Disclaimer: This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied.

025 - Morning Flights

Her hut might have been freshly cleaned and purified, but Kikyo found herself unwilling to move back. Given that she was leaving the village the next day, it was simpler to stay with the headman's family. There was enough work to do, preparing for the trip, to excuse not making the move, but that wasn't the real reason.

She didn't want to go back there, while Inuyasha was still missing. For a few precious days, tending him while he recovered from his nearly-fatal injuries, she had learned more about him that she had in the previous half-year. While she had certainly been exposed to his irascible, foul-mouthed side, she had also seen more than hints of his quieter, gentler side, and seen how much he was starting to trust her.

"Ane-sama?"

Kikyo started, and realized that she had sat, staring into nothingness, while the new bow she had been oiling was sitting in her lap. "Kaede?"

The girl came over to sit by her on the stack of futons that served as a daytime bench for Kikyo. "What are you doing with an arrow?" asked Kikyo, noticing what she was holding. It definitely was not one of the shorter arrows that fit the girl's smaller bow. "Shouldn't that be in the quiver?"

Kaede's smirk was self-satisfied. "It will be. I just brought it back. It's the special arrow."

"Special?" Kikyo's eyes widened as she stared at it. "The one I used to seal Inuyasha?"

"The one that got filled with the spiritual power you pulled from Inuyasha's body to save his life? Yep."

"But, I pulled it out of him under Goshinboku … I haven't even thought about it since then."

"I have." Kaede looked at the arrow thoughtfully. "I dreamed about it last night. I knew I should go find it if I could. It still has power, after all. It might still be important."

"Important." Kikyo took another look, invoking her inward senses, and realized that the arrow was just as filled with power as it was the day she had fired it at Inuyasha.

"I bet you could track Inuyasha with this." Kaede gave her a sideways look.

Kikyo winced, and looked away. "You know I can't," she said. "He chose to leave, because he's not safe. I have … I have to respect that decision."

"Even though he'll be human tomorrow night?" Kaede whispered.

She started. "Human?" she mouthed.

Kaede nodded vigorously. "You remember, what I told you, when you came back, and we thought he'd been killed? I saw him. I was with him."

Kikyo took the arrow, and stared at it, feeling the power. There were resonances in that power that she'd never felt with any other arrow, even with one imbued with an enduring sealing spell. Some of the resonances seemed to speak of a different miko; older, harder, grimmer. And some resonances seemed to have a flavor of youki: Inuyasha's youki. She could trace him with this, she realized. Perhaps even create a spell that would tell her how he was doing, if he were normal, or had fallen back into that horrible youkai mode.

She was tempted. Badly tempted. She wanted to know. She wanted him back.

But, she thought of what she was supposed to be doing, starting tomorrow.

"I can't," she whispered, looking away. "We have to go secure Tsubaki's place first. I insisted on going: I can't change now. And … and Inuyasha would flee if he sensed my looking for him."

"But—"

Kikyo made herself look back, though her eyes were starting to brim with tears. "Put it away, Kaede," she said, passing the arrow back. "You don't understand—you didn't see his face, when he said goodbye. He's too haunted by what he became, by what he could do, if he loses control. He won't come back on his own, not until he feels he's safe. If—if I tried to make him—how could I say I love him, and say I wanted what was best for him? It wouldn't be right."

Kaede looked away for a few moments, then finally sighed. "I guess you're right." She eased of the stack. "But, you will take it with you, won't you? I mean, you never know when you might need it."

Kikyo gave her a wan smile. "I will take it with me."

... ... ...

Inuyasha sat up, looked at his hands, and sighed.

Still human.

He rubbed his eyes and yawned. At least he did feel better this morning. Not so fuzzy. But definitely hungry, thirsty, and, well—

Standing up, he was pleased to note that his legs were steady, though his muscles were stiff, and complaining. Looking around, he recognized his surroundings. "Um, Bokuseno?"

The nearest wall formed a face. "Inuyasha-sama. You have a question."

"Uh, yeah. Like, where to I go to do, well, you know, the morning stuff? Someplace, uh, private?" He shifted his weight, starting to feel quite uncomfortable, for several reasons. Among other things, he couldn't help think that nothing could really be 'private' around a youkai tree.

