Edited 11/12/2010
Chapter X: Junsei
Ashihi set up in the hut somewhere around two in the morning looking around frantically. The last thing she remembered was being hit in the back of the head by a man in purple robes. She brought a hand up to her head and tried to focus on the room around her. A small fire was in the middle of the room offering her enough light to see a woman sitting with her eyes closed not too far away.
She drew her eyes away from the sleeping woman and looked for possible escape routes. There were two doors; one lead into another room and the other, lead outside, it was her only option is she was going to get out of this place. Slowly she stood and looked towards the resting female, she didn't move.
Ashihi smirked and began to walk towards the door, silently, her back to the wall and her eyes trained on the woman. She licked her lips when the cool breeze from outside hit her skin, she was almost there. Taking her eyes off of the woman she reached to push the reed mate aside just as she felt something press into her back.
"Going somewhere?" Sango touched her sword to the demon's back.
Ashihi stood up straight and narrowed her gaze onto the side of the wall. "I was trying to."
Sango snorted and took hold of the young neko's arm pulling her away from the door.
Ashihi looked at the plain normal human and frowned. Her form was homely, like a mother, her hips wide from birth, her stomach still a little flabby, and the scent of kitten's milk was fresh. She looked at the woman's chocolate eyes and smiled as a memory of her mother surfaced inside her, she sighed.
Sango took her time redirecting the girl. She forced her to the ground, keeping her sword close. The cat made a face all the sudden and seemed to move her gaze over Sango's breast.
"You seem really—normal." She said. "Are you a fighter?"
"Yes." Sango said as she studied the girls cat like ears, they twitched reminding her of Inuyasha. "Hanyou?"
The Neko scoffed and turned her face to the side, thinking to herself that the human was somewhat right. She gulped as she thought of her linage and the ears on the top of her head—she hated them. "I have a name."
"Then what is your name?"
"My name is Ashihi." She said as she looked at Sango with defiant eyes, filled with hate and discrimination.
The look made Sango pause; she had seen Inuyasha give this very look to people on their travels. It was a look of judgment, but not bad judgment per say. Sango lowered her sword and looked at the girl with pity. This was a look of someone who expected to be treated badly because of their heritage. "Why did you attack, Inuyasha?"
"What's it to you." The cat sneered and looked away with a sound that almost seemed like a hiss.
"He is my brother." Sango said without hesitation as she looked at the young girl. She was not very old by demon standards, she could only be the equivalent to fourteen human years mentally.
"How is that possible? You're bloods don't smell the same." The cat looked at her with barely hidden curiosity. Even if this woman was Inuyasha's half-sister, they would still smell similar and yet, they didn't smell alike at all.
"Blood isn't important, it is the feeling in my heart that tells me he is my brother."
The young female nodded her head still rather confused and tilted it to the side, her ears perked on her head. "You claim a hanyou for a brother, why?"
Sango focused on the girl. She was young and nonthreatening. Her body was leaning forward as if she was truly curious. If she was a hanyou, then had no one ever loved her? Had no one ever shown her kindness as Miroku, Shippo, Kaede, Kagome, and herself all had shown Inuyasha? It was a thought that made Sango very sad. To have always been hated, to have never found love anywhere, that was truly a sad existence.
"Can I ask you a question?" Sango said after a few minutes of silence.
"I am your prisoner. You could kill me if you wanted."
"Maybe in my younger days I would have but now, I wouldn't dare." Sango knew that she should not have divulged that information but it seemed only fitting. All of her instincts were telling her that this girl would not do them any harm.
"You've became an Okaa-san. That changes you." She pointed at Sango's chest.
Sango stared at the girl and unconsciously covered her breast. "How do you know that?"
"You smell of kittens milk."
"Kittens, milk?"
The young girl smiled at Sango and giggled. "My Okaa-san said the human term is baby."
Sango smiled at the girl, she didn't seem dangerous anymore. She was so young, thought Sango, too young to look so angry. The thought brought her back to Inuyasha—the Inuyasha she had first met. He too had been young and angry. He was the equivalent of sixteen or seventeen back then, and he was hurting deeply. Would this girl age the same and hurt the same? Would she find someone to love her or would she not be as lucky as Inuyasha? "You're not a bad person, are you?"
