Arrows and Scars
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I know there's probably been some nail biting and praying for this specific chapter, so let's go and get on with the show.
Disclaimer: How many times can a person say they don't own Walking Dead or Inuyasha? (Apparently ten in this case...Along with however many chapters of this fic there are) Alrighty then, me no own nothing so please no sue.
Chapter Ten: Fear, Anger, and Revelation
Everyone in the Quarry group stood and looked at Hershel's barn cautiously.
They could hear familiar grunting and groaning coming from inside.
It was enough to make their hairs stand on end.
The barn was definitely full of Walkers.
Shane stepped forward to the barn to get a closer look. He nearly tripped on his own feet when a Walker got too close to the barn doors.
On instinct, Kagome grabbed her brother and pushed him behind her. She didn't miss it when Daryl took a step in front of her too.
"You cannot tell me you're alright with this," Shane turned and snapped at Rick.
"No I'm not," Rick assured him, "But we're guests here. This isn't our land."
Shane's patience was thinning, "Oh for God sakes, this is our lives!"
Glenn tried to shush the two yelling men, hearing the growling getting louder from inside the barn. "Lower your voice," he advised in a hushed tone.
"We can't just sweep this under the rug," Andrea stated to the group.
"It ain't right. Not remotely," Shane agreed, rubbing his face and buzzed cut head in frustration. "Okay, we've either got to go in there and make things right, or we just gotta go. We've been talking about Fort Benning for a long time."
"We can't go," Rick declared to his friend.
Kagome looked to Rick with sympathy. If Lori told him that she was pregnant, it's only naturally that he'd want someone around with some medical training.
"Why Rick?" Shane demanded to know, "Why?"
"Because my daughter is still out there," Carol voiced the answer.
Shane gave a long exasperated sigh, "Okay, I think it's time that we all start to just consider the other possibility."
Kagome instantly glared at the man for even suggesting that Sophia wasn't alive, "You can't be serious."
"We're not leaving Sophia behind," Rick stated to his friend.
Daryl looked at the former police officer furiously, "I'm close to finding this girl. I just found her damn doll two days ago."
"You found her doll, Daryl," Shane said, as if it wasn't that wasn't enough. "That's what you did. You found a doll."
The hunter glared at Shane furiously, "You don't know what the hell you're talkin' about."
"I'm just saying what needs to be said," Shane said with reasoning.
"And what do you think needs to be said?" Kagome asked, emphasizing the word 'you' to remind him that there are others that haven't given up on finding Sophia.
Shane glared at the priestess, "You get a good lead, it's in the first forty eight hours. After that, you're looking for a body."
"Fuck you," Souta muttered to the man in Japanese. Normally Kagome would have scolded her little brother for saying that, but by Kami, Shane was pushing her too much the wrong way to care about her brother's language.
"Shane stop," Rick pleaded to his friend.
"And let me tell you something else, man," Shane continued to snap at Daryl, completely ignoring Rick. "If she was alive out there and saw you coming all methed out with your buck knife and geek ears around your neck, she would run in the other direction."
Daryl wanted to punch all of Shane's teeth out for saying that to him.
Kagome watched as Shane and Daryl continued to shout at one another, while Rick, T-Dog, Glenn, Lori and Andrea tried to hold both of them back from physically hurting each other.
"Shane, back off!" Rick warned his friend when they finally got the men separated.
Daryl was pushed back by Andrea, until he was far away from the former deputy. Kagome went over to place a hand on his shoulder to halt him "He's not worth it," she prompted to him in a whisper. The hunter showed no sign of hearing her, but he did calm down a little.
"Just let me talk to Hershel," Rick told everyone, "Let me figure it out."
Shane looked at his friend in disbelief, "What are you gonna figure out?!"
"If we're gonna stay, if we're gonna clear this barn, I'm gonna have to talk Hershel into it," Rick explained, "This is his land."
Dale sighed, "Hershel sees those thing in there as people," he admitted, "Sick people. His wife and stepson are in there."
Everyone turned to Dale, surprised that he knew this information.
"You knew?" Rick asked him.
Dale nodded, "Yesterday. I talked to Hershel."
"And you waited the night?!" Shane argued.
"I thought we could survive one more night," Dale reasoned, "And we did. I was waiting till this morning to say something, but Glenn wanted to be the one to do it."
Kagome looked over to Glenn, finally understanding his odd behavior. She had been wondering why he'd been acting so strange over the past day and a half. She assumed that it was about Lori's pregnancy, 'Boy was I way off.'
"The man is crazy, Rick," Shane informed his friend, "If Hershel thinks these thing are alive or no!"
The sound of Shane's yelling made the doors of the barn start moving by the Walker's attempt to be free.
Everyone took a step back in fear.
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Rick had instructed the group to stay as far away from the barn as possible. Although the order was a bit unnecessary, since any sane person wouldn't step close to the place.
Now, Kagome was sitting with Souta next to their tent. She was helping him sharpen his knives while she made sure her arrows were still good and sturdy. It was one of the few things she could do with her current injury.
"Shane's wrong," Souta spoke up suddenly, making her sister pause in her task, "Sophia's still alive."
The priestess smiled at her brother, "I know she is," Kagome said in agreement, "And no matter what happens, you and I aren't leaving until we find her."
