The Crane Wife

Chapter 14-Camaraderie

"We know that in less than a week, Naraku will be moving to the summer estate." Kagome rolled the map out over the table and glanced up towards the crowd around her. Sango, Miroku, Kikyo, Kagura, and Sesshoumaru looked at her curiously, awaiting what she would have to say next. "We need a plan of attack. The summer estate is a lot easier to access; it's more open. Any suggestions on how we should go about this? Keep in mind that if we do this right, it could potentially end it all." A small smile came over her face at that thought. She was tired of her mission, tired of sacrificing, of suffering, of misery, of hopelessness.

"Is it possible to overtake him on the road?" Kikyo suggested, looking down at the map. She pointed to two particular areas on the path towards the new house, one located in the mountains, the other in the swamplands. "These two areas look particularly promising. They put Naraku at a disadvantage. The mountains would be preferable. We would have the upper hand. If we manipulated the landscape to our needs, we would be completely hidden and have the advantage of a surprise attack. If that is not possible, the swamplands are a good second choice. This time of year, Naraku is bound to get stuck in them. He wouldn't be able to escape." Kagome shook her head.

"Iie, it's a bad idea." Kikyo rolled her eyes.

"Anything I suggest is going to get shot down by you. I don't even know why I bother."

"I resent the fact that you think that I would sacrifice our mission over mutual dislike for one another," Kagome snapped. "I think overtaking him on the road would be a bad idea because I know how he travels. With his caravan, we wouldn't stand a chance. We're rebel forces, not a trained army. It is unrealistic to expect that our men could stand up to Naraku's samurai." Kikyo glared but held her tongue. "Not all of his samurai live at the summer estate. Only those Naraku feels are necessary to guard him, which severely increases our chances for success." Silence greeted Kagome and she sighed, exasperatedly before asking, "Any other suggestions?"

"If we attack him at his home, we need to know what we are up against. Do we have the plans for the building?" Sesshoumaru asked, his eyes calculating.

Kagome turned around and pulled a scroll from the wall. She spread it out on the table on top of the map and picked the inkpot. She placed the ink on her fingers before placing her hands back on the paper. Ink spread out, the sharp corners of rooms, entrances, exits, gardens weaving together on its way across the scroll until a map was made of where Naraku would be staying.

"Naraku's bedroom is here. There are secret entrances here and here." Kagome pointed to them, not touching the paper, the ink still wet. "At least, these are the ones that I know of. I never did spend that much time exploring the summer house. I was always in lessons." Sesshoumaru 

looked over the map carefully, noticing every angle, every escape route, every possible error that could occur. He looked up at his colleagues, eyeing them carefully. They waited in anticipation. He pointed to the entrance.

"We will walk right in the front door," Sesshoumaru stated. "And Naraku will not be able to do anything about it."

Kagome entered her hut physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. The day had certainly not been easy, with Inuyasha leaving and the planning of Naraku's downfall. All she wanted to do was lay down on her futon and sleep until her body or some unfortunate disaster decided to wake her up.

Because of how tired she was, she failed to notice the lamps burning in her hut, the signifying sign that someone was present there. She opened the shoji door slowly and, after removing her shoes, entered and closed it once more, only to be tackled to the ground.

"Ooof!" Kagome groaned, the wind being knocked right out of her.

"Kagome-nee-chan!" Souta exclaimed, tightening his hold on his sister. Kagome blinked at the boy clinging to her kimono in shock before bringing her hands around to pull him closer to her.

"Souta? Oh my, it really is you!" Tears of joy sprang to her eyes. "Oh I was so worried about you! I wasn't able to get you out of his grasp before he found out about The Resistance. I couldn't go back without risking both our lives. You have no idea how I hoped that you would find your way to me!"

"Nee-chan, Sesshoumaru-sama organized my escape. He made sure I was taken care of! See!" Souta pulled away and pointed to his rescuers who were sitting lazily against the wall, sipping on some sake. Kagome took a step forward and bowed to the two.

"Arigato. You have helped me and my brother. If you have any need in the future, please, do not hesitate to ask. I will do my best to oblige."