The girl seemed to stiffen as she looked at Sango. Her eyes were half closed as if remembering something that haunted her. "I never wanted this."
"Why are you doing it then?"
A grim expression came over her face and she looked away from the flames, from Sango, from anything but her feet. The darkness in her eyes was horrible. It was if she was seeing something too horrible to imagine. "I have no choice."
Sango nodded at the girl to continue.
"The type of hanyou I am, is rare, about as rare as they come. My Otou-san was a human man who spent his whole life working in a field with my Ojiisan. He had no hopes of ever becoming honorable, but he was happy, unlike Ojiisan. One day a woman came to my Otou-san. He thought she was a human until he heard her name, Hanhan."
Sango furrowed her eyebrows. "Half and Half?"
The young girl nodded. "She was my Okaa-san, named for half her human blood and half her demon blood."
"A hanyou?"
"Yes, my Otou-san first met her when she was experiencing her human time. Eventually she let her secret be known to him. Her mixed blood."
"He accepted her?" Sango inquired, truly interested.
"Yes, Otou-san accepted Okaa-san without question. He loved every part of her." Ashihi looked at Sango with young naïve eyes. "Otou-san thought she was a gift from God."
Sango looked at the young girl. She looked to be a hanyou just like Inuyasha but, that couldn't be it, could it? If her mother was a hanyou and her father a human than what was she?
"I am a yottsu." Ashihi answered her unspoken question. "One fourth demon, a combination that is very rare. In fact, as far as my knowledge goes, I think I am the only one to make it to adulthood."
"I see, so your bore you?"
"Yes, Ojiisan did not approve. They had to run away from him in order to marry. They settled in another village. They knew they would not be safe no matter where they went but they chose to anyway. It took Ojiisan six years to find us, my Otou-san protected us to the very end, making sure Ojiisan had no idea of my existence. After he killed my parents, he burned the house with me inside."
The girls eyes clouded over and she looked almost stricken with grief. Sango felt her sadness acutely as images of her own family floated thru her head. She closed her eyes as the image of her long dead mother crossed her face, followed by her father, and her brother. She allowed a tear to travel down her cheek before she opened her eyes to see the young Yottsu still staring at her feet.
"A woman saved me. She took care of me, along with her two daughters until I was ten years old. I've survived for nearly sixty-five years because of those women and I'm thankful every day for it." She smiled at the thought. "I am forever grateful to Kouen-sama and her daughters Kaede and Kikyo."
-break-
Inuyasha laid on his futon fast asleep, his ears twitching with the night's sounds. He yawned a little and opened his eyes before stretching and sitting up. With a shake of the head he looked towards Miroku. The monk was asleep as well as his two children. Inuyasha smiled at all three of them briefly. He would protect them from anything, real or imaginary. It was the least he could do for everything they had done for him.
The sound of people talking brought him out of his musing. He could have sworn he had just heard Kikyo's name as well as Kaede's coming from the woman he had chased here.
Inuyasha looked towards the door hastily. He stood quickly and made his way into the next room his feet banging heavily, making the house abruptly awaken.
The babies cried as a rather loud crash and curse echoed through the hut as Inuyasha banged his head on a low hanging pot. Ashihi felt fear grip her heart as she stared at the dominating man. She bowed her head, keeping it bent until he spoke.
"How do you know Kikyo and Kaede?" His body grew straighter and narrower as his eyebrows drew tight together. He growled at her for an answer.
"Their Okaa-san saved me over sixty years ago." The girl said her head still bowed and her voice shaking violently. "They were really little no more than eleven and four."
Miroku walked into the room holding his to little children and his eyes still sleepy. "What's going on?" He said as he patted little Mika's bottom. The little girl reached for Inuyasha, all the while saying Ojisan over and over again. Shokuro mumbled out Otou-san, which was his own first word and held onto Miroku.
"Miroku go get Kaede." The hanyou said as he stared at the woman whose head was still turned towards the floorboards. Sango began to stock the fire again so the hut would be fit for interrogation. Miroku handed the twins to Inuyasha who cuddled them and kissed their foreheads so they would calm down. He left the hut, walking the short distance to Kaede's.