"You may deposit your eliminations wherever you wish," replied Bokuseno with an air of indifference. "All of my roots can make use of your waste."

Inuyasha turned red. "I'm not doing it in the open!" he spluttered, having taken a good look around. He was in a clearing at least three of his lengths across, and with at least three trails, and anyone could come along at any time!

Bokuseno sighed. "Mobiles," he said, in a rustling, grumbling tone. Branches creaked, shifting, growing, next to one of the trails. "I am growing a private circle next to the right-most trail from where you stand. Use that, then follow the trail to water you may use for drinking and for cleaning. Cheiriyo insisted on overseeing your meal: I will tell him where he can send the food."

Inuyasha still felt a bit weird about doing certain things anywhere around a self-aware plant, but the tiny, leaf-curtained enclosure was much better than the alternative. A bit emptier than before, he walked briskly down the trail, finding at the end a very tiny pond, with a tiny fountain set in a boulder. Inuyasha stared at both, wondering if any of it was 'natural', or if it were all shaped by the tree. He was beginning to suspect that Bokuseno probably could be counted as a daiyoukai, though one very, very different from his own sire.

A quick sip from the fountain proved the water to be sweet and cool. Inuyasha eyed the pool, then mentally shrugged and began to strip. He was human, and Bokuseno had said he was safe. If the tree were lying, it wouldn't make a damn bit of difference if he had his clothes on or not, so he might as well enjoy what he could. Soap-root plants sprang in joyous abundance along the pool, and a saucer-shaped rock, accompanied by a round stone, was the perfect place the pound the suds from the roots. He soaped himself up, including his short hair, rinsed off with a convenient basket somehow made of leaves, and then waded in. It was surprisingly warm, a bit over waist-deep in the middle, and the base of the pond was thick with water-weeds, not mud. Inuyasha found a convenient place to sit, with the water neck high, and concentrated on the simple pleasure of sitting in warm water. He hadn't done this since—

Oh, no. He wasn't going to think about that recent part of his life until he had to.

Which triggered a thought?

"Hey, jiji," he called out. "Did you somehow keep me from dreaming last night?"

"After the events of yesterday, the healer requested that I do so, if I had such a spell," said the tree, not bothering with a face this time. "It was important that you have a period of peaceful sleep."

"Thanks, jiji." And he was, reflected Inuyasha. He couldn't remember the last night he'd slept without nightmares. Back to—no. Don't think about it.

He concentrated on his current position, moving his arms back and forth through the water, trying to ease the stiffness, feeling more than a bit sore. Had he really insisted on fighting that elk-youkai? Gah: from what he remembered of yesterday, he'd been just a bit crazy. Of course, discovering he was human outside of his regular cycle was probably enough to send any hanyo off. But, the fact of his humanity didn't seem to be bothering him this morning, so why was he so out of it yesterday? Maybe it was the lingering effects of that poison they'd fed him.

Or maybe the old tree had done something to his mind, to keep him calm.

Feh.

Enjoy it while it lasted.

.. … ...

The morning was clear, promising warming temperatures. Kikyo limped down the path leading to the meadow where the tanuki had been staying, Kaede pacing ahead of her. Both carried their bows and wore packs, but Kaede's was distinctly larger. When she had seen the pack at breakfast, Kikyo had frowned, but, after looking at Satsuki, and then Kaede in turn, had given up any thought of protesting. She was not that willing to argue with either of those two obdurate expressions, not, at least, while her right leg was still splinted and bound. She hobbled down the path, clinging to her crutch, while Kaede kept increasing the distance between them, only to pause to allow Kikyo to catch up to her.

Kikyo suspected it was deliberate.

The little brat.

As expected, Miyatsu was already at the tiny, warded graveside, rising up from a final set of prayers for the dead as Kikyo and Kaede came into view. Kikyo felt, again, a half-guilty stab of relief that Miyatsu had taken on that duty: she simply could not pray for Tsubaki's soul. Not while Inuyasha was missing. Not after what she had done to him.

The brown-furred, clothed tanuki was standing next to him, waves of apprehension coming off her rotund figure. "Myatsu-sama, who is that little girl?" she asked. "Is she coming, too? You didn't mention her, you just said the miko!"