"Eh, don't be so formal princess. Sesshoumaru's more than compensated us for this little adventure."

"I'm sure he has. He always goes all out when it comes to me. Even so, I thank you from the bottom of my heart." The effeminate one spoke up this time.

"Aw, how sweet. It's fine though, Bankotsu and I didn't mind little Souta at all! He's a little angel, really." Bankotsu snorted.

"Yeah, weren't you threatening to kill him only just this morning?" Jakotsu rolled his eyes.

"How many times do I have to explain myself? I thought he was possessed! You have to admit that the kid can be really scary." Bankotsu rolled his eyes.

"You have fought some of the most grizzly battles in all of Japan, have killed mercilessly, have gone on dangerous adventures and yet, you are scared of a seven year old child who needed to be returned back to his sister? I will never understand how your mind works Jakotsu." Kagome giggled at the interaction between the two.

"Do you two have anywhere to stay for the night? I'm more than happy to accommodate you here, or if you would prefer, in a separate hut."

"Oh we wouldn't want to impose," Jakotsu spoke.

"You're not imposing. Kagome can do magic!" Kagome chuckled at her brother.

"Oh not tonight Souta. I'm too tired. But if Bankotsu and Jakotsu want to stay here, I have some spare futons in the other room."

"That's kind of you. Thank you." Bankotsu nodded at her and Kagome motioned for the two of them to follow her into the next room. She bid them good night and that if they needed anything to feel free to ask.

Hugging her brother good night, Kagome sat on the futon next to him and watched him fall to sleep. He went quickly despite declaring that he wasn't tired. When she was sure that he was asleep, Kagome got up and, yawning, exited the hut. She needed to thank Sesshoumaru for his generosity.

She walked to his hut, the cool of the night refreshing her, waking her. The walk over was short, but it still gave Kagome too much time alone with her thoughts. She couldn't help but think about Inuyasha and his decision to leave. She knew that she could have done more to stop him. But she didn't. And the answer to why was not something that she really wanted to focus on at the moment.

But the thoughts invaded her mind, one by one eating at her resolve to not run to the well and try to follow him. It had been a day; he couldn't have gotten that far, could he? But Kagome knew that she couldn't. Her duty to Japan, to the people came before anything she might feel for a person. And God did she feel for Inuyasha. This morning she had convinced herself that he was a distraction, that she couldn't get anything done with his presence always lingering.

She knew the truth now. It was worse not having him around. She was constantly worried about him, constantly on edge as thought after thought invaded her mind, new scenarios as to how he could be captured by Naraku, killed, hurt with no one to help him. It had made her a nervous wreck. She wanted to cry, to scream, to blame Inuyasha for these thoughts plaguing her, but she knew that it was her own fault.

She should have tried harder, she should have done more, and then she wouldn't have been in this situation.

Resolving to not think about these things until after Naraku was defeated, she knocked on Sesshoumaru's door. She waited a moment for him to open it and once he did, tears entered her eyes. He looked so much like Inuyasha. Falling into his arms, she cried against his shoulder quietly while he brought her inside and awkwardly held her. She pulled away and wiped her nose on her sleeve.

"I don't know what came over me. I'm sorry. I just came over here to thank you, for saving Souta. Some thank you huh?" She forced herself to laugh, to put a smile on her face.

Sesshoumaru wasn't fooled. Reluctantly, he put his arms back around her and Kagome snuggled in closer to him.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Hmm," he murmured in response, rubbing her back in small circles, in the same way he did for Rin when she had a nightmare. Kagome remained in his arms for most of the night, only falling asleep briefly, just before the sun rose and she had to get up for the day. Sesshoumaru placed her carefully on his futon and let her sleep.

Walking into the inn, Inuyasha sighed, exhaustedly before walking over to the girl standing in the front room. She bowed to him quickly and smiled at him. "Welcome back, Nagasaki-san," she greeted him and it took Inuyasha a moment to remember that he was Nagasaki; he had given a fake name. "Would you like to go to your room now?" He nodded, wordlessly following the petite girl up the stairs. She opened the shoji door and stepped aside to let him enter. "I'll be back with your meal in as soon as Cook is done with it." She bowed again before disappearing down the stairs. Inuyasha closed the door quietly, before moving to the futon and falling down on the mattress with a groan.