Ashihi meanwhile set in her place across from Sango, following into the natural silence that had filled the hut. She wasn't sure what was going on and why the man was so intent on her knowledge of her caretakers.
Miroku returned to the hut with the older woman in tow. She had been asleep when the woman had first come and did not know about Ashihi. They all kept a close eye on Kaede's features trying to determine if the old woman did in fact know Ashihi or not.
A gasp filled Kaede's old lungs as she hurried towards the young girl.
"Junsei-chan?" She cried out, the name surprising everyone in the hut, including Ashihi.
"Kaede-chan?" she whispered her eyes filling with tears. She jumped into the old arms and listened to the beating of the old heart with eagerness. Kaede meekly smiled and held the girl to her.
"You are still very much a child Junsei-chan."
The girl nodded and backed away from her still sniffling. "My name," she said in a hush voice. "I had forgotten my real name. You really are Kaede-chan!"
Everyone remained quiet throughout the reunion but a thought was racing through all of their minds. What was her name, why had Kaede called her Junsei?
Inuyasha walked over to the two, interrupting their moment as he grabbed the girl and looked her square in the eye. "Who are you? What is your name?"
"My real name," She said with a stutter, "is Junsei. It is the name my parents gave me."
"Then why did you say your name was Ashihi?" Sango asked from her spot on the other side of the fire.
"Because it is the name my master gave me." She replied. Her eyes grew a little stronger as Inuyasha lowered her back to the ground. With a motion from Miroku he went back over by Sango who was tending the children now.
"Did he order you to come here?" Sango asked. The girl nodded and glared into the wood of the floor boards.
"He is no man, he is a vile demon." She clutched her kimono tightly as she said the words, her eyes glaring into the fire.
The sound of water hitting the roof of the hut interrupted their conversation. "Rain?" Sango said while turning her eyes to the door of the hut.
"Kagome's crying." Inuyasha said in a small voice as he sniffed the air delicately. Junsei looked at him and sighed.
"Kagome, I've heard master mention that name."
Inuyasha's eyes widened as he rushed towards the girl again. "What does he say about her?"
"He says he wants revenge." She barely got out as she looked at him with doe shocked eyes.
"What," He growled as he picked the girl off of the ground again. She looked petrified as she grasped at the older man's hands, "What is your master's name?"
Before they could hear her answer the earth around the hut began to violently shake.
-break-
Kagome kept her eyes on the crumbled piece of paper in her hands. It was stained with tears and torn around the edges but for the most part was still unharmed. It was the drawing Shippo had done of her and Inuyasha, other than Inuyasha's poetry it was one of her prized possessions.
"Inuyasha," Kagome's dream played in her mind. She could see Inuyasha's happy look and she wanted to see it again, just not in a dream. Power began to grow around Kagome unbeknown to her.
She was sick of the shit of the past year. She wanted to know what was happening to her mind. She knew this was not natural, this was not a part of her, there was something causing her to feel this way.
She held the picture to her chest and cried as hard as her body could let her. Her mind began to ache and she seriously, for the first time in her life, contemplated suicide.
Kagome grabbed a pen from her inner kimono. She always kept one on her now-a-days. She laid the picture flat on the ground looking at it with tear stained eyes. Carefully she forced herself to write on it, forced herself to put every feeling she had ever had for Inuyasha down on the paper.
As Kagome finished she let the pen fall from her hand. Her eyes stared at the piece of paper and she felt a part of her heart slowly crack from pain. Carefully, she brought her hand up to her face and touched the moisture on her cheeks. If only she could die, then maybe this feeling would be gone, maybe these tears would be gone. Kagome placed her hand on her heart and sighed deeply as she closed her eyes, trying to stop the tears. All she wanted was for the tears to stop, for the pain in her heart to stop.
The power that was overcoming Kagome began to tickle her as it pushed out of her body through any pore it could find. It seemed to creep like a vine from her skin, lashing out like a whip as it became stronger and stronger. Kagome watched as the slight pink aura began to encompass her. It felt like someone was hugging her, like someone loved her. It was so warm. Kagome closed her eyes, allowing the aura to slowly build within her.
