Hey again! Hope everyone had a good week! I don't really have anything else to say so I'm just going to go ahead and thank people for the reviews.
Kirei-kitsune: I love Stewie too. He and Peter make the show. There's a new season out now.
Dark Inu Fan: I know what you mean. I sort of made Eriko with conflicting emotions. She wasn't evil…she just made a bad choice and paid for it.
Akida411searcher: Yeah. I'm all about suspense and tension.
Nalaravathered: I read 'The Fox and the Hound'. It's so great…and funny. Love the Douglas Adams quotes too, so the quotes from this chapter are dedicated to you. Keep up the good work.
Hearts of Eternity: I always love it when you review because it's so fun to read them. I'm glad you like Kagura…and Sesshoumaru for that matter. The villagers were a bit simple, but I had a little fun creating them although I mostly focused all of my "writing power" on Kagura in the last chapter.
Brigurl: Poor thing. You'd think that after all this time, man would be able to make a computer that runs smoothly. –walks away grumbling about how unreliable they are—
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but there is a handful of people/youkai that I did create.
My friends tell me, that I've been such a fool,
And I have to stand by and take it baby, all for lovin' you.
Drown myself in sorrow, and I look at what you've done.
But nothin' seems to change, the bad times and the shame,
And I can't run.
Sometimes I feel, sometimes I feel,
Like I been tied to the whipping post
Tied to the whipping post,
Tied to the whipping post,
Good lord, I feel like I'm dyin'.
-Whipping Post by the Allman Brothers Band
The sun shone brightly through the trees as the birds chirped happily. On the ground below, a mother sat playing patty-cake with her son. The tiny boy giggled happily, his short silver hair shaking from his laughter as the young woman finished the nursery rhyme and scooped him in her arms from where she sat to blow a raspberry on his stomach.
"Mama!" he burbled happily, grabbing onto a lock of her ebony hair with his pudgy fingers.
She laughed and pushed a curling lock of silver hair away from his eyes. "Silly baby," she cooed. "Mama's hair is not a toy." She gently pried open his sticky fingers to release her hair. "Someone needs a bath," she teased, making a face and laughing softly when the baby's eyes widened with terror.
"No. No. No no no no no." He waddled around on unsteady feet spewing out his favorite word just because he could. "No no no nonono no no."
The woman stood up, stretching before she picked the boy up, placing him on her hip. "Papa's going to be here soon," she whispered excitedly.
His eyes lit up. "Papa?"
Tugging on a fuzzy ear, she nodded happily. "I can feel him. He's almost here."
"Papa papa papapapa!" the baby cried merrily, clapping his hands together.
The hair on the back of Kagome's neck rose. Something wasn't right. Shushing her baby, she listened out for a threat. Other than her son, the world was eerily quiet. 'The birds,' she thought, 'I can't hear the birds.'
"Papa papa papa!"
"Hush baby. Be still," she whispered. A sudden presence hit her hard. An evil, malignant force approached them. Kagome's eyes widened in fear. 'They're here.' She backed toward Goshinboku, clutching her baby closer to her. She needed to protect him, to keep him safe while she fought, but it was too late to hide him.
Dark tendrils of black smoke wafted toward them. There was a bright burst of lavender light as the miko threw ball after ball of energy at the darkness, causing her son to whimper fearfully. It continued to approach, gaining ground. A tentacle shot forward, pushing Kagome farther into the Goshinboku and binding her to the tree by her waist.
The baby's sniffles escalated into full-blown wails as his mother fought to free herself from the grasp of the tentacle while still shielding him from the others threatening him.
More tentacles came, wrapping around her legs and arms. She held onto her baby and tried to pry her arms away from the tendrils that threatened to tie her to the sacred tree. A tentacle lashed at her and wrapped around her son, who screamed, tears streaming down his terrified face.
She could feel her heart breaking as the member wrenched him out of her arms. A silent scream graced her lips as she called out to her wailing baby. Tearing an arm out of the tentacles' grasp and away from the tree, she commanded her power to rise into her palm, to destroy her enemy and to save her baby and felt the bile rise in her throat when it didn't. Her powers refused to answer her plea and remained dormant inside her.
She screamed for the only one who could save him now. "INUYASHA!"
The hanyou burst through the bushes, his eyes glowing red as he observed her tied to the Goshinboku. She gasped when she saw the blood-red eyes with blue slits staring at her. He'd transformed.
With a snarl he leapt for the tree, slashing at the tentacles the bound her. He continued in vain to tear at the thick wisps, while they only mended themselves around her before his eyes.
"No, Inuyasha! Not me! The baby! Save the baby!" She sobbed, but he didn't hear her…no one could hear her. She could only watch helplessly as the black tendrils dragged her son into darkness.