Souta looked to his sister in appreciation.
"Kagome," Carol ran up to the priestess in a panic.
"What's wrong?" the priestess stood up, not knowing what had Carol so worried.
"It's Daryl. He's trying to go look for Sophia again," Carol informed her.
The priestess's eyes widened in fear. Daryl was still seriously hurt, and if he went back out now, who knows what could happen. "That idiot," she muttered under her breath, "You stay near the house," Kagome ordered her brother, before she and Carol went to find Daryl.
The two women ran into the stables where they heard the hunter grunting as he tried to get the saddle ready.
"You can't," Carol said to Daryl.
"I'm fine," the hunter retorted, as he continued to get the horse ready.
Kagome shook her head, "Daryl, your wounds aren't serious, but if you push yourself like this, they will be."
"You need to heal," Carol urged him.
"I don't care," Daryl muttered in determination.
"Well I do," Carol announced to him.
Kagome rolled her eyes as Daryl grabbed the reigns for the horse, "Please Daryl, you can't do this. Not right now."
"Rick's going out later to follow the trail," Carol informed him.
Daryl fastened the reigns on the horse, "Yeah well, I ain't gonna sit around and do nothin'."
"No, you're gonna go out there and get yourself hurt even worse," Carol argued, "We...We don't know if we're gonna find her, Daryl."
Both Daryl and Kagome looked at the woman in shock.
"We don't...I don't," Carol continued to voice her doubts about finding her daughter.
Daryl slowly made his way over to Carol, "What?" he demanded her to repeat herself.
Carol glanced over to Kagome for guidance, but the priestess was too stunned. Carol shook her head before turning back at the hunter, "I can't lose you too," she admitted to Daryl.
Kagome could see the fury in the hunter's eyes before he turned around and pushed the saddle from the stand to the ground in anger. This caused him to strain the wound on his side, making him yell out in pain.
Carol and Kagome went to aid him, but he instantly brushed them aside. "Just leave me be," he snapped at both of them. "Stupid bitch," he muttered, making a beeline towards the pond near the stables.
Kagome looked to Carol apologetically before she followed Daryl.
The hunter made his way into the woods, in the direction of the pond that was a part of Hershel's farm. The priestess was amazed at his fast pace and she struggled to keep up with him.
"Daryl wait," Kagome urged as she followed behind him.
"How the fuck can she say that?!" he yelled furiously, as he began pace around once they'd reached the edge of the pond. "That's her daughter! How the fuck can she say shit like that?!"
"I don't know," Kagome answered just as upset. All this time they had been searching for Sophia, finding little thing day by day to keep Carol's hope alive.
Now it feels like their efforts were in vain.
"Sophia's not dead," Daryl stated as a fact.
"I know," Kagome replied to him, just as confident.
"Don't care what the fuck they say. We're goin' to find that little girl," Daryl promised in his anger.
Kagome put a hand on Daryl's chest to halt his pacing, "I know. And we will...But not at the expense of you." The hunter's huffing began to lessen as Kagome tried to calm him down. "I know you're not going to give up and neither am I...We'll find Sophia and bring her back to her mother. No matter what it takes," she swore to him.
Daryl stared at the young woman in front of him in a daze. Kagome had told him exactly what he needed to hear, and he could tell that she meant every word.
Before another word could be spoken between them, Daryl grabbed the back of Kagome's head and smashed his lips against hers in a firm and gentle kiss.
Kagome's eyes widened in surprise at the contact, 'Wh-what?' Once the priestess's baffled mind was able to process that Daryl was kissing her, she closed her eyes and returned the kiss.
'Oh shit,' the hunter began to mentally panic about his spontaneous action. However, Daryl quickly realized just how satisfying it was to finally kiss the woman who had been plaguing his mind since their time in the Quarry.
And what was even more amazing, was that Kagome was kissing him back.
Feeling brave, Daryl wrapped his free arm around her waist to pull her closer to him, and gently forced Kagome's mouth to open with his tongue so he could brush it against her own.
Kagome felt a pleasant shiver up her spine as the hunter pulled her closer, and placed her hands gently against Daryl's strong chest. The hunter may have looked and acted rugged, but his kiss was very tender.
They stayed in that position, enjoying their kiss, until they both needed to pull back for air.
"Wow," Kagome said in a whisper, unable to remember to speak English.
Daryl stared at her uncertainty, feeling a little embarrassed by what he'd done. "Is that good?" he asked, not knowing what she said.
Kagome merely nodded trying to settle her suddenly dry throat. She took a small step back from him, but didn't break their embrace.
Neither of them were able to look each other in the eye.
Neither of them knew what to say to the other.
Awkwardness surrounded them in their silence.
Now what do they do?
Kagome was the one to speak first, after she got her brain to function again. "You, umm, you should apologize to Carol...And I should go with Rick to help look for Sophia."
Daryl snapped out of his flustered trance, looked down at the priestess, and shook his head. "You can't use your bow with that wounded shoulder."
"Then I'll use a knife," Kagome weakly argued, finally able to look back at him. The awkwardness between them started fading gradually.
The hunter shook his head again, "If you go, I go," Daryl bargained with her.
Kagome scowled at him, with no real malice, "You don't fight fair, Tenshi."