It made her feel happy in a way she hadn't felt in a long time. It was comforting, and reminded her of her mother hugging her when she was upset. She smiled, her eyes still shut as she imagined Mama's face. She could have sworn her mother was hugging her like she had all those years ago. Back when she had first realized she loved Inuyasha. ]
"Mama." Kagome whispered as the power around her began to swirl changing colors as it covered her in a sea of warmth. Gradually she felt the power shift. It grew warmer and headier, making her feel so relaxed that she thought she might fall asleep.
Carefully, Kagome opened her eyes and looked at the room around her in shock. Everything was pink, bright pink. The whole of the room was covered in her light, the light of purity, the light of the miko.
"My aura." She whispered as she watched the pink swirl around her, becoming darker and darker, until it was very much red. Kagome gulped at the sight of the red energy. In all of her years of training her energy had never been red—it had always remained pink. So, what did the change mean?
She watched as the energy started to spark. With each small electric current she saw something inside the red—something—black?
Kagome knitted her eyebrows and stared intently at the sparking energy. Inside of it she could plainly see black treads—strings. Timidly, Kagome reached out and touched one of the strings. Upon contact it hissed and she drew her hand back quickly. She looked down at her palm and saw the small line of blood begin to ooze. It reminded her of Yura of the Hair.
She looked up at the string in confusion. Why had it been so hard to see these strings? Yura's had been easy to see, even back when she had limited power. Kagome shook her head—that was the least of her worries. As she studied the strings she realized right away that they all had the same destination. They were connected to her.
"Why, are they connected to me?" She followed the path of the strings away from her body and saw that they lead outside of the hut. "They're connected to something outside."
Slowly Kagome stood up and watched as the mass of strings moved with her. They were all bundled together—a giant strand that ran inside of her. She glanced at the window, they went out of the window. She glanced at the door, they went out the door. Curisous, she walked to the door and looked outside, there was no end to the strings path. It would be impossible for her to follow every string to its epicenter.
"Shit." She said as she slumped in the doorway. "What can I do?" She whispered as she watched the strings. Experience told Kagome that strings were a bad thing and needed to be dealt with quickly. She cringed at the thought of Yura and her strings, but these strings—she couldn't even begin to determine where they were coming from. There were literally millions of them, perhaps billions, and they all went in different directions. At least with Yura they had bundled together enough that she could follow them but these—there was no way—they all went to a different place.
Suddenly a thought dawned on Kagome. If she couldn't follow the string then perhaps she could follower their connection in her body?
Kagome returned to the inside of the hut and set down next to the fire. She put her hand over her heart and closed her eyes tightly. With a deep breath she opened her third eye, just as Kaede had taught her. It was the same eye she used to see the Shikon shards so long ago.
She concentrated hard, forcing herself to extend her miko energy until she could see herself standing in her own mind. In other words, she was inside her own head.
Inside her mind she found herself surrounded by doors, all of them either closed completely, opened completely, or cracked to different degrees.
"Strange." She said as she looked at the different doors. "What's behind these doors?"
She walked over to one of the doors, which was wide open; she saw Miroku, Sango, Kaede, Houjo, Eri, Ayame, and Yuka within the door. As she looked at them her love for the seven people filled her heart.
"Is this the room, I house my love for them in? My love for my friends?" She glanced over at the door directly next to it and saw the outline of Shippo as he colored. A wave of motherly affection came over her, this was the room that housed her love of her child.
She smiled as the feeling of love filled her heart and as she moved away from those doors she felt the feeling fade. It took all of her power not to stand next to them forever.
Kagome steeled herself, knowing that if she was not careful she would become trapped in her own mind. Remembering her task she looked around her, using her third eye to locate the strings. Sure enough she saw the strings leading away from the other two doors. With one last look back she moved away from them, following the strings.
It felt like hours went by as she followed the strands past thousands of open and closed doors. Some had pictures of her family, some had pictures of other friends from this time, others had pictures of pets she had lost, and some had pictures of people she had lost. It did not take her long to realize that every door within this place housed her feelings towards everyone and everything she had ever met.
