Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of "InuYasha" by Rumiko Takahashi nor do I own the world as put in place by Saranne Dawson's Secret's of the Wolf.
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A/N: Now back to the main story—sorry about the wait. I would like to give a huge thanks to my reviewers from the previous chapters, Crow Skywalker, lalaLisaXD, Carmen, Samairi, 1kenshinlover, Tearainy, and Illusion the Black Mage. You all really flatter me too much. I'm so happy!
Now, onto the real reason you all are putting up with my jabber: chapter ten!
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« Behind Ancient Mists »
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Chapter Ten
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"InuYasha!" she cried indignantly like a crabby young child ready for a nap. "We've been walking in circles for hours and I'm tired—don't you know your way around?"
After so many hours in the forest InuYasha had gotten quite fed up with this little female pest and he had been trying to slowly lose her interest after walking so long. The two had not spoken the whole while, but to his great annoyance Kagome had suddenly belted out in a fit of song and humming. Immediately he had shouted at her angrily to stop, but she—of course— had not listened. He whispered, 'child!' under his breath quickly and had made to quicken his pace. Now in their present location, right in the middle of who-knows-where upon the Dark Mountains Kagome had ceased her yelling and the pain from her feet was finally getting to her—yet it had not been quick enough for InuYasha.
"Wench! You wouldn't be tired if you would just stop following me!"
"I can't just stay lost anywhere I please you know! I don't know my way around and you were the only one around who knew where in the world he was going—or so I thought."
"I'm not lost, so stop following me—and you wouldn't be lost in the first place, wench, if you hadn't left that stupid tower!"
"I told you, I'm not going back there!"
"And I say—'I don't care,' so long as you stop following me!"
For a time the words InuYasha spoke seemed to have taken affect, but before he could relish in the moment of hush, Kagome had piped up once again; he groaned.
"So you're his brother—huh?"
InuYasha slowly began his decent back to the main tower where he knew Sesshoumaru was bound to be expecting the return of his precious little hostage. When he had heard the muted howl through the wind that ears such as Kagome could not hear beckon him to bring her back to the tower he grew both excited and depressed all at once. To one pole he would soon be free of her, but to the other he would have to put up with her longer than he had wished. Before the call he had been set on leaping into an all out run and abandoning her, but—no—his brother's wishes had to come first, like always. Still lost in thought, he question caught him off guard and so it took him all of a few moments to grow in aggravation.
"That he is." He said nothing more after that, but Kagome was getting insatiably curious.
"Well—what's he like?"
"You're the one living with him—why ask me?"
"Because you two were children together!"
"More or less—but why so interested? Not falling for the lug are you?" His words were biting and seeping with sarcasm, which again gritted on Kagome's nerves.
"Humph! I liked you better when I saw you at the Black Room."
"Sorry to disappoint you." His voice had no sincerity in it, but the mood had slowly lightened. A small smile graced both their faces as InuYasha continued walking. His pace began to become faster than that of Kagome's own so on several occasions he had been forced to beckon her onward, while Kagome, herself, was distracted by the beauty of the landscape around them.
"Wench—hurry it up will you!" His tone was again playful, but in seeing she still did not respond he pressed harder, "Kagome, it's time to leave."
She quickly followed after him and only a few moments after they had left the training area Kagome followed InuYasha to a lone horse, old, tired and tied very tightly to its adjoining tree.
Upon seeing the woman the horse bellowed a low neigh, but other than that seemed in a complete comatose. InuYasha almost chuckled at the expression she wore at the sight of the beast, but chose instead to keep the calm for at least a few moments longer.
"Do you know how to ride?" he asked her serenely.
"Yes?" Her answer was unsure, but not because she doubted her abilities to ride, but more upon the circumstances the ride would involve-- there was only one horse and the old beast seemed ready to keel over any moment, much less support both their weights.
"Come. Myoga's a steady horse and he'll give us a safe ride—despite him being a bloody coward." He paused momentarily to motion to the reins, which he had tied more tightly than Kagome would have expected for a horse its age, much less a young one. "He has quite the abnormal strength when frightened. I've come to know the secret to keeping him calm when I'm present after him running off so many times. Still, no one else seems to be able to subdue his spirit like me."
