"Deck the halls with boughs of holly..." Hi everyone! Wow, I can't believe how fast Christmas is coming up! I can hardly wait! ^^
And here's Chapter 7! What will become of Kita, our new heroine? Can Koga and Kagome fall in love? Will the gang ever defeat Naraku? Why am I asking you all these questions??? Haha... hope you guys like this!
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, just Madison and Kita.
"Uhnnh..."
Kita gave a soft moan as her eyelids fluttered open, trying to get used to the bright daylight. "Huh?" she questioned blearily, rubbing her eyes with one hand. Yikes. she thought all of a sudden. Where am I? And why does my head hurt so badly? Yawning, Kita fished around on the ground for her spear, but was surprised to discover that it was not there.
What the hell... The young princess' eyes widened in surprise. Wh-Where's my spear? Didn't I have it just a second ago? But before she could continue her train of thought, she heard someone speaking to her.
"Oh, good." said the voice, a female's. "You're up."
Looking over to one side, Kita saw a girl standing there, a girl probably just a few years older than herself. Her hair, dark like Kita's, flowed freely from her scalp, coming down to just a little ways below her shoulders. And she was wearing the strangest outfit Kita had ever seen, consisting of a short, green skirt and a white long-sleeved shirt, completed with a matching green and red scarf. Close to her sata small boy with flaming red hair and a fox tail, a brunette demon slayer, a Buddhist monk, and the wolf demon whom Kita had encountered previously, but couldn't remember his name. Farther away, seated on the branch of an oak tree, another being sat with his arms crossed over his chest. Looking over in her direction, the silver-haired boy sneered at Kita before turning away once more.
Turning to the strangely-dressed girl, Kita asked,"Who are you? And why have you brought me here?"
"I'm Kagome." came the girl's simple reply. "And Koga brought you here because we want to know what's going on."
"Koga?" inquired Kita, before remembering his identity. "Oh yes, I remember him." she said. "But who are the others?"
One by one, Kagome pointed out Shippo, Sango, Miroku, Koga, and Inuyasha to Kita, introducing each one by name.
Koga looked over at Kita with his piercing blue eyes. "I see you're up." he said to her. "Are you feeling alright?"
"My head hurts," admitted the wolf princess. "And so does my arm. But other than that, I think I am okay."
"I should hope so." said the monk, now known as Miroku. "That was quite an ordeal you had suffered back there."
Kita raised an eyebrow. "It was?"
"Yes." Sango looked at Kita with questioning eyes. "Don't you remember?"
"No." Kita shook her head slowly. "I don't."
"I see." said Koga, getting up and going over to to the young girl. "Then perhaps we ought to ask you a few things, and then-"
"Where is my spear?" interrupted Kita, leaping to her feet. "And my bag? I won't answer any of your questions until I know what you've done with them."
"We've got them." assured Kagome. "Don't worry, they're right over there." Again, she pointed to the spot where Koga had been sitting previously. Sure enough, laid upon the hardened ground were Kita's supplies, lined up together like a pair of lovebirds.
Kita blinked. "I see." she said at last. She turned to Koga and Kagome. "Very well then, what is it that you wish to know?"
"Well, for starters," said Kagome. "You could tell me your name."
"I am Princess Kita," came the young girl's reply. "And I come from the wolf tribe to the north. When I was very young, the tribe where I had previously lived was attacked by demons, and both my mother and father were slaughtered."
"Oh." Kagome placed a hand on Kita's shoulder. "I'm sorry."
Kita shook her head. "Wasn't your fault." she said. "During the attack, my older brother and I were separated, and up until recently, I thought he was dead. However, because he isn't, I left my home to try and find him again. But then, shortly after I had set out, I felt a searing pain in my right arm and I collapsed. The next thing I remember is your friend over there talking to me." She pointed to Koga, before turning to Kagome once more. "Do you by chance have any idea of what happened to me during that time?"
"Yes, we do." Koga spoke up, looking down at Kita with his sharp blue eyes. "Because you had a shard of the sacred jewel in your arm, the demon Naraku was easily able to manipulate you into doing whatever he wanted. For a while, you were his little puppet."
Any color that had previously been in Kita's face disappeared when she heard those words. "What did I do?" she asked softly.
"You attacked me." Koga replied. "And for a while, you put up a good fight and almost had me beaten. But then, just as you were about to do me in once and for all, you released your weapon and clutched your head as if you were in immense pain."
"You almost died," interrupted Kagome. "So to stop Naraku from hurting you any longer, Koga had to take the shard out of your arm."
"What?" Kita raised an eyebrow, before finally noticing the bloodstained bandage wrapped around her arm, throbbing slightly from pain. "Oh." She looked up at Koga. "Thank you, then, for saving me. If not for you, I might not be here right now."
"You're welcome." Koga replied. "It was no trouble."
"That reminds me," said Miroku all of a sudden. "I believe this belongs to you." Lifting his hand, he revealed Kita's shard of the Shikon jewel, glinting and shimmering in the sunlight. "Much as I hate to give it up, is rightfully yours."
"True." said Kita, taking the tiny object from his fingers. "Thank you." Unwrapping the bandage on her arm, she delicately put the shard back into it's rightful place, before letting Kagome wrap up her arm again with a fresh strip of gauze.
After Kagomehad finished, Sango's eyes traveled to the set of beads that sat upon Kita's neck. "Your necklace is very interesting," she said. "I've never seen anything like it before. Where did you get it?"