Finally she reached the end of the string's trail. It was connected to two doors that were side by side. One door was being held open by the string and the other was being held tightly closed. Kagome looked at the wide opened door. She couldn't see inside of it, it was pitch black inside. A wave of fear came through her body as she looked inside the door—the black was unnatural, it was downright scary. This door scared her.
Kagome took a deep breath and focused inside the inner depths of the door. Why was this particular door so scary? None of the other doors had scared her this bad; even the ones that housed her greatest fears. Kagome felt a knot tighten in her stomach—it was uncomfortable—it was dark—it was forbidding.
Whatever was inside this door was the worst thing she had ever experienced in her life, it was the worst feeling she had ever known. Kagome closed her eyes at the very thought. She had already passed the doors with Kikyo, the doors with Naraku, the doors with her deceased father—she had passed all the doors that caused her deep and physically altering pain but—what then was behind this door? Kagome could only think of one thing.
She opened her eyes and took a step forward. Something told her that she needed to go inside this room, that there was something inside it, she needed to face. Kagome knew what she needed to face but—she really didn't want to.
With a gulp Kagome moved towards the door, her feet were slow as she entered the room. It was dark, darker than it had appeared outside. "Hello?" She called but nothing answered her except a faint growl in the darkness.
A shiver ran up her spin and she bit her lip as two red eyes seemed to appear out of nowhere some distance away. She wanted to run but she firmly planted her feet on the ground. "Who's there?" She whispered as a feeling gnawed at the back of her mind.
All of the sudden the scene changed drastically. Everything became blindingly bright. She had to cover her own eyes to stand up to the brightness. When she finally gained the ability to see, she found herself standing in a clearing. The trees around her were dead and the grass was brown and crunchy under her feet.
"I see you have come."
She turned and looked for the source of the voice but found nothing except Inuyasha. The hanyou was standing some twenty feet away from her but she could tell he was transformed. He was snarling and growling, he was angry—he was frightening.
Kagome took a step backwards. Her heart was racing in her chest; she was very much afraid for her life. She could feel the string of claws, the hot blood on her flesh, and she could see him causing it—she could see him killing her.
"Are you afraid, Miko?"
Kagome stopped. Her heart was pounding in her chest now. She could feel it hitting her rib cage, harder and harder with each breath she took. She was practically panting from fear alone. She closed her eyes, willing herself to be strong but she couldn't, the fear was overwhelming. She wrapped her arms around herself and tucked her chin to her chest. The knowledge that he might kill her ran through her mind. The thought that he could take those claws and destroy her life in a second, devoured her sanity.
Kagome opened her eyes and saw a flash of her memories in front of her. She could see the lake, the tree, the grave, she could see Inuyasha, the arch of his claws as they tore into her. She felt the pain that had ripped through her body before she died. She shuttered at the knowledge: Inuyasha was capable of doing that.
"I asked, are you afraid of him?" The voice questioned as everything went pitch black around her. "Does he bring you fear?"
Kagome watched as the hanyou, now turned full demon, came towards her. He was moving slowly, a smirk on his face; his claws were covered in blood—somehow she knew it was her own. She felt her heart stop; the look on his face was the same as it had been on that day so long ago. There was no recognition, he didn't know her, the only thing he knew was that he wanted to kill her.
"Are you afraid?" The voice yelled and Kagome winced as tears fell down her cheeks.
"I am afraid." She finally answered the voice. Her own voice was shaky as she took a step backwards.
The demon snickered but Kagome ignored him.
This scary Inuyasha was now only a few feet away from her. His blood red eyes were unfeeling as he looked at her, his elongated fangs dripping with blood. She watched that blood drip, was it her blood? Had he torn her apart with both claws and fangs? She closed her eyes and shook her head—no.
This was wrong, this was not the Inuyasha she knew, this was not the man she had come to love and yet—it was.
Kagome opened her eyes and looked directly into the demon's red and blue irises. She focused, putting all of her energy into those eyes and as she did the demon Inuyasha seemed to grow confused. He snarled at her, anger seeping out of him but behind that anger Kagome felt something else—she felt humanity.
