, but it was still cold and she was eager to get into something warm.

000

"What should I do with this?" Sesshoumaru glanced over his shoulder and arched a brow. The girl looked quite normal now – perhaps even pretty, by human standards at least. Her hair was freshly washed and hung over her shoulders and face and the crisp new clothing suited her well. She no longer looked outlandish and unnatural, as she had in the strange clothing she had worn before. The soft earthy tones of the peasantry kimono contrasted her pale white skin and raven black hair well and made her wide brown eyes pop. She held her old, torn and bloody clothing in her arms, regarding him with a questioning expression.

"You may leave them on the rock," he answered coolly. "You will not be needing them. Or are they valuable?" He frowned slightly at the thought – he did not know where her strange clothing came from nor if they held any secrets within their folds. She shook her head, however, and dropped them on the rock before moving over to the fire opposite them, carrying her shoes with her. Those were strange as well – nothing like the feet coverings humans normally wore, if they wore any at all.

"Thank you," she murmured, her voice surprisingly demure. She had always spoken with a certain fire of spirit before, even when she was frightened. He lifted his gaze to her face with a slight frown as she lowered her head, hunching her shoulders. "For the clothing…thank you."

"Humans smell bad enough as it is," he responded darkly. "I did not want to put up with the smell of your blood any longer than necessary." And that was true. He would have left her in her old clothing without a care if it hadn't reeked with the smell of human blood. He had a sensitive nose and had no desire to put up with that disgusting scent in the least. She did not seem pleased by the answer, however, and he wondered vaguely if she had been expecting something different. She was miko – she should have known his reasons before he ever explained himself. The fact that she had thanked him in the first place was odd in and of itself.

"I…I see," she murmured disappointedly before lifting her head with a determined expression, that curious inner fire once again gleaming in her eyes. "Well thank you anyway. Your reasons might have been selfish, but I am grateful for clean clothing to wear." Sesshoumaru eyed her silently – there was nothing to say to that so he turned his attention on Jaken instead, who was carefully skinning the rabbits. Not that he needed them skinned, but that was a curiosity of human nature – they could not seem to stomach animal fur. After that job was finished they were skewered and left to roast slowly over the fire, body fluids squealing as they sizzled in the heat.

"How did you know about the comb?" he asked, shifting slightly to get into a more comfortable position and turning his gaze from the fire back to the girl's face. He watched as her body started slightly, as if she had been physically hit. She glanced to his face and then away quickly and he could smell the uncertainty and fear rolling off her body.

"I…that is…I have encountered her before." It was the strangest thing – he could smell her nervousness but he could not smell that scent that denoted a lie. It seemed that she really had met the youkai before – either that or she was extremely good at controlling her scent. That seemed unlikely though, because he could sense even the smallest shifts in her moods quite easily.

"She did not seem to recognize you," he remarked coolly. He had seen not even the slightest hint of recognition in Yura of the Hair's face when she first came across the human girl. It was the same with InuYasha – and even himself for that matter. She said she had met both him and his brother before, but he was certain he had never seen her in his entire life. Then again, the faces of humans always ran together in his mind. He might have met her once before and not recall it.

"I…I do not think she remembers the last time we met," she answered with a cringe. Once again, he could not smell the scent of lies on her.

"Strange. You said the same thing about InuYasha, did you not?" She nodded numbly in response, fidgeting with her hands in her lap as she sat near the fire. Jaken was watching her closely – perhaps he could smell her as well, though Sesshoumaru rather doubted it. He shook his head slowly, leaning back slightly and turning his gaze on the roasting rabbits. There was no point in continuing with the questions now – unless he wanted to torture her, she would not answer him straight. At this point, he would rather have her healthy. It would not please him if she started slowing down his pace – Jaken did that enough already.

"For a miko, you were certainly helpless against that youkai," Jaken sighed, breaking the silence that was probably becoming uncomfortable for both him and the human. Sesshoumaru kept his gaze on the fire, but watched her closely out of the corner of his eye. She smiled faintly at the observation.

"Before, my friends always protected me," she said, bitterness running deep in her voice. "And when they were not around, I always had my bow to fight with."

He turned his head away after that – Jaken and the girl continuing their conversation idly while Sesshoumaru gave himself to his thoughts. Perhaps he could obtain a bow and some arrows for the girl. He did not like the idea of giving her a weapon she could use against him, but he was confident in his ability to avoid injury. She was only human after all – even if she was supposedly a powerful miko. Besides, if he was ever not around it wouldn't do to have her die at the hands of another youkai seeking the power hidden in her flesh.

He frowned slightly, his golden eyed gaze resting on the stream.

It must have hurt to bathe in that freezing water, he mused absently. Perhaps she wasn't so weak as he had originally assumed. She was certainly a woman of mysteries.

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Well, it seems that the Prayer-Beads are only usable by Kagome and Kikyo. Apparently Kikyo made the beads so they work for her and the only reason Kagome can use them is because she's Kikyo's reincarnation. Which I find odd because Kaede tossed them before knowing who Kagome was...unless she recognized her immediately? Well, I don't know. But apparently that's how it is - so sorry, it seems I'll have to diverge from the original story a little because I don't know how to continue without Sango being able to use the beads.

Anyway, this is another semi-filling chapter, though I rather liked this one. It's important to see how Kagome and her new companions react towards each other, after all. Hope you enjoyed it! Next chapter and the chapter after that are really going to heat things up, trust me. Lots of Sesshoumaru and good heap of trouble!

((Please review and tell me what you think! Your reviews help make my bitterly pathetic life seem at least somewhat acceptable. XD))

NEXT CHAPTER

Chapter Seven: Shikon no Tama

Kagome faces her biggest challenge yet when Sango and InuYasha catch up with her, Sesshoumaru, and Jaken. InuYasha's hunger for the cursed jewel leaves Kagome in grave danger.