10. Hidden Emotions

The feather landed softly on the ground and Yori stepped off. Kagura stood and looked at her. On the ride to the Bone Eater's well, she had told Kagura all that had happened to her during her training with Lady Kiesu. She told her about the wind, about how she would have to kill Kikyo, and how she'd come to the conclusion that she loved Sesshomaru. Kagura smiled.
"Well, here we are." she said. And Yori smiled and hugged Kagura tightly.
"Thank you so much for everything."
"Hey, don't worry about it. As far as I'm concerned, it was my pleasure." Yori laughed softly and let her friend go.
"So, what will you do now?" Kagura shrugged.
"You know me, I come and go. Guess I'll travel for a while. And you?"
"You know what I have to do." The wind picked up and Kagura nodded seriously. But then she hugged Yori again. Yori had come to know Kagura like an older sister, someone to look to for advice and help. And the feeling must've been mutual because Kagura had given Yori the whistle to keep, for anything she might need her.
"Kagura!" Yori heard someone yell and the two broke apart as an arrow zoomed towards them. Yori looked to her right and saw Kagome standing there with Inuyasha and the rest of the group.
"Let her go." the monk said. Kagura narrowed her eyes at them and then boarded another feather and rose into the air. She called over the edge.
"Good luck kid!" Yori smiled and waved at her.
"You too! I hope you find whatever you're looking for!" And she was gone. Yori turned her attention back to the group. They were looking at her, confused.
"Is there something we missed?" Sango asked. Yori did not feel like explaining anything to them but she sat down on the grass and nodded her head.
"You missed a lot." she sighed, she would have to tell them everything. "After I ran off, I came across a demon and saved a little girl from in. She was traveling in a small group and I decided to travel with them. We were looking for food a couple days later and I went into a village and met Kaede. She told me to visit the High Priestess in the Sacred Lands because I could fire a scared arrow like Kikyo and Kagome. That same night, I was kidnapped by Naraku and Kagura helped me escape. So in return, I freed her heart from him. When I left my group to visit the High Priestess, she took me there. I trained with her and I have an assignment to complete. You got it?" Yori spoke quickly, and was careful not to mention certain names. The group stared at her and blinked.
"What?" she asked. Kagome ran to her friend and embraced her.
"Do you know how long you were missing?" she asked looking her over. Yori blinked. She hadn't really though about how long she had been missing.
"No."
"You've been gone for a month! I thought you were dead and your parents are going crazy. You've been labeled missing in our world." she said with tears in her eyes. Yori had completely forgotten about the other world, her world. It brought a little pang to her heart when she though about it, but she knew she couldn't go home. At least, not yet.
"Well, you're safe and now you can return to your home." Miroku said, stepping forward. Yori smiled and shook her head slowly.
"No, I can't go back yet. It's like I said, I have an assignment to complete." Inuyasha stepped forward.
"Ya, and what might that be?" She turned to him, with sadness in her heart. She knew that Inuyasha had loved Kikyo, and she could tell he still did. Telling him that she was going to kill her seemed heartless and unnecessary. He would grow angry and try to kill her, though she could easily defeat him, she didn't want that to happen. So she tried to explain without telling the straight truth.
"When I went to the Sacred Lands and trained under the High Priestess, she explained to me that the sacred jewel shards were not themselves. She told me that I had to find the person that was causing them to repel each other and put a stop to it. You see, if this person remains alive, the Jewel can never again be whole." Yori looked up at the confused faces around her.
"So, you're a priestess now?" Sango asked. Yori nodded her head.
"And you have to kill someone in order to get the jewel back to it original form?" Miroku asked. Yori nodded her head.
"Who?" Kagome asked. Yori shook her head and stood up.
"I'd rather not say." They all stared at her. And then Inuyasha turned his attention on her.
"Well, you know where Naraku is, don't you?" he said seriously.
"I knew where he was. The castle probably has disappeared since I was captured." she said. Then Inuyasha turned his nose up.
"Figures. You're still not much help, are you?" Oh, back to square one. Yori decided to ignore Inuyasha but he kept on. He commented on how she let herself be captured, how she befriended Kagura, how she walked around with complete strangers, and how she trained and was nothing more then what she started as. That one did it.
"C'mon Inuyasha. You wanna fight again? This time, I'll kill you." Yori was completely serious. Inuyasha smirked and unsheathed his sword.
"You can try." he said. Yori took a fighting stance and everyone's expression changed to one of exasperation. Yori looked
at him closely, he would never change. His eyes were still the same mocking ones as they had been, mocking and overconfident. His body was still the same, no new wounds or anything. And his smirk was still the same, it still pissed Yori off. But she waited. This time, he would make the first move. And he was about to too, but was until a look crossed his face; one of surprise, distress, and immediate dislike. And Yori was smart enough to know that he'd just smelled something.
Before she could guess what, she noticed something approaching them from the woods. She looked closely, trying to figure out what it was, or who it was. Then she saw silver. It can't be. But it was. Emotions gripped Yori's heart and made it hard for her to stand. Fear, surprise, pain, happiness, loss, hatred, and love all mixed inside of her chest and she stood, frozen, tears beginning to fill her eyes.
Sesshomaru emerged from the shadows of the forest and stepped into the sunlight. Inuyasha turned his sword to him.
"Come back to try and take this?" he asked. Sesshomaru looked at him from the corner of his eye and then turned his attention on Yori.
"I have no interest in you half demon."