She blinked back tears at this realization, it was something she had always known and yet for the past year had been unable to comprehend. It was like a part of her (the part that understood Inuyasha as a demon and a human) had disappeared or been sealed away. But as she stood here now, as she looked into the face of the man who had killed her, she knew the truth. Her fear of Inuyasha was unfounded. Demon, human, hanyou, Inuyasha was Inuyasha. Kagome had always known that, so why had she not been aware now?
The image of Inuyasha killing her flashed across her mind again but this time one thing was different. When she saw the eyes—the blue and red eyes—she saw the fight between demon and human. She saw Inuyasha struggling, she saw him trying to gain control, she saw the look on his face when he realized he couldn't stop himself. She saw him afterwards, she saw him broken, she saw him crying, and she saw him torn to shreds over what he had done.
Kagome smiled at the thought—it was bittersweet. She shook her head as the demon growled and snarled in front of her confused and frustrated. This was a part of Inuyasha she had to accept—she concluded. If she couldn't accept the demon then how could she accept the hanyou? They were one and the same. Kagome looked at the demon Inuyasha and frowned, Inuyasha's father had been wrong. That was why she was here now, facing this door, facing this fear. If she could not accept the demon Inuyasha, then she would never accept Inuyasha as a man.
"Inuyasha," She said as she reached for him. He drew back as if afraid of her touch and jumped away from her. "I'm sorry."
The demon Inuyasha growled louder, it was a warning, a warning she would not heed.
"I'm sorry," She repeated softly, "I'm sorry, I let you down. But I love you, I love all of you." She moved closer to the demon. "Your father was wrong, I can't deny this part of you. I can't pretend it doesn't exist. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize that. To deny any part of you, Inuyasha, is to deny you."
She moved to where she was only a few feet away from the hanyou all of the love she had for him showing in her eyes.
"You are a hanyou. You are half demon and half human. Without either half you cannot be a hanyou. It is who you are."
The demon looked at her with wide eyes as she closed all distance between them and kissed his lips. It was a sweet kiss, a kiss that reminded her vaguely of the first kiss she had ever given him—the kiss in the mirror. She felt the demon relax against her with little fight—it whimpered against her mouth and growled but these growls were different. They made her feel calm, accepted, loved. He backed away and she opened her eyes to look at him. The red and blue irises were closed leaving his face calm and content. When his eyes opened they were still red and blue but held the same calm. He growled lightly and Kagome smiled as he bent down and kissed her again. She wrapped her arms around his neck, his arms going around her waist as their lips explored each other. It was beautiful.
The sound of something snapping drew Kagome back to herself. She opened her eyes and gasped in shock as she found herself back in the hallway filled with doors.
She touched her lips as she looked at the now closed door before her. All the fear she had felt in her body was gone. Oddly, she wished she could go back in and kiss the man behind the door again. Kagome smiled at the thought—perhaps—she would have to deal with the real thing instead. A blush came across her cheeks as she thought of doing more than simply kissing Inuyasha.
Her thoughts left her when she heard the rattle of a door knob. Kagome looked towards the next door in the line, it was sealed shut, the knob shaking violently, as if something wanted desperately to be let out.
The same string that had been holding the door with her fear opened was keeping this door closed. Kagome reached forward, touching the surface of the door—the very touch filled her with love. So much love that she was reduced to tears at the sensation of it. She fell to her knees, her hand clutching her heart—the love behind this door was strong—stronger than anything she had ever felt.
Kagome furrowed her eyebrows—no—that was wrong. She looked at the door—she had felt love this strong before, but she had not felt it for a year. Was this the other source of her problem? She looked at the door that was now closed. It had been the first obstacle. She had to overcome her fear of Inuyash—her controlled fear. She looked back at the door that's door knob shook. This was the next obstacle.
Kagome stood with conviction. She had to open this door.
She touched its surface, pushing her hands against the string that sealed it shut. They burned her fingers but she simply gritted her teeth and pushed through. She closed her eyes summoning the power she had built up earlier. Starting in her stomach she drew the power, directing it through her body as Kaede had taught her. Carefully she put as much of it behind her hand as she could, building it up to greater and greater magnitudes. She knew it would take everything she had, all the Miko energy in her body to destroy the strings, permanently, on this door.