"Never said I did, Baby Girl," Daryl retorted back. The priestess gave an innocent pout, as a hint of a scarlet appeared on her cheeks. The hunter smirked triumphantly, that he'd won the argument and managed to make Kagome blush.
Still too embarrassed to look him in the eyes, Kagome turned her gaze away again. That's when she spotted something on the other side of the pond's dock. "Daryl look," she pointed to what she'd found. The hunter followed her gaze and stared at her finding in wonder, "Are those what I think they are?"
Daryl nodded, "Yah...Cherokee Roses."
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When Kagome and Daryl returned, neither of them were brave enough to bring up the kiss, the hunter went to Carol to show her the bush of Cherokee Roses.
Kagome walked back to the house, where Patricia and Beth were entertaining Carl and Souta with a game of checkers, still in a daze.
She didn't know why Daryl had kissed her so suddenly.
But her heart was beating rapidly at the memory.
'Who would have thought that Daryl's kisses were...wow?' Kagome thought, unable come up with a better term, as she sat on the porch and watched the women and children play checkers. They could tell that Kagome was in her own little world so they left her alone to think. 'Does this mean Daryl likes me? Or was it just a spur of the moment thing?...No, Daryl wouldn't do that...Right?' she thought feeling confused.
A little while later, Glenn and Maggie arrived on the porch and on the steps, whispering to one another with big smirks on their faces.
"Hey guys," Kagome greeted them grateful for the distraction. Glenn sent her a warning gaze, begging her not to say anything about getting together with Maggie. Instead, Kagome chuckled at him, "What's with the hat?" she asked, since the hat clearly belonged to Dale.
Maggie snickered, "He looks like he should be in line for the early bird special."
Glenn took the hat off in embarrassment.
Maggie shook her head and took the hat from him, "Go get your cap and I'll wash it."
Glenn got up and started heading to his tent.
"Hey," T-Dog called out to Glenn and Kagome, as he walked up with Andrea. "Do y'all know what's going on?"
"Yeah, where is everybody?" Andrea gestured to their missing people.
Kagome looked at the blond woman confusingly, "I thought you and Rick were out looking for Sophia."
"He went off with Hershel," she replied, "We were supposed to leave an hour ago."
"Yeah you were. What the hell?" Daryl voiced as he walked up to them with Carol in tow.
Carol was just as surprised, "He told us y'all were going out."
Daryl cursed under his breath, "Damn it, isn't anybody taking this seriously? We got us a damn trail." He turned and saw Shane coming up to them, the bag of guns were in one of the officer's hands while he held a rifle in the other.
Kagome could see the determined look in Shane's eyes.
"Oh, here we go," Daryl said, "What's all this?"
Shane handed the rifle to Daryl, "You with me, man?"
Daryl nodded and accepted the rifle, "Yeah."
Souta looked to his sister with concern, but Kagome gestured for him to stay put.
"It's time to grow up," Shane announced before looking to Andrea, "You already got yours?"
Andrea nodded, "Yeah. Where's Dale?" she asked, noticing that he was nowhere to be found.
"He's on his way," Shane answered without really caring, as he handed a hand gun to T-Dog.
"I thought we couldn't carry," T-Dog stated.
Kagome shook her head while going down the porch steps, "We're not."
"We can if we have to," Shane replied glaring at her, "Look, it was one thing sitting around here picking daisies when we thought this place was safe. But now we know it ain't." He turned his gaze to Glenn, "How about you, man? You gonna protect yours?" he asked handing him a rifle.
Glenn hesitantly accepted the gun.
Shane looked to Kagome offering her a hand gun, "You with us?"
"I'm not with you," Kagome answered, folding her arms as she glared at him.
Shane shrugged off her comment. "How about you?" he asked Maggie, "Can you shoot?"
"Can you stop?" Maggie begged, "You do this, you hand out these guns, my dad will make you leave tonight."
Carl came down the stairs with Souta, Beth and Patricia right behind him. "We have to stay, Shane," the young Grimes stated.
"What is this?" Lori asked, as she came out of the house. She had no idea why Shane was handing out guns.
Shane looked at everyone in assurance, "We ain't going to leave, okay? Hershel...He's just gotta understand, okay? Well, he's gonna have to." He suddenly kneeled down to Carl and Souta, "Now we need to find Sophia. Am I right? Now I want you both to take these," Shane ordered them as he offered them guns. "You keep your mother safe. And Souta you protect your sister. We do whatever it takes."
Souta shook his head and backed away from the man, not taking the gun. He was beginning to see why his sister said that there was something dark in the former police officer. Souta could practically see it streaming off of Shane.
Lori stepped in front of Carl to protect him from Shane's influence. "Rick said no guns," she sneered at him, "This is not your call. This is not your decision to make."
"Oh shit," T-Dog suddenly said, drawing everyone's attention to where he was looking.
Kagome's eyes widened, "What is Rick doing!?"
Rick was helping Hershel and Jimmy drag two Walker towards the direction of the barn with snare poles.
Shane got up from the ground and dashed toward Rick and Hershel. Almost everyone followed behind him.
Lori grabbed Carl's hand as Kagome grabbed her brothers', before they looked at each other with concern. They knew that whatever was going to happen was not going to be good.
"Stay close," Kagome ordered Souta, who obediently nodded as they made their way down to the barn.