"Why you—" He was about to attack but Miroku held him back and Sesshomaru continued to Walk in Yori's direction. Kagome grabbed her arrows and aimed one at Sesshomaru. He continued to walk, ignoring her threat, his footsteps in sync with Yori's heartbeat. He came towards her and she found it increasingly hard to breathe. He stood in front of her and spoke one word.
"Yori." Her name left his lips, glistening with happiness covered in pain. He took her face in his hands and brought his lips to hers, a kiss filled with passion and sorrow. Yori's eyes were wide open, surprised at his actions and before she knew what she was doing, her hands were around his neck. They two parted and Sesshomaru kissed her forehead.
"I love you Yori." She really couldn't believe her ears.
"But you said—" He kissed her again, this time harder, more needy.
"I know what I said and I'm so sorry I said it. I didn't realize how much I needed you until you left." Yori looked up into Sesshomaru's eyes, searching for the truth. She searched and searched, and that was all she found. And it was time for her to say what she felt, time for her to tell him she loved him too.
"Lord Sesshomaru, I—"
"Yori," Yori pulled away from Sesshomaru and looked to her left. Kagome was lowering her bow and staring at her with wide eyes. "How could you?" Yori crinkled her eyebrows at her friend.
"What do you mean?" Yori looked around. Everyone was staring, all with different emotions plastered on their faces.
"Do you know who that is?" Kagome asked and she didn't even wait for a response. "That's Inuyasha's older half brother, Sesshomaru." Yori nodded her head.
"I know. What's your point Kagome?" Kagome looked hurt.
"Do you know how many times he's tried to kill Inuyasha? To kill all of us? He hates his brother, he hates humans? How can you—" Yori cut her off.
"How can I what Kagome? How can I love him?" Kagome nodded her head. "How can you love Inuyasha?" The question hit Kagome hard, so that she took a surprised step back.
"What?"
"You heard me Kagome, how can you love Inuyasha? He's rude and he only seems to care about defeated Naraku." Yori temper was flaring.
"It is not like that Yori. You don't even know—"
"Know what? I saw it in your face when you spoke about Kikyo a month ago! You love him, but he doesn't love you back! He's still stuck on Kikyo! So how dare you preach to me about Sesshomaru!" Yori was screaming and Kagome's expression quickly went from hurt, to anger.
"And how dare you preach to me about Inuyasha! You've only seen him for one day, I know who he is! You have no right to comment on anything!"
"And neither do you. I've traveled with Sesshomaru. He saved me and took care of me. When Kagura wounded me, he tended to them. He carried me when I couldn't walk. You don't get it Kagome, you can't say anything either. All of the times you encountered him were different. Kagome, you are not me." Yori spoke as if Kagome couldn't understand her. She tried as hard as she could to put real meaning into her words. But Kagome shook her head.
"No Yori, you don't understand. So what, you come her knowing nothing and in a months time, you go through some things, meet some people, do some training, and now you think you know everything? You have no place to say anything! You still don't know anything!" Kagome's face was covered in fury, as was Yori's.
"I know more than you think. I know everything about you, everything that even you don't know." Yori whispered looking down.
"What do you—"
"I know more about your sacred powers, about Kikyo, about the Shikon Jewel, and about your destiny than you do. I know what limits you will be pulled to, I know what tests you will have to take, and I know who you will become." Kagome looked surprised.
"This has nothing to do with me." she said.
"No, this had everything to do with you. You're the one who thinks they know everything here, who knows everyone. You're the one who judges before actually getting to know someone. I can draw a conclusion about Inuyasha because of how he acted towards me, but you cannot draw a conclusion about Sesshomaru because you have not seen enough of him. People change Kagome." Yori said lowly. Kagome grit her teeth together and raised her bow and arrow, aiming it at Yori. And Yori did the same.
"Since you think you're so superior, release your arrow." Kagome said. Yori narrowed her eyes.
"You first." Moments passed and all was still as the girls stared each other down. The only thing that moved was the wind, and it filled Yori's blood with power and it increased her rage. She gripped her arrow harder and held it steady, with all intentions of firing at her friend. But as always, someone decided to cut it.
"No, everyone stop. All of this is ridiculous!" Miroku said and Inuyasha rushed in front of Kagome and began to speak with her. Sesshomaru stepped in front of Yori and he put his hand on her wrist.
"No Yori, all of this is unnecessary." She looked into Sesshomaru's eyes, his softly pleading eyes. And she lowered her bow.
"You're right. I'm sorry." He shook his head.
"It is not I who the apology is owed to." He turned and Yori saw Kagome and her group with their back turned to them. They begun to walk in the other direction and Yori noticed that Inuyasha's arm was around Kagome's shoulder. And then her eyes widened. She grabbed Sesshomaru's hand as tears slid down her face. He turned to her.
"What are you feeling?"
"Fear." He brushed her tears away gently.
"Why?"
"I'm afraid she'll never forgive me." Sesshomaru embraced Yori and she rested her head on his shoulder.
"If she truly is your friend, then she will forgive you. But for now, we need to get back to Rin." He pulled away and wrapped his arm around her waist. Yori rested her head on his shoulder as they walked in the opposite direction, leaving the well and her friend behind her. No one was right; I shouldn't have said what I said. Now I've lost my best friend. Now, there's a possibility that I will never get her back.
The wind blew in the direction they were walking and she shivered as it touched her neck. She came and she went. Now she was truly moving with the wind, and she wasn't too sure she liked it.