Her eyes snapped open when she felt the right amount of energy coursing through her fingertips.
"I love Inuyasha," She said as she looked at the door with determined eyes. "You cannot stop those feelings."
With one great burst of purifying energy the strings erupted into flames falling in chunks off of the door. She brought her hand down and watched as they burned on the ground, becoming ashes, becoming dust, becoming nonexistent. She smiled at them before looking at the door—the doorknob slowly turned—the door opened. She smiled brightly as she rushed forward.
Waiting for her was the hanyou Inuyasha.
-break-
They found Kagome inside of Kaede's hut, her body slumped to the ground and an unbelievable amount of power running off of her in waves.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled when he reached her. Her spiritual powers electrified in the air, he couldn't get near her. He cussed as the purifying energy started to transform him into a human. "Damn it." He mutter when a few black hairs entered his vision. He started to back away when something caught his eye, a drawing, the words on it were what struck him though. Quickly, with little thought he picked it up and stuffed it into his haori before turning towards the others. "Kaede, I can't get near Kagome."
The old woman looked at Kagome with uncertainty. "Her spiritual power is intense. I cannot even be near her."
"Inuyasha." Miroku's voice was added to the fray. "You should not get close, her power is purifying you."
"Like I give a shit!" He yelled as he tried to reach Kagome again, his fear for her wellbeing outweighing his own fears of purification. Miroku grabbed the hanyou before he could do anything too drastic, however. "Let me go Miroku!"
"No, she's dangerous."
"Who cares, at worse I'll just be human for a few days."
"No," Kaede said as she put a hand on Inuyasha's arm. "At the moment, I would not be surprised if her power destroyed your demon blood."
Miroku and Inuyasha looked at Kaede in shock. The old woman was dead serious as she looked at Kagome intently. Inuyasha turned and looked at her too, his eyes amazed at the color radiating from her body—it was red.
Miroku held Inuyasha tightly, his staff around the demon's wait as he also watched Kagome. "She's right, I can already feel your demon energy leaving your body."
"I don't care." Inuyasha said as he desperately looked at her. He wouldn't mind being a human forever if he could help Kagome now.
"Well I do!" Miroku yelled back as he dragged the demon from the hut. Inuyasha struggled against him but with his demon energy leaving his body, it was easy for Miroku to control him. The monk threw him towards Sango, who grabbed onto him. The demon exterminator knew Inuyasha would not fight her for fear of hurting her.
"What's happening?" Shippo's sleepy voice entered the mix. The monk grabbed the kitsune throwing him towards Sango. Inuyash caught the kit instead, knowing Sango's hands were full. The full demon stared wide eyed as Miroku slapped seals on the door, which would prevent any demon from entering the hut.
"What's happening." Inuyasha said fear in his own voice as he repeated Shippo's sleepy words.
Inside the hut Kaede and Miroku stood just in view of the others outside. Both of them, although purely human, were being burned from the power. Carefully, Miroku pulled Kaede from the hut, shielding her older body from the intense magic. The two stood for several minutes, not answering Inuyasha's question but instead looking inside the hut with similar strange expressions.
"Is Kagome okay?" Shippo asked in a worried voice. Kaede looked back at him—her own expression confused.
"I'm not sure." She replied as she looked back towards Kagome, her one good eye drawn in confusion and worry. "What she has done is so strange."
"And what is that?" Inuyasha said as Sango continued to hold onto him, more for comfort now than anything.
"She has used her own powers to get into her mind." Miroku supplied in the old Miko's place. His own expression was one of worry and frayed calm.
"What does that mean?" Sango whispered as she held onto the Inu tightly, her arms wrapped around his middle in a restraining hug. Shippo climbed onto Inuyasha's shoulder, straining to see inside the hut where Kagome's power still flared. As he did, Inuyasha brought an arm around Sango's shoulder, hugging her too him slightly. The exterminator smiled at the simply gesture that was meant to put her at ease.
"It is possible for a Miko to use their power to go inside their own head." Kaede said in a small voice as she turned towards the hut in contemplation. "It is used to protect their purity in times of need. Why Kagome would do this, I have no idea." Kaede began to creep closer to the hut, closer to the Miko. "I didn't think she was even capable of such an act."