The four them made it down to the other just in time to see Rick trying to take control of the wild Walker on the snare pole he was holding. "Shane, just let us do this and then we can talk," Rick begged him.
"What?!" Shane yelled, "What'cha want to talk about, Rick?! These things aren't sick! They aren't people! They're dead! Ain't gonna feel nothin' for'em! Cause' all they do, they kill! These things right here! These are the things that killed Amy! They killed Otis! They're gonna kill all of us!"
"Shane, shut up!" Rick urged.
Shane's patience finally snapped. "Hey, Hershel man, let me ask you something. Could a living breathing person, could they walk away from this?" he asked while pulling out his hand gun and pointing it at the female Walker that Hershel was holding onto.
Kagome pushed her brother to the side, not wanting him in the line of fire. "Crazy bastard," she hissed at Shane in Japanese, as he shot the female Walker three times in the chest.
"WHY IS IT STILL COMING?" Shane yelled at Hershel, as he still held the moving Walker. Shane fired his gun again, "THAT'S IT'S HEART! IT'S LUNGS! WHY IS IT STILL COMING?"
"Shane, enough," Rick yelled.
"Yeah, you're right, man," Shane nodded in agreement as he aimed for the female Walker's head. "That is enough," he said before firing his gun, finally killing the Walker.
Hershel fell to his knees in despair, with reality slowly sinking in.
"Enough risking our lives for a little girl who's gone!" Shane told the others, "Enough living next to a barn full of things that are trying to kill us! Enough! Rick, it ain't like it was before!"
Rick looked to Shane sinisterly.
"Now if y'all want to live, if you want to survive, you got to fight for it!" Shane continued, "I'm talkin' right here, RIGHT NOW!" Shane suddenly turned and ran to the barn doors. He started to destroy the locks that kept the Walker's inside.
"Shane stop!" Kagome yelled at the same time Rick begged Hershel to take the snare poll away from him.
Shane's irrational actions, were going to get someone killed.
The priestess looked to Daryl, who gestured for her to stay back for what was most likely thing to come next.
As soon as the lock was broken, Walkers began to swarm out of the barn. All of them limping and growling towards the living beings in front of them.
Shane began firing at the Walker's heads, taking them down one by one.
The sound of gun fire began stinging Kagome's ears as she kept her brother close, not wanting Souta anywhere near a Walker or the line of fire.
Andrea, T-Dog, Daryl, and Glenn stood with Shane, as they shot the remaining Walkers around them, including the one Rick had been holding.
Everyone lowered their weapons since they thought that was the last of the Walkers.
Suddenly, the sound of a small growl started coming from the barn doors.
Slowly, Walker exited the barn.
A girl.
A small, blond haired, little girl.
'Oh my Kami,' Kagome whimpered as she got teary eyed at the sight of the Walker, 'She...She looks like Sophia's age.'
The obvious comparison of this child Walker and Sophia was too much for the group to bare. All they could do was stare and think of the little girl that was lost out there somewhere.
The sound of Carol whimpering suddenly filled the silence. This child Walker reminded her so much of her daughter that was still missing. Any hope Carol had left was almost completely gone.
Gradually Rick walked up to the child Walker and reluctantly shot it in the head, putting it out of its misery.
Carol's sobbing grew louder as the child Walker hit the ground. She dashed passed everyone, including Dale who had just arrived, making a beeline to the RV.
Kagome would have gone after her, but she saw Beth suddenly rush towards the pile of dead Walkers. "Wait!" she followed Beth, trying to stop her. Souta had followed right behind his sister.
The young blond moved a body off of single female Walker and started crying.
"Mom," Beth whimpered as she gazed at her mother's form.
Suddenly, Beth's Walker mother grabbed the young blond by the hair, trying to pull her towards her mouth. Beth screamed in terror as she tried to get away and not get bit.
Shane, Rick and Glenn quickly grabbed a hold of Beth and pulled her away from the Walker's grip.
Before any of the adults could attempt to put down the Walker with their guns, a flying knife struck Beth's Walker mother in the head, killing it.
Everyone's gaze turned to Souta, who had just thrown his knife at the undead creature.
Kagome stared at her brother in astonishment.
Souta had just killed his first Walker.
It made the priestess both proud and terrified for him at the same time.
Beth's crying became harsher as she pushed out of Rick's grip and ran into her father's arms.
Hershel held Beth comfortingly, as he glared over to Rick. "Get him off my land," he sneered at Rick, while pointing to Shane.
Shane snorted, "Let me tell you something," he began to say getting closer to the old man.
Maggie stepped in front of him, "Don't touch him!" she hissed before slapping the former police officer, "Haven't you done enough?"
"I mean it. Off my land," he warned Rick, while he led Beth and the rest of his own group up to the house.
Kagome watched them as they passed by her and her brother. Her gaze suddenly went over to Shane furiously, before she walked over to stand in front of him.
"What?" Shane snapped in irritation.
Kagome answered his question by punching Shane square in the jaw with enough force to make him fall to the ground. "Don't you ever pull that mess in front of my brother again!" she warned him. "Anyone in this group could have been killed because of your damn stunt, you stupid jackass!" Kagome spat before she went to the dead Walker, retrieved her brother's knife, and walked back to gently grab her brother's shoulder to lead them back to their tent.