Kagome grinned lightly and slowly extended her hand forward to pat the horse on the nose.
"It's a shame—really—I could have had a fine horse, but this brute's proved himself worth more than his trouble . . . plus I've seemed to grow quite fond of him."
With that InuYasha mounted and extended his hand to Kagome who took it amiably.
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Back at the tower lord Sesshoumaru had been pacing rather flustered in the dining hall. He had known for hours now that the Higurashi woman was missing and after dispatching a message to his brother the lord very impatiently awaited both their return. The nuisance of a boy, Shippou had reared his head only but an hour ago, yet the lord still felt his high-pitched voice ringing in his head. Although his brother may have taken him in, as his own Sesshoumaru did not lightly show such grace to the boy who had finally reached the end of his childhood. The boy now more than ever was as hotheaded and spirited as many of the dark-headed males of his clan. The only difference was that the boy had taken on more traits from his brother than he would have liked, particularly around the woman. This—'Kagome'—was obviously intriguing to all in the Dark Mountains for it had been many decades since they had seen one last. It surprised him how easily his brother had taken a liking to her, and for that matter even Shippou. None seemed to mind her company, even her nuisance—except him, whom ironically was responsible for her presence in the first place.
Sesshoumaru still saw his position as one still yet unbeneficial to him as if his title were to be true to the current circumstances he would not be considered a lord at all, but a simple Daimyo. The outlanders had long encroached upon his family's land and as he was the only ruler for the mountains the term 'lord' hardly applied to him. When the lands were stranger and when warring clans as well as peaceful ones other than his own had been present it had been his father's rule—now he truly was a lord. Powerful. Strong. He had held so many qualities that he himself desired, but even in the coming years of his life Sesshoumaru had not got that which he most desired from his position: Respect. His father had always held himself with pride and not a one of the clan disliked him. For Sesshoumaru, he knew there was speculation about his leadership abilities and he even supposed that he would akin their feelings had he been in their shoes. The outlanders had always fascinated him as a young child and it was not secret to anyone of his near monthly visits to where only the call had brought him back.
The Higurashi woman held a particular interest with him above many of the other outsiders he had met—male and female alike. She was intelligent and spirited, but more than that—the moment he had seen her as he walked into her uncle's debut report he noted just how remarkably similar she was to the old portrait. He still pondered himself if it truly was that childish dream from his memories that had caused him to take the woman in, but it was not pity. If anything it was responsibility; He felt certain protectiveness over her, yet it did not stem to his liking of her. Kagome may have won the hearts of most of his clan like he had not been able to, but still he despised her. For no reason at all he desired to have her with him yet, was disgusted with the thought of her all together. He feared what the elders would do and say once they attended the festival within the next week. There was no doubt there would be trouble, but his concern not only stemmed to the woman, but also to himself. Over the past few years the elders had shown a serious threat to him especially, both to his position and physically, but he would not worry about the future now.
Slowly his pace came to a stop and his gaze went to the nearest window, as did his feet. His slender, yet rough fingers clamped tightly around the stone edge ass he whispered lightly to himself, "They're coming."
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It seemed after the long time on the horse Kagome had embarrassedly slipped into sleep upon InuYasha's shoulder only to be awoken what must have been at least an hour later as the hooves hit hard rock. The grassy valley had been passed and now the small journey farther up the mountain was left to the journey. They seemed to be taking the back roads to get back as Kagome had certainly not gone such a steep path.
InuYasha nudged her lightly as the path grew steeper and her grip began to slip, but despite her tired eyes the sight that befell her caused them to snap open. The air was moist all around as a thick mist covered the outer rim of the mountainside they had just breeched. The sun had begun to set and the wind had suddenly died; yet the area was not spooky, merely mysterious. The Mountains looked fresh and new, as if they had just risen from the ocean, yet it had not rained; the mist itself seemed to have the whole area glowing.