Kagome awoke was a start, gasping for air. 'That dream,' she thought as tears collected in her eyes, 'was so real. It was even more vivid than the last one.' Her eyes widened in shock. The last one. A wave of nausea hit her like a truck. 'I had another dream like that?' A sense of foreboding lingered in her mind.
'Why am I having these dreams?' The reverie ran over and over through her mind, making an imprint as though it had actually happened, which is what it felt like. In both dreams, she was near Goshinboku. In both dreams, it had started out as a sunny day, but ended up dark and gray. A darkness always took her baby away from her, and…there was no connection between her and Inuyasha. It was like…they were trying to reach each other but couldn't. She pushed the thought away.
Dashing a tear away with the back of her hand, she studied the tiny drop of liquid. "My…son?" she whispered. He had been younger in this dream. No more than a baby. She smiled at the image of her son grabbing her hair and giggling. He had looked just like Inuyasha. More tears clouded her vision, and she furiously wiped them away.
"It was just a dream," she mumbled to herself. "It doesn't mean anything." But there was still a lingering doubt in her mind.
Suddenly it dawned on her that she was in a strange hut…alone. She glanced around the empty, musty shelter. The only things that furnished it, besides the mat and thin blanket she was laying on, were a fire and her yellow bag, which rested in the corner. Panic ebbed at her when she realized that she couldn't feel Inuyasha's aura nearby…or at all actually. Failing to find Shippou and Kirara also, she threw the blanket off of her and pushed herself up. Stretching her aching, stiff limbs, she slowly made her way to the bamboo mat that served as a door and pushing it aside, wincing at the drastic change of light.
Kagome curiously studied the village before her. It looked like a tornado had torn through it, which made her fear for the others even more.
The entire village was alive; everyone was working. The men were repairing the huts and fences while the women and children were in the fields salvaging any crops that looked edible. The young women stared at a pig trotting by her squealing happily. "This poor village," she murmured.
Shaking her self out of her stupor, she cupped her hands over her mouth. "Inuyasha!"
"Kagome. It's good to see that you've finally waken up."
She whirled to find the familiar voice but saw no one. "Miroku? Where…?"
"I'm up here."
Shielding her eyes with a hand, she looked up to find Miroku, along with two other men, patching the roof of a neighboring hut. "Are you alright?" she asked pointing to the bandage around his head.
"I'm fine. Just bumped my head."
She nodded, though the concern etched in her features didn't fade. "How are the others?"
"They're alright. Sango twisted her ankle, but still she insists on working in the fields. I couldn't persuade her to rest for long," he sighed and began to climb down. "How are you feeling?"
"My legs feel like Jell-O," she grumbled.
"Jell-O?"
Kagome flashed him a grin. "Never mind, I feel pretty good." She sighed and looked around the village in awe. "Miroku," the miko breathed, "what happened to this place?"
"This is the village that sent the man for us," the monk solemnly replied.
"But…I don't feel any youkai—" She gasped. "Where's Inuyasha? He didn't leave, did he?"
Miroku raised an eyebrow and stared at her incredulously. "Do you honestly think he'd leave you in the middle of a youkai infested village?"
"…Good point."
"He's right over…there!" he cheered when he found the red-clad figure among the peasants. "He's helping with the fences. As for the youki that you can't feel, it's perfectly normal when you've been drained of your powers. It'll all come back soon."
"Thanks." Looking for the hanyou in the midst of the town, she asked, "How is he?"
The monk smiled at her. "Inuyasha's alright. He's been worried about you."
Smiling gratefully, she waved bye and walked down the dusty path in the direction Miroku had pointed. While she walked, she looked around the small town, observing the people as they busied themselves. She even saw Kirara trotting across a field with a load of wood for the huts on her back; a few villagers followed close behind. Before long, she was able to see Inuyasha jamming a post in the ground before grabbing another piece of wood and helping some men piece it to the log.
She noticed his ears perk and watched him lightly sniff the air. She smiled at him when he turned to see her and stopped where she was.
Turning back to the villagers, he handed them the wood and leapt over to the miko, who was waiting for him. "You're awake," he said gruffly, but she didn't miss the relief that washed over his features.
She gently laughed, "I'm glad to see you too." They began to walk side by side back toward the huts.
"Shouldn't you be resting?" he asked.
She shook her head furiously. "No thanks, I think I've had enough of rest to last me a while. How long have I been out?"
"About four days—do you really think you should be out here?"
She stopped walking and eyed him suspiciously. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," he muttered.
"Something is. Why won't you tell me?"
His temper was beginning to rise. "Because nothing is wrong," he bit out.
"Then why are you snapping at me?" It was a battle of wills now.
"I'm not snapping!" he shouted, eyes softening when he saw her flinch. "I just don't think you need to be out here. You need to be sleeping…in the hut."