Everyone stared at Kagome in amazement after what she'd done to Shane.
"Damn," T-Dog commented in bewilderment.
Daryl was also surprised, but he was also proud of Kagome for putting Shane in his place.
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"You okay?" Kagome asked her brother as they left the barn.
Souta nodded before he looked up to his sister, "That Walker could have hurt someone...I had to stop it."
Kagome nodded at his answer, "I'm glad you practiced knife throwing."
"Me too," Souta admitted. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about killing a Walker, but Souta didn't feel guilty. He was, however, more wary of the man who forced him to commit the act. "You were right about Shane."
"Just keep your distance from him," Kagome cautioned, before looking over at the RV. "I'm going to go check on Carol. You go hang out in the tent for a bit." Souta nodded before heading in the direction of their tent. "And Souta," she called out to her brother making him stop and turn around, "I'm proud of you." Her little brother smiled before going back to their tent, while Kagome quietly made her way over to the RV and went inside.
Carol was crying at the RV's eating table. The priestess sat down next to her and wrapped her in a comforting hug.
"That Walker looked the same age as my baby," Carol whimpered in Kagome's arms, "That could have been my Sophia."
"But it wasn't," she assured, "That wasn't Sophia in that barn. She's still alive."
"How do you know she is?" Carol asked while pushing herself out of Kagome's grasp. "How can you possibly know that? We've been looking for her for days. What if...What if she really is dead?"
Kagome shook her head, "No, you can't think like that."
"Why not? Everyone else does," Carol pointed out.
"No. Shane does," Kagome corrected as her fist clenched, "And since when the hell do we listen to what he says anymore." Carol stopped crying, surprised that the priestess was acting so hostile. Kagome had never said a hateful word towards anyone, besides Ed. So seeing her be angry at Shane was much unexpected. "Wherever she is, you will get your daughter back," Kagome promised.
Carol wiped a few tears away before giving a small nod.
A sudden knock on the RV door made them turn, "Everthin' alright?" Daryl asked as he walked inside. Carol nodded, wiping old tears from her checks. "You missed Kagome nearly knockin' Shane's teeth out," he informed the woman, staring at Kagome with a prideful smile.
Carol looked at the priestess in shock.
Kagome rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "I didn't mean to hit him that hard."
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After everyone settled down from the debacle at the barn, the group buried Hershel's wife and stepson, and gave them proper resting place. The rest of the day was filled with people gathering the rest of the dead Walkers so they could burn them.
By late afternoon, everyone was exhausted.
Which was why Kagome was surprised to see Daryl packing up his tent.
"What are you doing?" she asked him curiously.
For a split moment she feared that Daryl was leaving the group, 'He wouldn't do that...Would he?'
Daryl grunted as he fastened the tent, "Can't be around these people. This group is breakin'."
Kagome couldn't help but agree with him.
Little by little their group was diminishing.
Rick and Lori were constantly bickering.
Glenn was worrying over Maggie.
Andrea was following Shane around like an obedient dog, and failed to see his wicked ways.
Carol was barely hanging onto the hope on finding Sophia.
And it was hard to tell what was going on in Dale and T-Dog's minds.
At this rate, it wouldn't be long until their group was broken completely.
But one thing was certain.
After seeing that Walker girl come out of the barn, the rest of the group was starting to seriously doubt if Sophia really was alive.
"Where will you go?" Kagome asked the hunter hesitantly.
Daryl gestured down the felid, "There's an old chimney in the field. Gonna set up down there."
Kagome nodded, grateful that he wasn't abandoning them or going too far away. He just wanted some distance, which was understandable. "Okay. I'll, umm, help you pack up."
"No," Daryl stopped her by getting up and standing in front of her. "You are gonna get your shit and your brother's, and you're comin' with me."
Kagome looked at him with a raised brow. "We are?" she asked him, trying not to blush with how close he was to her as her mind flashed back to the kiss they shared.
Daryl nodded, "I don't want you anywhere near Shane. He's losin' it," he stated, "You know he killed Otis, right?"
Kagome didn't know why Daryl's question surprised her, but she still gasped. The darkness in Shane's soul had now made sense. The priestess sighed as she looked down at the ground, "That's what it was."
"What?" Daryl asked stepping closer, forcing Kagome to look back up at him.
"About Shane...There's darkness in his soul that grew after that night when Otis died...And it's growing more by the day," she admitted, "Killing Otis is slowly eating him away inside. Especially if it was in cold blood."
Daryl stared at her for a moment in amazement, not knowing that she could feel people's souls. "All the more reason you should come," he told her.
Kagome slowly nodded in agreement before she went to find Souta. The hunter watched her as she left, still astonished by her ability.
It made Daryl wonder what Kagome saw when she looked into his soul.
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It took about an hour for Daryl, Kagome, and Souta to make their new camp.
Souta wasn't all that upset about the move since Shane was starting to make him uneasy. Plus, Carl was getting on his nerves by saying how great Shane was for killing all the Walkers in the barn.
Daryl looked up from making new bolts for his crossbow to see the Higurashi siblings who were sitting across from him eating a rabbit he just caught.
"I miss mom's cooking," Souta admitted after eating a few bites of rabbit. The Higurashis began talking about their mother when they were out looking for Sophia. Some memories of her made them laugh and cry, but they wanted to keep talking about her.
