Right
Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi owns the Inu gang, not me.
The trip from the well to the village was spent in a comfortable silence. Kagome watched the birds and insects that flew around them as they walked, while Inu-Yasha just enjoyed being in the miko's presence. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, noticing the difference in her after spending the two nights in her time. Sure, her body hadn't changed in the short time, but her eyes had. The brown was now lighter, and she had a smile on her face.
The memory of the night before was still fresh in his mind. After the comedian, Kagome had taken him to get dinner at a restaurant, where she had shown him new, and almost as good as Ramen, food. But his favorite time of the whole night had been when he and Kagome had walked back to the shrine, and she had held his hand like she didn't care if she was seen with a hanyou.
The memory made a small smile tug at his mouth, and he couldn't stop his hand from reaching for hers. There was no hesitation as her fingers entwined with his and she turned to smile softly at him. "Did you have a good time last night?" she asked.
"Feh, it could've been worse," he grunted, turning his head away to look at the trees around them.
"I see," Kagome muttered at his reply. The hanyou darted his eyes to her again, noticing her sad look again as the smile faded from her face.
"Yeah, it was fun," he added softly. Inu-Yasha watched as her mood instantly brightened again. Her hand tightened on his for a moment in an excited squeeze.
"I'm glad," she whispered. Just as they reached the outskirts of the village, Inu-Yasha stopped, growling low in his throat. "What is it?" Kagome asked as he pulled his hand back, and grasped the hilt of Tetsusaiga tightly.
"Stay behind me," he said, dropping the bag from his shoulder so he could move freely. The miko nodded, taking a few steps back.
"Be careful, Inu-Yasha," she muttered as she felt the ground begin to shake. The trees before them began to groan as they bent to make room for the youkai coming their way.
"Show yourself," Inu-Yasha called. The youkai seemed to listen as it burst through the tree line and into the clearing around the road. The praying-mantis youkai roared as it snapped its jaws. "That's it, all that noise and this is all you have to offer?" the hanyou asked with a grin. "Not a problem," he added, pulling his father's fang out of its sheath and baring it at the insect. The sword instantly transformed, wind swirling around its blade.
The youkai roared again as it ran at Inu-Yasha, the ground shaking with every step. "Feh, Kaze no Kizu!" the hanyou roared as he brought Tetsusaiga down. Three blades dug into the ground, and raced toward the mantis. The youkai was quick, but not fast enough to escape the attack unscathed. Inu-Yasha's ears bent down closer to his head against the painful scream of the youkai as two of its right legs were torn off.
"Damn," the hanyou growled, watching as the injured youkai stumbled to gain its balance. Just as Inu-Yasha lifted Tetsusaiga again, an arrow shot past him, glowing bright blue with miko power. His ears pinned against his head at the scream that came from the youkai as Kagome's arrow embedded in its chest. "Kaze no Kizu!" Inu-Yasha yelled again, attacking right on the heels of the miko. This time the mantis was hit head on by the attack, being swallowed in the yellow blades and bursting to pieces.
Inu-Yasha slid Tetsusaiga back into its sheath, taking a deep breath for patience, as he heard Kagome running up to him. When his eyes fell on her, any intention of staying calm flew out the window. "What in the hells was that, wench?" he shouted.
"What do you mean?" she asked, coming to a stop and planting her fists on her hips.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Why didn't you stay back?" he growled.
"I was just helping!" the miko defended herself.
"Well, don't! I don't need the help of a pathetic human wench anyway!"
Kagome gasped at his words. "I see," she whispered, lowering her face away from his. "I'll remember that the next time you're wounded." And with that, she turned on her heel, scooped up her bow and backpack, and began to walk through the village.
"Oi, wench!" Inu-Yasha called, stomping after her. She didn't turn. "Kagome!" he tried again.
"Kagome, Inu-Yasha," Sango suddenly called, running to meet the two halfway to Kaede's. Miroku, Kirara, and Shippo were right behind her. The group stopped as they met, Shippo instantly jumping into the miko's arms. Inu-Yasha could hear the lack of real enthusiasm in her voice as she greeted the kit. "We wondered when you'd be back," the taijiya was saying.
"Yes, we never got to speak of what we found out while we were separated," Miroku pointed out.
"Feh, not much to talk about," Inu-Yasha replied, crossing his arms as he walked past the group and to Kaede's hut. Kagome quietly followed, along with a confused Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara.
((Without You))
"So you have another shikon shard?" Miroku asked after they had all sat down around the fire and gotten the treats Kagome had brought back for them.