The monk gave Kikyo a startled, puzzled look. "Ah, Yukuuku, I'm sur—"

Kaede interrupted. "Good morning, monk, Yukuuku-san. I'm Kaede, Kikyo-sama's younger sister. I'm coming with her to run errands for her. Thank-you very much for being willing to carry us—that's very nice of you."

The masked eyes widened. "Oh!" she said faintly. "I—um—it's-it's—um—my privilege."

Miyatsu gave Kikyo a hard look. She could guess his thought—what was Kaede up to? She didn't know, herself, but she gave the monk a beatific smile, then turned her attention to the tanuki.

"Let me add my own thanks, Yukuuku-san," she said, with a nod of her head. "You are saving me the discomfort of a long horseback ride, and I do appreciate it." She hesitated, then added, "Your mistress and I were enemies. But, I will strive not to speak ill of her in your presence."

The tanuki blinked at her, then bobbed in an awkward bow, her nervousness lessening. "Thank-you, miko-sama. Um, if, ah, should I go ahead and transform?"

"I'm ready, if they are," said Miyatsu. Kikyo and Kaede nodded..

Pulling a leaf out from her kimono and setting it on her forehead, the tanuki popped into a long, fat, vaguely-worm-shaped entity with dark brown fur, green eyes, and a striped tail. Miyatsu and Kaede helped Kikyo pull herself up to the youkai's back. Kaede handed up her pack, then scrambled up herself. But, instead of staying with the two adults at roughly the midpoint, she scrambled forward. "Hi, Yukuuku-san," she said brightly. "Do you mind if I ride up here? And can you talk in this form?"

"Of course I can talk," replied Yukuuku. "You are light. I don't mind where you ride."

"Okay! Thanks! This is going to be fun!"

Miyatsu had settled himself next to Kikyo, Kaede's pack before them, and staff, crutch, and bow placed between them. "Is she acting?" he muttered softly. "She sounds like a little kid."

Kikyo twitched a shoulder. "She is a kid," she noted drily.

"Not that much of a kid. She sounds like what—a five-year-old?"

"So?"

He frowned at her. "She's up to something."

"And that's a problem?" asked Kikyo, suppressing a smile.

He opened his mouth, then closed it. He looked away. Kikyo looked forward, and smiled to herself. Just what Kaede was up to, she didn't know. But, if it kept the monk off-balance, and made the tanuki less uncomfortable about her riders; that was no bad thing.

… … …

Inuyasha felt increasingly nervous as he followed the healer Cheiriyo on an almost-straight-line course that was taking them away from Bokuseno's trunk. "Where are we going?" he finally demanded.

"Ultimately, to find this black pearl of yours. Bokuseno has learned the location of the dark priestess' former habitation, and has summoned youkai to transport us there as quickly as possible."

"Youkai," Inuyasha echoed, with a deepening feeling of apprehension.

"They are allies both of Bokuseno and your late father," said Cheiriyo. "They will not harm you."

That didn't reassure him. They were youkai, he was human, and it was broad daylight. He'd felt safe enough, waking up, but, given the events of the day before, he reckoned that he might simply have worn out his capacity for fear, at least where the tree youkai was concerned. Either that, or the spell or whatever Bokuseno had used on him to keep him from having nightmares had also kept him feeling good, after he woke up. If that was the case, the spell had just decided to wear off.

Sunlight was blazing down onto a small meadow beyond a group of saplings. As they approached the saplings, Inuyasha spotted four other figures, squinting as he tried to make out details against the light. Two were quite tall, with the same lean figure and long, pale hair that his half-brother sported. They were even dressed mostly in white. Inuyasha wondered uneasily if they were relatives of Sesshomaru. Though their capes which did not suggest fur.

The two shorter figures were familiar enough to be recognizable. The taller, with the bushy tail behind her, had to be the kitsune, while the very short person with the too-tall staff had to be Jaken. He swore to himself, begging the kami to not let them be going on this trip with him.

The two tall figures shifted as Cheiriyo stepped out into the sunlight. "You are?" one of them demanded.