Kagome nodded in agreement, "She did make awesome Oden."
Her brother rolled his eyes at his sister odd obsession of Oden, while Daryl raised a brow as he paused in his task, "What's Oden?"
"The best food on the planet," Kagome answered in a dreamy manner.
"Ramen's better," Souta muttered, teasing his sister.
Daryl watched as Kagome retaliated at Souta's comment by stealing her brother's plate of rabbit and refusing to return it until Souta took back what he said. Souta refused and tried to get the plate back from his sister, which she kept out of his reach. Their bickering reminded him about the times he fought with Merle, though most of them ended with fist fights in the end.
Kagome felt Daryl's gaze on her, making her glance over to smile at him.
The hunter gave a hint of a smirk before going back to his arrows.
As he worked, Daryl's thoughts suddenly wandered to the kiss that they both shared earlier today.
Daryl didn't know what possessed him to do it.
But he didn't regret it either.
When the hunter pressed his lips against hers, Daryl half expected Kagome to push him away or even slap him. A reaction that usually happened whenever Daryl showed interest in a woman in the past.
Never in his wildest dreams did he think that Kagome would kiss him back.
'But she did...The fuck do I do now?' Daryl wondered, not knowing how to proceed.
His thoughts were interrupted when reality entered their new camp.
"Y'all moving to the suburbs," Lori asked the three of them half joking. A part of her didn't understand why the three of them decided to move away from the camp. When none of them responded, Loir sighed, "Look, something is going on with Beth."
This caused Kagome to become serious and give the plate of rabbit back to Souta so she could stand up, "What do you mean?"
"She's in some kind of catatonic shock," Lori informed her, "Do you think you can help?"
Kagome pondered through what herbs she had, "I can probably make something to help calm her down, but I don't know if it'll bring her completely out of it."
Lori sighed in disappointment, "Then we need Hershel."
"So what?" Daryl asked her rudely.
"So I need you to run into town real quick and bring him and Rick back," Lori explained to the hunter.
Kagome shook her head confused, "Wait a second, Rick already left to go get Hershel?" Lori nodded yes. "Then why do you need Daryl to go? You know he's still hurt."
"Because we need them back," Lori said simply.
Kagome couldn't help but roll her eyes in irritation. The priestess really liked Lori but there were times, like right now, when the woman can be irrationally demanding.
Lori was surprised by Kagome's behavior. She had thought that the priestess would be on her side. "Daryl?" Lori begged the hunter.
Daryl snorted, "Your bitch went window shoppin'. You want him? Fetch him yourself."
Kagome didn't like Daryl's harsh words, but Lori was being completely ridiculous with her request. 'If it was someone else out there, would she be this desperate?'
Lori looked at the two of them desperately, "What's wrong with you two? You shouldn't be so selfish."
The priestess mouth literally dropped, "Selfish?" she repeated the word, "Are you serious?"
Daryl looked at the secretly pregnant woman just as appalled and stood up to scold her. "Listen to me Olive Oyl, Kagome and I've been out lookin' for a little girl every single day. We took bullets and I took an arrow in the process. And if we weren't hurt we'd still be lookin'. So don't be talkin' to us about gettin' our hands dirty. If you want those two idiots have a nice ride," he yelled before sitting back down to work on his arrows.
Kagome shook her head in frustration and went to grab her bag that had the medicinal herbs inside. "You want to go back to the house?" Kagome asked her brother. Souta looked at Lori with annoyance before shaking his head no. "Alright, just don't get on Daryl's nerves too much," Kagome warned teasingly, before she walked to the direction of the house with Lori reluctantly following her. She didn't see Souta stick his tongue at her when she left.
Daryl watched Kagome leave, secretly wishing that she'd stayed here with him. But he couldn't help but admire her loyalty to helping other's when she could.
Souta glanced over at the hunter noticing his actions. "Do you like my sister?" he innocently asked.
The hunter was a little taken aback by the question, "The hell you talkin' about?"
The young Higurashi shook his head at Daryl's cluelessness, "Never mind."
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"Why didn't you tell him to go?" Lori harshly asked Kagome when they were half way back to the house.
Kagome rolled her eyes in irritation, "Besides the fact that it's not my responsibility, Daryl isn't strong enough to go out yet. If he was, he'd be out there looking for Sophia. Your husband isn't the only one missing."
"I know that," Lori stated.
"Do you?" Kagome retorted bitterly, "You're acting like Daryl is your lap dog and don't care if he gets hurt or worse in the process."
"We need Hershel for Beth," Lori argued, "And I need my husband back."
Kagome stopped to turn and yell at Lori, "Your husband went after Hershel, not just for Beth, but for you! You're pregnant Lori! And Hershel is the only thing that can guarantee both of your safeties during the delivery!" Lori opened her mouth to argue but quickly closed her mouth again. Kagome sighed and ran her hands through her hair in frustration. "Look, you want your husband back, I get that. But Rick loves you and Carl, and would walk through hell to get back to the both of you. Just have faith in him," she said before turning around and going the rest of the way to the house.
If Kagome had stayed behind, she would have seen the determined look in Lori's eye.
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Less than an hour later, Maggie held on to her little sister's hand as Kagome applied a medicinal herb paste on Beth's chest. "Thank you," she told the priestess gratefully.