He had been out laboring for the family that owned this inn for the entire day, after he had walked the entire way nonstop to arrive here. But as he didn't have any money he needed to do something to trade for room and board. After his exhausting day of travelling and leaving the Resistance, the last thing that he wanted to do was to sleep in the forest tonight. So he sacrificed so that, for once, he could sleep with a roof over his head. Yawning, he closed his eyes, telling himself that he would rest until dinner. He could certainly use it.

Some time later, the girl opened the door again, this time carrying a bowl of white rice and a pair of chopsticks. She frowned as she saw Inuyasha asleep, snoring lightly on the futon. She placed the rice on the floor before hesitantly stepping forward and shaking Inuyasha. "Nagasaki-san, I brought you your dinner," she whispered into his ear. Moaning, he rolled over, his eyes snapping open as he woke up from the girl's methods. She took a couple steps back as he sat up, yawning, and only haphazardly covering his mouth. Picking up the bowl of rice, she handed it to him. He smiled at her, his eyes widening in hunger as he saw the food in front of him.

"Thank you," he told her, his eyes never leaving his food, his hands carefully grasping the chopsticks before digging in. His eyes closed in pleasure as he relished the food. It was only plain white rice, but he hadn't eaten in two days, not since he had left The Resistance. The girl bowed again and was about to leave before Inuyasha stopped her. "Hey, wait a second!" Politely the girl stopped and turned towards him.

"Is there something I can get you Nagasaki-san?" She asked, nervously rocking on the balls of her feet, her arms behind her back.

"No, no. I don't like eating alone. Would you join me?" He didn't know what had possessed him to ask, but ever since Kagome had fallen into his life, he had gotten used to having other people around. The thought of being alone again unnerved him. The girl smiled at him.

"I have some time, if you would like, I'll bring up my dinner and another portion for you?" He nodded and the girl turned and ran down the stairs only to appear just as Inuyasha was finishing his bowl of rice. She sat down across from him and handed him the second bowl before grasping her chopsticks and eating her first bite of food.

Inuyasha ate slowly, watching her carefully. She didn't look more than fifteen and was dressed in a plain, white, cotton kimono. Her hair was white, pulled back in a bun with a bright blue ribbon and her eyes were light lavender.

"What's your name, kid?" The girl's lips pursed.

"My name is Shiori. And I'm not a kid." Inuyasha snorted.

"You can't be more than fifteen."

"I'll have you know I'm seventeen." Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at her age. She flushed and looked down. "I'll be seventeen in a month."

"Trust me, you're just a kid." He took a bite of his food.

"So? Just because I haven't been alive that long doesn't mean I'm naïve."

"Is that so?" Inuyasha looked at her skeptically.

"My father was a prince. My mother was a commoner. Neither of them wanted me. She left me after I was old enough to take care of myself. I wound up here, after trying to steal from the inn owners. They allow me to work for food and shelter." Inuyasha's heart softened to hear a tale so similar to his own. But he knew how life ended up when you escaped from sanctuary and it wasn't pretty. This girl was so innocent; she was able to be saved. If he could prevent her from making the same mistakes he did, the same mistakes Kikyo did, then he had to try.

"So I take it you don't really want to be here? You have some grand plans to run out into the world, to find your own way?" Her face flushed again. "Well I got news for you kid, you're not the first to do it and you won't be the last. It's really quite sad, because we all think we can make it. The truth is we can't. I've done it, and let me tell you, there is nothing I regret more than the measures I've taken to try to make it on my own. You have security here. Don't leave it for childish dreams."

"The Sakamoto's don't care about me at all. If I'm going to live life, I'm going to do it on my own terms, not at the beck and call of two selfish people. I want to swim in the ocean. I want to see the sunset from the tallest mountain, knowing that nothing in the world is higher than I am. I want to fly. I want to fall in love with someone who sees past the fact that I'm illegitimate. I can't do any of that here and I'm not going to settle for the pathetic life I life now." Shiori placed her now empty rice bowl on the floor beside her. "Now if all you're going to do is lecture me, I think I'd like to leave now. You can leave your empty bowl outside the door. I'll come and get it later." She stood up, gathering the dishes and began to exit.