The healer bowed. "I am known as Cheiriyo, a healer." Straightening, he turned back and forced Inuyasha forward with a hand on his shoulder. "And this, my lords, is Inuyasha, son of the late Inu no Taisho."

Cold, glittering silver eyes studied him. Inuyasha gritted his teeth and made himself stand still. "This is the hanyo?" asked one of them, surprise and suspicion in his voice. "He appears human."

"Yes," said Cheiriyo. "The seal his sire placed on his taiyoukai blood was broken, and he was overwhelmed by his blood, driven mad. A—potion was given, which has, for now, eliminated his youki and transformed him into a human."

"Disgusting," muttered one of them. "The Inu-no-Taisho's son, reduced to that?"

"The alternative was worse," cut in Cheiriyo. "And we do not know whether the transformation was permanent."

They gave him another long look, and then glanced at each other. "We did agree to Bokuseno's request," one muttered, not nearly softly enough to not be heard, even by human ears.

"Let's just get this over with," sighed the other. "The sooner we start, the sooner we can get the stench out of our feathers."

With quick, jerky nods, they backed out into the clearing, and then turned their backs. Light flashed, and the two transformed into giant, silver-winged hawks. Inuyasha stared, and tried to step back. At least they weren't white dogs, as he'd feared, but youkai hawks? And he was going to ride on the back of one of those nasty snobs? Hell, no!

He didn't get a choice. Cheiriyo pulled him to the nearest, and literally tossed him onto the broad back. Inuyasha scrambled for a hold among the slick feathers, working his way up to the shoulders. "Lay down!" snapped the hawk, as he tried to ease back onto his knees. "Your weight's going to slow us down as it is, without you sticking up in the middle of the slipstream!"

Inuyasha hastily went down to his belly. Moments later, something landed on his back with a yip, then scrambled forward. A kitsune in full-fox form gave him a vulpine grin, then snuggled down against him. He glared at her. "What are you doing here, vixen?" he growled.

She grinned again and yipped, stretching her front paws in front of her. Inuyasha eyed the delicate feet sourly. "And how do you plan to hang out without hands? I ain't holding you."

Unnaturally long, sharply curved claws sprouted from her reddish-brown paws, hooking deftly into several feathers. Akeneka flattened her head between her paws, and squinted her eyes almost shut.

And she was still grinning.

"Showoff," Inuyasha muttered, sulking.

He wished that he at least had his claws back.

Inuyasha wished for that even more fervently moments later, when the silver hawk leaped into the air. It was an extremely powerful jump, nearly causing the human boy to lose his grip right then. He gripped as hard as he could, digging his toes into the hawk's back as best he could. The pull from the jump eased, but then the long, powerful wings swept down, jarring his hold again. Inuyasha clenched his jaws and squeezed shut his eyes, holding on with all of his strength. The hawk felt as if he must being flying only straight up, every downstroke another attack on his hands, which were rapidly growing numb. Hold on hold on hold on. The words repeated themselves over and over in his head, as his world narrowed to that one action, shutting out even the terror that would have consumed him had he opportunity to think.

Hold on!

... ... ...

The ride in the air was much more pleasant than Kikyo had anticipated. The tanuki's broad back was reassuringly supportive. Her hair was rapidly turning into a snarled mass, making her regret that she hadn't thought to braid it, and the wind whipped tears from her eyes, but she rapidly forgot those discomforts in the sheer wonder of being up in the air. She could see so much! It was a sweeping panorama of roads, fields, forests, meadows, rivers, lakes, and looming mountains. And that was in one direction: when she looked east, she could catch the glimmer of the sea.

"It's quite something, isn't it?" said Myatsu, grinning. "Last time, I was mostly concentrating on trying to add strength to my ofuda, and worrying I wouldn't be in time, but I admit, I couldn't help taking looking up a time or to."

"It's amazing," she said. Leaning forward a little bit, she eyed the village showing up on the horizon. She considered, the angle of the sun, and the direction Yukuuku was flying: "That must be Eiji's village—it's a long day's walk in good weather; and we've been traveling less than a candle-mark!"

"Eiji's—it's at a crossroad, right? The innkeeper's name is Hachiro? Has two daughters: the younger has an absolutely beautiful voice. And fills a kimono very nicely."