"I wish I could do more," Kagome said in regret before giving Maggie a look of sympathy, "I'm sorry about your mother and your brother." Maggie gave a small smile in appreciation. "Souta and I lost our mother to a Walker too," she admitted.
The farmer's daughter looked at the priestess sympathetically, "I didn't know that."
Kagome nodded, "I umm...I was the one who had to kill her when she changed. I'm relieved that your family was spared that burden." Maggie reached over and squeeze Kagome's clean hand in support. Kagome smiled at the action, before she wiped her hand of the paste with a wash cloth before placing a small bowl and cup on the table. "You'll need to rub some more paste on Beth's chest in the morning. And if she's able to, mix the other cup with some warm water for her to drink.
Maggie nodded in understanding, "I will."
Kagome got up and told the farm daughter good bye.
"Hey Kagome," Andrea greeted, when the priestess passed the dining room of the house. Dale and T-Dog smiled at her from their spots at the table.
"Is Souta with you?" Carl asked her, already missing the only real friend he has in this group.
Kagome shook her head, "He's in our tent," she replied, making Carl look down in disappointment.
"Are you going to stay and eat at least?" Dale asked her.
The priestess looked over at Shane, who was doing his best to ignore her, briefly before she turned back to Dale, "I ate already with Daryl and Souta, but I'll be back for breakfast in the morning."
Carol came into the room carrying a basket of cornbread, "Have you seen Lori?" she asked Kagome, "She's not in the house."
Everyone looked at one another, having no idea of where Mrs. Grimes had gone.
Kagome's eyes suddenly widened in fear, "Oh no," she said in alarm.
"What is it?" Shane asked her in a demanding voice.
"I think she went after Rick and Hershel," Kagome voiced in realization.
"Glenn's out there with them too," Maggie voiced after she came into the room.
Kagome rolled her eyes, 'Funny how Lori failed to mention that.'
Shane got up and glared at Kagome, "You knew she was gone and you didn't say anything?"
Kagome sent a sinister stare right back at him, "If I had known I would have, Shane. But if you care so much about your best friend's wife safety, then you should have offered to go instead of forcing Lori to ask Daryl."
It was very clear that Shane wanted to smack her in the face, but too many people were watching them. With that, Kagome walked out of the house to make her way back to her tent.
"Kagome wait," Carol called out as she came out of the house and went down the stairs to catch up with the priestess. Shane had also came out of the house but he passed the two women to jump in his car and left to find Lori. "Please don't go. You, Souta, and Daryl, you're pulling back from everyone. You can't do this...I already lost my girl," Carol pleaded to the priestess.
"SOPHIA'S NOT DEAD!" Kagome snapped at her.
Carol inhaled in shock by the priestess outburst.
But Kagome couldn't handle it anymore.
The constant doubt of an innocent little girl that became a part of the priestess life being gone...Gone like her mother, her friends...her first love.
"I'm-I'm sorry," Kagome quickly apologized. She suddenly started to whimper, and worried tears went down her face. "I've...I've just lost a lot of people I've loved over the years. If I start thinking that Sophia is gone too, then I...I."
Carol went to the young woman and hugged her in support, allowing Kagome to bury her head in her shoulder to cry. All this time Kagome had been keeping the worried mother's hopes up, but Carol didn't stop to think of how it was effecting the people who went to search for Sophia every day and came up with nothing. "Just let it out, sweetie," she told Kagome, "Let it out."
Kagome continued to sob into Carol's shoulder.
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"You know she's fine, right?" Souta told Daryl as they made their way back to the house. Kagome was taking too long to get back. "Kagome's probably just making sure that Beth is okay," he reasoned
Daryl didn't reply, wanting to see where Kagome was for himself. The closer they got to the house, he was able to spot the priestess on the porch with Carol at her side.
"Kagome?" Souta called out hesitantly, seeing some of the red in his sister's eyes from the dim light of the porch.
Kagome looked up and forced a smile at the both of them. "Hey," she said, her voice cracking slightly.
Daryl walked up to the porch with concern in his eyes. This was the second time he'd seen Kagome cry, and he didn't like it. If anything, Daryl would rather see her get angry then upset.
Anger was something the hunter knew how to handle.
"We're fine," Carol assured Daryl when she saw his concerning gaze, "But apparently Lori went off on her own to find Rick, Glenn and Hershel."
Daryl rolled his eyes, "Stupid bitch."
Souta looked from Daryl to Kagome, "How come Daryl's allowed to say that, but I'm not?"
Kagome gave a half smile, "Because Daryl has facial hair."
Even Daryl smirked when Souta pouted at that answer.
Suddenly, the sound of a car driving into the gates caught their attention. Carol went inside to tell the group that Shane was back.
Everyone, minus Beth, rushed out to greet them. Their eyes widened when Lori came out and had cuts and on her face.
"Oh my God, are you alright?" Andrea voiced her concerns.
Kagome went up to inspect Lori's face. It didn't look like any permanent damage was done, thankfully.
"I got in an accident," Lori admitted pushing the young priestess away, "I'm fine. Where's Rick?"
Kagome raised a brow while everyone looked at Lori just as muddled.
Seeing the confusion on their faces, Lori turned to Shane and glared at him with hatred. She only came back because Shane told her that Rick and the others had returned.