"Hey, kid, Shiori, don't leave." She paused. "I apologize. It was stupid of me to criticize you. I'm sure you can tell I haven't exactly had the best of days." She turned around and smiled.

"It's okay. I understand." He sighed.

"You remind me a lot of someone I know." She cocked her head to the side in curiosity.

"Oh? Who?"

"A friend of mine. Well, we used to be friends. That was a long time ago. She hates me now." He put his unfinished bowl down, no longer hungry at the thought of Kikyo.

"What happened?" Shiori questioned curiously. Inuyasha shrugged.

"I killed her husband and son. She turned bitter and made sure that every time we encountered each other that I suffered." The girl surprisingly didn't shy away from him at the admission of murder. In fact, she leaned in closer, curious.

"Why?" Inuyasha looked at her strangely.

"Why did I kill her husband and child? Because someone told me too. I got paid very well for that. Why does she want revenge? Well, wouldn't you?"

"But you told me that I remind you of her. And if I do, then she wouldn't have wanted to get married. She wanted to be independent. So why would she want revenge? If you ask me, you gave this woman her freedom back. Sure it's rather twisted in its method, but the end result is the same. So I really don't think she hates you." Inuyasha shrugged off her explanation.

"Think what you want kid. She was married for quite some time. I hadn't seen her in nearly five years when this happened. I guess that she had fallen in love." Shiori looked doubtful at his explanation but didn't press him further.

"What's her name?

"Kikyo. Her name is Kikyo." She was silent for a moment before she asked him another question.

"Did you love her?"

"Always." he whispered, breathlessly, his voice so quiet, she almost didn't hear him. He tore his eyes away from her violet ones and stared at a spot on the wall, his face vacant of emotion. He ate mechanically, finishing the bowl of rice that Shiori had been nice enough to bring him. Shiori didn't ask anymore questions. She sat silently, waiting for him to finish so she could bring all three bowls back down to the kitchens. He finished his last bite and handed the bowl to her. She took it pleasantly and stood.

"I have to get back to work now. Oyasuminasai(1) Nagasaki-san." She walked to the door quickly, and opened the door, glancing back once before turning back towards the exit to get back to her work. Inuyasha watched her go and was glad to have had a companion. He felt a kinship to her. With his experiences in the past, he could see her point of view, could understand why she didn't want to be complacent like everyone else. She didn't just accept her position in life; she wanted to do something more.

They were the heretics of society, deviating, challenging the principles that were in place. They wanted more from life than to roll with the punches. They wanted to make their mark, to do something. Good or bad, they wanted more from every day life. They wanted variety. Life would never be easy for them. They would always be outcasts, always be isolated. But in both of their situations, it wouldn't be anything they weren't used to.

After talking to her, Inuyasha realized just how wrong he was to try and dissuade her from pursuing her dreams. She had a shot at living. She just needed guidance. She couldn't make it on her own. But he was here and he was leaving tomorrow. And if Shiori was smart enough, she would be too.

A/N: So there's a reason this took so long to get out. I usually write down a portion of the chapter in my journal. And when I do that, I write down a brief summary of each of the scenes that I'm going to do. Usually there's about four of five. Well, for once, I didn't do that because my journal is entrenched in an original work that I am currently working on. So I wrote down my outline on a separate piece of paper back when school was still in session. And guess what? I lost it!

So I had to improvise. A lot. Can you tell? I know I talked to many of you about what to expect this chapter and I'm sure that what I've given you certainly was not it. Surprises are good for the soul :).

For those of you who don't know (1) Oyasuminasai means good night.

Any questions? Ask away! I'll answer them to the best of my abilities.

And kagomesbutterflyfeeling, I look forward to hearing from you again! As always, I thank the loyal few of you who review every chapter. Your reviews brighten my day.

Until July (tomorrow haha), when there will hopefully be enough time for me to write two whole updates! Maybe three!

Emily
Notes-and-Photographs