Kikyo gave him a withering look. "Do you ever think of anything besides women, houshi?"

"Of course I do!" he exclaimed, but his eyes were twinkling. "But, I should ignore the beauty that was placed here to be enjoyed?"

"Humph." Kikyo turned her attention back to the view. Ahead of her, Kaede was sprawled on her belly, apparently still talking with the tanuki, from the snatches of words that came barreling back in the rush of the wind. Kikyo didn't try to listen, opting instead to watch the country rolling by under the tanuki's belly.

The sun was rising to the zenith when the tanuki started descending. "You know, I think that may be the Koshu road," said Miyatsu. "I've been through here several times."

Kikyo didn't answer him, having spotted a building in what looked to be a clearing. There were no gardens or fields around it, and it didn't look to be particularly big. There was no visible path connecting it to the larger road, but the trees were thick enough between road and building to hide one.

It grew closer. Kikyo closed her eyes, reaching out with her miko senses. Almost immediately, she felt a bubble of power surrounding the building. "There's a barrier, tanuki!" she called out.

"Know it, I do!" called back the tanuki, her course starting to curve. "Landing outside! There's an entrance, keyed to me!"

She slowed her descent as she closed on the trees. Despite her claim, Kikyo was starting to wonder if she were going to hit the edge of the barrier. But, Yukuuku didn't, slowing and curving until she could settle down between two trees. "Off off off, humans!" cried the tanuki. "Before I forget and pop back!"

Myatsu quickly scrambled forward and grabbed Kaede's pack, sliding down the tanuki's side to the ground. Letting the pack go, he turned and raised his hands. Kikyo pitched the three pieces of wood to him, then gingerly eased herself around, and slid slowly towards the edge. Myatsu, stretching, caught her by her waist and lowered her the rest of the way, setting her gently to her feet.

He grinned at her, hands still on her waist. "Enjoy the ride, miko-sama? Reason not to destroy all youkai, no?"

"It was an interesting trip," she said evenly. "Now, if you will let go, and hand me my crutch, please?"

Myatsu gave a pretended pout. "Have you no sense of adventure?"

"Less than you, if you do not let go."

He released her with a sigh, and retrieved both her crutch and her bow. She accepted them with a curt nod. Behind her, the tanuki collapsed to her normal form with a loud pop, and then scurried ahead. "This way, humans," she called. "Though," she paused at a sudden thought, "I suppose the barrier may not let you through."

Kikyo snorted. "Even if Tsubaki were still holding that barrier personally, instead of having it tied to a ward-spell, I could walk through it. Her barriers are nothing, compared to mine."

"I suggest that it would be wiser to strengthen the barrier, than remove it," suggested Myatsu. "I can feel power objects from here. The lady presumably had a permanent barrier up for a reason."

Kikyo sighed. "True enough."

Kaede came to her side. "What do you think we'll find?" she asked, her single eye bright in her wind-flushed face. Kikyo reminded herself to locate her comb as soon as they had a safe place to sit down. Kaede's shoulder-length hair was a mad tangle: hers could only be worse.

"Trouble," she said curtly, forcing her mind away from personal matters. "Let's go."

… … …

He could not have said, ultimately, if the youkai beneath him was rising or falling, turning, or flying straight. He could feel neither his fingers nor his toes. The wind deafened him, and he dared not open his eyes. All he was really aware of was the need to keep his hands and feet unmoving, and to keep breathing. His head was frozen or on fire, his lungs were chilled or heated: he could not have said which. All he knew was the world of nightmare, wrapped around two needs: to hang on, and to breathe.

And then, suddenly, the slick back was no longer underneath him. Inuyasha was in the empty, open air, tumbling. His numbed brain tried to shout a warning, but he was too numb to comprehend what was happening. His eyes, blinking open in reflex, saw blue and white, replaced by green, and brown, then back to blue, and white, none of it identifiable. Vaguely, he realized that he was falling from the sky.

As a human...

Author's Note: Sorry, couldn't resist a cliff-hanger! Here's the next installment. Next chapter will hopefully be up before the end of the weekend! (02/02/2012)