Kagome then remembered the horse, which she had originally anticipated as worth less than the common mule, proved to be very comfortable, as did the big, curved saddle. Minutes more passed as greenery of trees and an area similar to what she remembered traveling by earlier was finally spotted. The openness tapered off and they entered into a tunnel of trees, the largest Kagome could ever remember. The air was much cooler there, and fragrant with the aroma of the dark firs that pressed close to the trail. Kagome began to shiver from the cold air, and asked him to stop so she could put on something warmer. Grudgingly InuYasha halted, but he felt the strain of the call harder within his chest the longer that he waited. He removed a knitted tunic from the saddlebag, and placed it within her awaiting palms.
Kagome tried not to let herself be affected by the haunting beauty around them, but she soon succumbed to it. Deep ravines lay in perpetual shadow beneath ancient trees, and here and there she could see traces of snow, even though it was by now midsummer. The remaining sunlight clung to the tops of the trees like a pale, gauzy covering, and birds flitted about, filling the silence with their calls.
Then, as they rounded yet another sharp bend in the trail, she saw it! After all the time being within the land of wolves and not spotting a single one since her capture . . . she saw it: a wild dog, obviously a mother with two cubs. The animals were trotting along the trail, and turned to face them. Instantly Kagome bristled in shock as her mouth ran dry at the sight. Her gaze jumped back and forth in fear and anticipation as the wolves made to cross and perhaps stop right in front of them, but InuYasha acted as if he had not even seen them. Kagome knew how ferocious mothers could be when they were defending their young. Again she cast a nervous glance at InuYasha, who still rode beside on and merely slowed his pace, not even the horse seemed nervous.
The she-wolf nudged her cubs out of the way, and then stood waiting for them to pass. After they did, Kagome turned in the saddle and saw it trot off down the trail, followed by the two cubs. She meant to question him about their appearance, but after spying the hard look InuYasha had given them and as he continued to glare on in front of him she thought it best not to even mention it.
"How much farther?" she asked him, breaking a long silence.
"We will be within the sight of the village within a few moments," he replied.
And now, for the first time, she faced the prospect of seeing Sesshoumaru again. The man was a stranger to her, and yet he held the key to her future. She shuddered, thinking about the power he had over her— and she hated him for that as well. The village came into sight and once they entered in Kagome noted immediately how the slow-moving village seeped in the heat of a scrambling uproar. Dark figures moved about in the courtyards and in between the small homes, where more fires burned in smaller cauldrons set amidst trees and gardens.
"InuYasha?" Kagome began to question him about the peculiar circumstance of the village, but was quickly interrupted, as he already knew what she was asking.
"They are preparing for the annual festival that begins late next week. Usually preparations would not begin until a few days before, but this is an elder year." At Kagome's inquisitive look he elaborated. "Every year we hold this festival, but only every other do the elders—powerful Daimyo from the long-gone villages to the mountain east of here—come to attend. Before your kind began building farther outward, our people held close ties with them, but now without true homelands they mostly wander and come by every other year for several weeks to restock on supplies, but mostly to scrutinize my brother. You'll have to get the details from him when we return, but I know from overhearing a conversation he held with one of them last elder year that quite a few of them are out for his position as lord. You see Sesshoumaru is only lord by birthright, for without it he is only a Daimyo just as them, only he has a homeland. Only one of them has ever resided within our borders for the means of staying, and that one is the pitiful creature that my brother calls a servant: Jaken. I'm still not sure why he keeps the old guy around, for even now he is not fully trusted."
Suddenly the horse came to a stop in front of the tower she had escaped and only then did the realization come in. InuYasha had seemed so hospitable she had not fully registered where he had been taking her, but as the lord himself was waiting outside with a stiff lip, Kagome crouched off the beast sheepishly and waved InuYasha goodbye. The lord was not pleased with her and that was obvious, but Kagome had not gleamed him to be the type of man to hit, still she was sure to receive a verbal lashing at the least.
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Well, so I did decide and was able to break this chapter in half. The second part should still be up sometime on Monday ,however, so none of you have to wait too long!
p.s. thanks for everyone who picked out the mistake to where I misnamed Kagome . . . I have no idea how that happened, but I guess that's what happens when you rush to update before heading off on a day-venture's vacation. Heh. .' how embarrassing
Hope you like it and please review if you so wish it—it would surely make my day!
Truly yours,
Mickey-the-Mouse