He grimaced as he watched the hurt in her eyes masked with indifference that just didn't suit her.
"I changed my mind. I am tired," she murmured, pushing her way past him.
"Kagome—" He reached out to grab her shoulder, but—
"Sit."
He crashed to the ground, cursing the air. Prying himself off the earth, he miserably watched Kagome run back to the huts before he returned to the fences. 'She's pissed,' he thought with a sigh. 'But at least she'll be safer.'
A woman lay on the ground slowly regaining consciousness. She was aware of the sun shining on her face, but nothing else. After moments of basking in the sun, reveling in the feeling of nothingness, she realized that it was no longer shining on her. With a small groan, Kagura opened her wine-colored eyes and was startled bye the deep chocolate ones stared back at her.
"Lord Sesshoumaru, Lord Sesshoumaru," the girl cried happily, pulling back away from Kagura and skipping over to the Inu no Taisho. "She's awake!"
"Thank you, Rin," came the emotionless voice.
The wind sorceress didn't make a sound as her mind began to clear, and she was able to make sense of things. Her body felt so stiff. Trying to sit up, she gasped as pain shot through her entire body, but she forced her way to the sitting position anyway, not daring an attempt to stand.
Her brow wrinkled in confusion as she looked down at herself. Her old kimono was gone, replaced by a simple white one with two coral dragons racing up the sides of the skirt. She looked at her left arm, which was bandaged, and flexed it slowly before looking up to Sesshoumaru, who was approaching her. She smiled dryly. "We've got to stop meeting like this."
Ignoring her comment, he bore into her with his stone eyes. "Get up," he demanded coldly.
Her eyes narrowed in confusion at his barely restrained anger. "What's wro—"
"Get up," he repeated. "Rin, go find something to eat. Take Jaken with you," he commanded the girl behind him, who grabbed the toad youkai's arm and dragged him away while humming.
The wind sorceress struggled against the blinding pain to get to her feet. And after stumbling a few times, she succeeded. She angrily regarded Sesshoumaru's unreadable face. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Tell me why I should bother to save you."
Furious indignation ignited deep within her. "I never asked you to save me!" She struggled not to raise her voice any higher.
"But I did. I want to know why I should save you when you won't even bother to save yourself."
The memory of the fan pressed to her neck seared her mind. Narrowing her eyes dangerously, she stepped toward the youkai. "I tried. Do you honestly think I wanted to die?" she asked trembling with fury. "I couldn't even stand, Sesshoumaru. It was all I could do to lift the fan…"
"Why choose to die by your own hand rather than in battle? If you could still lift the fan, then you could still fight."
"They wouldn't have killed me. They would have taken me to Naraku…there are worse things than death.I was taking the noble way out."
His nostrils flared. "No," he said frigidly, "you were taking the easy way out like a coward."
An explosion resounded through the clearing as her hand collided forcefully with his face. "A coward? You call me a coward?" she hissed through gritted teeth as she clenched her fists by her side.
After the initial shock of the slap, he turned his head back to her, pinning her with a glare that would make anyone run. "Don't…you dare raise your hand to me again," he said venomously.
"Or what? We've already established that I'm not afraid of death."
He studied her silently for a moment. "You are a fool." Turning on his heel, he said, "Rin will tend to your bandages upon her return," while walking away.
Looking down, she saw that the blood from her stomach wound had soaked through the kimono. 'My wounds should be closed by now,' she thought. "'must have reopened it when I slapped him." 'What have I done?' She miserably plopped down on the ground, ignoring the searing pain that rushed over her entire body in waves and drawing her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them.
At twilight, the villagers began to return to their homes for dinner. Inuyasha, also, headed for the hut; he had to talk to Kagome, obviously.
Laying a hand against the mat, he took a deep breath before pushing it to the side and entering the small shelter. "Kagome…What the hell!" He burst out of the abandoned hut.
"Kagome!" he called out, but there was no answer. He turned and saw Miroku walking toward him. "Have you seen Kagome?"
"Kagome? No, not since this afternoon."
"Sh—!" He turned to the nearest woman. "Have you seen Kagome? The miko I brought here?"
The young woman shook her head shyly, so he went on to the next. Grabbing a woman's shoulder, he asked her, "Kagome? Have you seen her?"
The old woman smiled gently and removed his hand from her shoulder. "She's gathering the stray livestock with a few of the men." She pointed to the woods in the distance.
"Oh, you have got to be fking kidding me!" He took off toward the woods. Towards Kagome. 'You are in soooooo much trouble when I find you.' Pushing away the thought of a youkai attack, he ran faster. 'Be safe.'
Kagura sat alone in the grassy meadow, watching the sunset. She hadn't moved at all since her fight with Sesshoumaru. She didn't even allow Rin to change her bloodied dressings. Instead, she sat, drowning in her thoughts.