"Will she be okay?" Inuyasha asked as Sango let go of him completely. The hanyou had ceased his struggle. Now that he knew what was going on, he had calmed somewhat, although his body posture was still agitated.
Junsei, who had been standing off to the side looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He really cared for the human inside the hut—so much that it was endearing and yet—thoughts of her master plagued her brain. She gulped and looked down at the ground. Somehow, she knew what was happening to the young Miko. She could see it around her—the strings, they were gone, she had destroyed them. Junsei bit her lip, determined to not say a word for fear of her very life.
"Only time will tell." Kaede said unaware of the things Junsei knew. Miroku and Kaede entered the hut and slowly began to chant in the doorway, in hopes of calming the spiritual rage. Sango hurried back to her own hut to check on the children briefly, leaving Inuyasha and Junsei alone.
For a moment Inuyasha stood outside unmoving, his eyes focused on Kagome's limp body. What could she possibly be doing? What was her reason for going inside her own mind? Where had all of her power come from? Why was she using so much? Unless—his eyes flickered towards Junsei—she was protecting herself from something.
"Junsei what is your master's name?"
"Akkanka." She answered. Inuyasha approached her slowly, handing off Shippo who was crying. Junsei took the boy and held onto him as she watched Inuyasha raise his eyes towards the sky. A soft rain was following now. Her green hair and his own silver hair were matted to their faces by it. Her eyes widened as the rain started to glow with an unnatural light. She watched as lightning flashed overhead and showed the hollow of Inuyasha's eyes.
He reached into his haori and pulled out a piece of paper with a picture on it. It was soaking with the rain but somehow seemed to be still dry. He looked up at her his eyes hollow and hard with water dripping from his overcast hair.
"Inuyasha," He read out loud. "I will always love you. Till death do us part." He closed his eyes tightly as the words soaked in. "Till death do us part."
Junsei bit her lip, unsure of what to say—in the end she didn't need to say anything.
"Junsei," His voice almost startled her as he allowed the picture to fall to the ground. "I'm going to kill your master. I won't come back when I'm done."
Her eyes grew full of tears that came down her cheeks harshly in waves.
He walked away from her slowly his body the picture of coolness, his form the sexiest thing she had ever seen. The rain washing his back caused his shirt to show his muscles and the perfection of his ass. His hair plastered to his face and neck sending delightful images, of a naked sweaty man panting, around her head. His feet hit the puddles causing splashes of gold to echo in the sea of salty tears.
"Inuyasha?" She whispered one last time before she noticed the picture sitting on the ground perfectly dry. She bent down and picked it up; there were two people in it, standing in front of a tree their faces mere inches from each other. The very man who had just been standing in front of her was on the left about to kiss the very woman who was unconscious in the hut.
The words the hanyou had spoken only moments before were on the page. With a heavy heart she looked up to the sky and then back to the horizon where he had just stood.
-break-
"The danger has passed. We can stop worrying now." Kaede said with a smile as she leaned back heavily against the side of the hut. Miroku too slumped over as he wiped some sweat from his brow.
"I'm so glad." He mumbled, "I think Inuyasha would have died if she had never woken up."
Sango nodded and held onto Shokuro and Mikaren. They had been brought into the hut only after everything had calmed down. Miroku looked at his children and smiled at their sleeping faces. He bent down and kissed each brow with love before pressing his lips gently to his wife's. Kaede smiled at the display and quietly exited the hut to stretch her legs.
Junsei was sitting quietly outside her eyes staring at the ground, the paper clutched in her hand, Shippo's head lying in her lap. Kaede didn't even notice her until the girls soft voice reached her ears above the rain.
"Kaede-chan." She mumbled.
Kaede turned towards the young woman and looked at her with gentle eyes. Everyone had been so focused on Kagome that they had hardly looked at her or Inuyasha. The thought brought pause to Kaede as she looked for the hanyou boy—Inuyasha was nowhere to be found. "Junsei-chan?"
The troubled woman looked at her with sad eyes. "Inuyasha," she said as she handed Kaede the piece of paper, "is gone."
End of Chapter
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