He lied to her.
"I had to get you back here," Shane stated without an ounce of regret.
"You asshole," Lori snarled at him.
"We'll look for them in the morning, I promise," he told her, "But we got to get you checked out first. We got to see if the baby's okay."
Everyone who didn't know the secret jaws dropped.
"You're having a baby?" Carl asked his mother, "Why didn't you tell me?"
Realizing that Lori had some explaining to do, Dale and Andrea led the pregnant woman into the house to get her scratches looked at. Carl followed behind them obediently, as did Shane.
"How did Lori get pregnant?" Souta asked his sister innocently.
Kagome gaped at him, not really prepared to answer the sudden question, "Well, uhh."
"She had sex," Daryl said bluntly, making the priestess smack him in the arm.
"Oh," Souta said in acceptance before he asked his next question, "What's sex?"
Kagome smacked her forehead with her hand, 'Oh great.'
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"...Then nine months later, a baby is born," Kagome finished the longest most awkward conversation she's ever had with her little brother early the next morning. The two of them were sitting in front of the tents, getting ready for the day. Daryl sitting next to them, staring at the siblings in amusement.
Souta was silent for a few moments, absorbing all of the information after his sister finished her take on the birds and the bees. "Okay," he finally replied, not really sure what else to say. "So...Can I go to the house for breakfast now?" he suddenly asked her, wanting to quickly get away from the awkward atmosphere.
"Yes, pleeeease go," Kagome told him in relief. The moment Souta got up and made his way to the house, she sent mental daggers in Daryl's direction. The hunter was doing his best trying to keep his laughter hidden. "You're going to get healed eventually. And when you do, I'm kicking your ass," she warned the hunter before she got up to walk to the house.
Daryl snickered as he grabbed his crossbow and followed her, "What? You did okay with 'The Talk'."
"Well your side commentary didn't help," Kagome snapped back at him.
Daryl kept a smirk on his face, enjoying the bickering between them. Daryl couldn't explain it, but even having Kagome be annoyed with him made his blood boil with need. If they weren't so close to the house, he would be kissing her senseless right now.
Neither of them had brought up their first kiss yet. Not knowing how to bring up the subject to each other.
But every now and then, the priestess and the hunter look at one another and just smile. It was a small comfort knowing that their unspoken kiss had not been unwelcome.
When the unofficial couple finally made it to the fence surrounding the house, they saw a familiar vehicle drive up to the farm.
"They're back," Kagome said relieved, sensing Rick, Glenn, and Hershel's souls inside the car.
Suddenly, the priestess paused mid step, feeling something else inside the approaching car.
Something familiar.
'It-it can't be,' Kagome thought in disbelief.
"What?" Daryl asked, noticing her behavior, before Kagome began to run towards the house. Daryl quickly following her, "Kagome?"
Hearing the car pull up, both groups made their way outside to greet the missing people.
"Dad," Carl cried for his father as he went up to hug him. Lori fast walked to her husband hand hugged him just as fiercely as her son.
Maggie immediately ran to Glenn, grateful that he was back.
"Patricia, prepare the shed for surgery," Hershel ordered the blond woman as he went inside the house to get supplies.
Everyone greeted their friends, happy they back safe and sound.
But they didn't come back alone.
"Who the hell is that?" T-Dog asked, seeing someone in the car with a blindfold on.
"That's Randall," Glenn answered awkwardly.
Shane glared at his best friend, "And whose the other guy?" he pointed to the other individual still in the car.
"He's a friend. He saved our ass last night," Rick assured before setting his eyes on Carol, "And we brought back someone else too."
The back door of the car suddenly opened.
And a familiar face that made the Quarry group gasp.
"Mama!" Sophia cried out as she spotted her mother. Carol fell to her knees from shock as her daughter ran to her. Sophia slammed into her mother's body as she cried out tears of joy.
Carol pulled back and looked at her daughter's face, as if to make sure this all wasn't a dream. Seeing her daughter's smiling face, brought tears to Carol's eyes. "Sophia," she cried, hugging her daughter tightly.
Everyone smiled joyfully at the sight of mother and daughter finally being reunited.
Souta smiled in relief 'She's back.'
"Where the hell did ya find her?" Daryl asked, wanting to know where she had been hiding.
"Mr. Akuma saved me," Sophia answered, pulling away from her mother.
"Mr. Akuma?" Carol repeated in surprise, "Your daddy's friend?"
The new arrival, Mr. Akuma, finally came out of the vehicle.
No one seemed to notice how Kagome's eyes remained on the new arrival, Sophia's savior, since the car pulled up to the house.
Only this person wasn't so new to her.
"You," Kagome managed to say while mildly hyperventilating.
Mr. Akuma stared back at her, "It's been a long time...Miko."
Daryl looked from Mr. Akuma, to Kagome who looked like she'd seen a ghost, "You know this guy?"
Kagome could barely manage a nod before saying the new comer's name.
The name of someone she never thought she'd see again.
"Sesshōmaru."
Be honest, how many of you saw that coming? I did my best to keep it a surprise, but I did give little hints throughout the last few chapters. Well Sophia's back and our favorite full blooded dog demon is now in the picture. So what do you think? Next time: Sesshōmaru's tale, Beth's turmoil, and other group struggles.
Till Then My Readers