The miko nodded, pulling the two shards out of her pocket to show the houshi, taijiya, kit, and older miko. "And you say you didn't even see any youkai that would have had a shard?"
"That's right, nothing out of the ordinary," Miroku replied, glancing at Sango quickly. Kagome didn't miss the exchange as the taijiya lowered her face away from him, but the miko didn't press. She and Sango had a lot to talk about when they could get alone.
"So where does that leave us?" Kagome asked, turning her attention to the houshi again. She darted a look at Inu-Yasha, but the hanyou was sitting across the room, his back against the wall, eyes closed as he held Tetsusaiga against his chest. The only sign that gave away the fact that he was still listening was the twitch of his ears randomly.
"I don't know," Miroku admitted, drawing the miko's attention again. "I just hope that the shard is not another set up for a trap of Naraku's," he added.
"Feh," Inu-Yasha suddenly snorted, getting to his feet and marching to Kagome. "It's just a shard, nothing special about it." He held out one clawed hand toward the miko for the small jar. She hesitantly placed it in his palm, wondering what he wanted with it. Using his claws to grasp the top, he pulled the cork out to dump the shards into his hand. Shoving them under the houshi's nose, he reiterated. "See, nothing… wrong…" his voice faded away as his golden eyes glazed over.
"Inu-Yasha?" Kagome called, standing up next to him. "What is it?" she added, reaching out to rest a hand on his arm. He had lowered his head, his silver bangs hiding his eyes as his hand clenched tightly around the shikon no tama shards. A low growl began to rumble out of his chest. "Inu-Yasha!" the miko shouted, fisting her hand in his fire rat haori.
The others jumped to their feet, drawing their weapons close. "Inu-Yasha, what's wrong?" Miroku echoed the miko. He stared in shock as blood began to drip from the hanyou's clenched fist, along with a dark glow. The houshi could only assume it was the shikon shards, but if that was the case, why could he suddenly see it?
"Kagome," Sango breathed, darting her gaze to the miko who was beginning to tremble as she stared at the silent hanyou.
"The shard is growing darker," Kagome breathed, her gaze too riveted on Inu-Yasha to turn to the others. "But only one… could it mean…?"
Miroku's breath caught at the miko's words. No, it couldn't be… But the signs were right in front of him. It's a trap, and we fell right into it.
((Without You))
Thick, purple miasma swirled around him as he stared into the mirror. A dark chuckle slowly bubbled up and out of him, the scene giving him reason to laugh. "So you thought to ignore my trap did you?" Naraku growled as he watched Inu-Yasha's friends try to figure out what was going on with the hanyou. Purple eyes narrowed as they landed on the houshi. "So you know, do you houshi? Good," Naraku muttered, smiling again.
"Naraku," Kagura's voice broke into his monologue.
"What is it?" he snapped, rounding on her, his anger evident. Not nearly as afraid as he would like her to be, the shadow took a small step back.
"I just came to inform you that everything is set as you asked," she muttered, opening and closing her fan in a nervous twitch.
"Good," he replied, his answer a dismissal as he turned back to Kanna and her mirror. Everything was going according to plan.
"They will be coming," the void youkai said softly as the view of the inu hanyou faded from the glass.
"It is as I planned," Naraku said in return. "Kohaku," the hanyou called, turning to meet the young taijiya.
"Yes," the human muttered, keeping his head low.
"Go to the miko and her hanyou, show them the right way here," Naraku demanded.
"Yes," Kohaku answered in the same dead-pan tone. He turned and walked out of the room, taking to the trees as soon as he got out of the castle. When he was sure he wasn't being followed, a frown turned down the young taijiya's lips. Now what's Naraku up to? he wondered. Why would he want to bring Sango and the others to his castle, and why now? He had no answers, but he still couldn't allow the youkai to know that he had regained his memories of what he had done to his family.
Kohaku shook his head as he ran on. He would have to do what that foul beast told him to, for at least a little longer anyway.
((Without You))
"Why do you allow him to live?" Kanna asked as soon as Kohaku had left. Naraku didn't answer right away, turning to walk across the room to sit on the cushion next to the sliding door leading outside. The young girl didn't press.
"I have use for him yet, just as I have use for Kagura," the hanyou finally answered.
"Yes, Naraku," Kanna replied, bowing slightly. Dark purple eyes turned to her.
"Go now, make sure everything is ready."
"Of course," she added, walking backward out of the room, leaving the hanyou alone. With another grin he turned to look out the door again. Things were falling into place just as he had planned.
"Come to me, Inu-Yasha, bring me the last of the shards, and then I shall destroy you." Another dark chuckle echoed in the empty room as Naraku saw his trap being set into motion before his eyes.