"It was a birthday present from my brother," said Kita, getting a faraway look in her eyes. "Before the attack." She heaved a sigh. "It's a wonderful gift, and I love it a lot, but I would much rather have my brother around again. If I really concentrate, I can sort of remember what his face looks like. But before I can get a good look at it, it always disappears."
"I understand." Kagome placed a hand on Kita's shoulder. "You miss him a lot, don't you?"
Kita nodded quietly. "I do." she said.
Hearing her story, Sango couldn't help but feel a stab of pity for the young princess as she thought of her own dear brother. It occurred to her that perhaps she and Kita were not as different as she thought they were. After all, they both had a deep love for their respective brothers. But the tragic thing was that Kita had not seen her brother in many years, where as Sango had spent most of her life with Kohaku. Thinking this, a light bulb suddenly went off in the demon slayer's head, and she called Kagome over.
"Yes, Sango?" asked Kagome upon her arrival. "What is it?"
"Kagome," began Sango. "This girl is all by herself with nowhere to go. Do you think that perhaps...?" Her voice trailed off.
"Perhaps what?" Kagome cocked her head to one side.
"Do you think that perhaps," Sango suggested slowly. "She would like to go with us?"
Miroku's eyes widened slightly. "What do you mean, Sango?"
"We travel around a lot to look for sacred jewel shards anyways," Sango replied. "Would it really do any harm if she were to come along?"
Kagome opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, Inuyasha cut her off.
"Are you crazy?!" he cried, leaping down from his tree branch and turning to face Kagome. "We don't know this girl! What if she made up that whole sob story about her brother, and all she's really after is our shards of the sacred jewel?!"
"Inuyasha..." Miroku tried to intercede, but Kagome cut him off.
"How can you say that?" she yelled at the hanyou. She turned to the others. "We all saw what Naraku did to her back there. Because of that jewel shard in her arm, who's to say that he can't control her again whenever he wants to?"
No one spoke a word as Shippo sat nearby, hands in his lap, thinking about what Kagome had just said.
After several moments of uncomfortable silence, Sango spoke up. "All Kita wants is to find her brother," she said. "The only family she's got left. Are we really going to leave her like this when she needs our help?" Turning to Miroku, her eyes met his as he thought about the real reason behind Sango's traveling with them: for the good of her brother.
Miroku gave a slight scowl. He didn't like that look, he decided. It just didn't do justice to her lovely face, or her eyes for that matter... But regardless of how beautiful she looked today, he couldn't deny the fact that she was right.
"I suppose it couldn't hurt for a little while," admitted Miroku. "It is her family, after all."
Sango gave him a smile, but Inuyasha was not as thrilled. "Have you all gone nuts?!" he roared. "We do notknow this girl, nordo we know what she's really like! I say we just-!"
"SIT BOY!"
Inuyasha cried out in surprise as he received a mouthful of dirt, courtesy of Kagome.
"Now then," Kagome ignored Inuyasha as she turned to the others. "Do we all agree that Kita should come with us?"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Good then." Kagome smiled. "I'll go tell Kita the news." Turning around, she walked over to where Kita was standing with Koga. Upon closer inspection, the young princess seemed to be explaining something to him while he stood and listened intently. When she saw Kagome approach, she turned around.
"Something the matter?" asked Kita.
"I was just talking with my friends a little while ago," Kagome said. "And we've decided that if you want to travel with us while you search for your brother, that would be fine."
"Wow," Kita's eyes widened slightly. "I- I don't know, are you sure you don't mind?"
"Not at all." replied Kagome with a smile. "We'd love to have you. Isn't that right, Inuyasha?" She turned to the half-demon, smiling self-righteously. He merely growled in response and ignored her.
"Well, in that case," said Kita. "I would love to travel with you and your friends. Thank you, Kagome." she gave a grin of her own. "Thank you very much."
Koga then chose this moment to speak up. "If you do not mind, Kagome," he said. "I wish to travel with you as well. I want to be able to protect you if you get in trouble." Going over to Kagome, he took both her hands in his. "I would die if something were ever to happen to you and I couldn't be there to stop it." Looking at Koga, Kita could clearly see the love he possessed for Kagome, shining in his eyes like diamonds.
Kagome blushed, suddenly shy. "S-sure Koga," she managed to sputter. "I-I don't mind if you tag along. I don't mind at all."
"Then it's settled." Koga smiled tenderly at her. "I will go." With that, he pulled back his hands, and Kagome couldn't help but feel a little blue as he did so. Why did she feel this way? Was she supposed to have feelings like this, especially for Koga? Kagome wasn't sure, but her train of thought soon ended when Miroku spoke up.
"Shall we be going, then?" he asked. "It's starting to get late, and we mustn't stay in one place for too long, should Naraku find us."
"Late?!" cried Kagome all of a sudden. "Oh my, I almost forgot! I still have some things to finish before Madison arrives!"
"Who is Madison?" questioned Kita. "Is she another friend of yours?"
Kagome nodded a quick yes as she spun around to face the others. "I'm sorry guys," she said. "But I have to go now. I'll be back in a few days, though, and when I arrive, I'm going to bring Madison."
"All right then." came Sango's response. "But how will she get through the-?"
Kagome never got the chance to answer her question, because by the time Sango had asked it, the miko had already bid them farewell and gone home at last.
Okay, I know Kagome left sort of unexpectedly there and left everyone hanging, and I'm sorry for that. '-.- But fear not, for the next chapter is when Madison will be here at last! (applause)
Farewell, adios, and ja ne my spectacular readers! Happy holidays to you all! :D
~BlueSilverPandas