The rumpling of cloth beside her told her that the inu youkai had joined her. She acknowledged him with a quick glance in his direction. Neither spoke for several minutes and just watched the sunset together.
"I would have come." Sesshoumaru's quiet voice shattered the silence that surrounded them.
Slowly, she turned her head toward him. He was still watching the sunset, but she could see his molten in his eyes churning, flowing like lava. Her gaze beckoned him to continue.
"If Naraku had succeeded, I would have come for you." He watched her out of the corner of his eyes, waiting for her reaction.
She stared at him in awe. "Why?" she choked out.
"I…honestly don't know why," he said, offering her a wan smile, which she returned with a true smile of her own. They turned to watch the rest of the sunset in comfortable silence side-by-side.
The trees flew by in a blur as Inuyasha passed them, cursing the whole way. "If she's hurt, I swear I'm gonna kill her," he grumbled. Sniffing the air again, he knew she was nearby. Relief came flooding in when he heard her laughter, but it soon gave way to rage for making him worry. He slowed to a walk when she was in his sight. The sight of her, alive and laughing with a few of the men, temporarily quelled his rage. She looked slightly disheveled, wearing shorts and a tank top, and had pulled her hair back into a messy pony tail and held onto the reins of a horse.
All of the anger that had been forgotten returned when her bright eyes caught his. 'How can she be laughing? How can she not know how much danger she was in?'
Her grin faded when she noticed the blatant fury and predatory gleam in his eyes as he stalked toward her. As he neared her, she gulped and began to back-step, taking the snorting horse with her as it stomped its feet nervously on the hard earth.
"Care to explain?" he bit out.
"I just wanted to help—" she began, still backing away until her back was against a tree trunk.
"What the hell were you thinking!" he bellowed.
"I—"
He placed a hand against the trunk near her face. "Were you even thinking?"
She released a small whimper. "I was just helping with the animals."
"In the middle of the fking woods in a village infested with youkai!" His tawny irises swirled with anger, and his mind raced with thoughts of what could have happened to her.
"You're scaring me," she whispered, her voice thick with unshed tears.
Jerking his hand away as though her words had scalded him, his eyes softened as he realized that she was on the verge of tears. He turned to the villagers, who were uncomfortably watching their one-sided argument. Taking the horse's reigns from Kagome and handing them to the nearest man, he told them to leave.
He waited until they were alone to speak to his miko. "You didn't even tell me that you were leaving. I thought you were still in the hut like I told you."
"I didn't want to be alone in the hut," she sniffled. "And after our fight…"
"I saw Sesshoumaru," he broke in.
Instantly, her eyes clouded in confusion; she was a little surprised that he would bring it up but brushed it off.
"He had Kagura with him. She was near death, Kagome. She freed herself from Naraku, and he sent the youkai that attacked the village when they were looking for her."
She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it. Then she opened it again. "…So Kagura is…good now?"
"I don't know," he said impatiently, "but if they youkai catch wind that you're here, then they are going to attack."
"That's why you wanted me to stay inside? Why couldn't you just tell me that?"
He raised an eyebrow at her and folded his arms over his chest. "Because you did need to rest, and you would've somehow convinced me that you'd be fine outside. Am I wrong?"
She gave a nervous giggle and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Have I ever told you that you're a little over protective?"
Bending slightly, he gestured for her to get on his back. "There's no such thing, wench."
Yay! I'm finished! I hope everyone enjoyed it…t'was fun to write. It might be a little while before I update again but maybe this will hold you over for a little while. I think this is my longest chapter yet, albeit not by much.
Moments of Randomness:
Look for Bo Bice on American Idol. OMG! He is awesome. Go Bo!
Songs to Download: Work by Jimmy Eat World, Whipping Post by The Allman Brothers Band, The Widow by The Mars Volta.
Quotes (or excerpts) of Randomness:
"Hey this is terrific!' Zaphod said. Someone down there is trying to kill us!'
Terrific,' said Arthur.
But don't you see what this means?'
Yes. We are going to die.'
Yes, but apart from that.'
APART from that?'
It means we must be on to something!'
How soon can we get off it?'"
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"The fronting for the eighty-yard long marble-topped bar had been made by stitching together nearly twenty thousand Antarean Mosaic Lizardskins, despite the fact that the twenty thousand lizards concerned hadneeded them to keep their insides in."
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"Maybe somebody here tipped off the Galactic Police,' said Trillian. Everybody saw you come in.'
You mean they want to arrest me over the phone?' said Zaphod, Couldbe. I'm a pretty dangerous dude when I'm cornered.'
Yeah,' said a voice from under the table (Ford's now completely drunk at this point), you go to pieces so fast people get hit by the shrapnel.'"