A/N: The chapter got a bit too long and took too long to write, so I decided to cut it in half and post the first part of it now.
Thank you all for continuing love and support for the story, along with patience.


Smoke Against the Sky


Kagome poured water from her bucket into a shallow dent in the ground next to the coop. The chickens observed her, obviously already accustomed to their new house. It was good, spooked chickens wouldn't lay egg. Still, she didn't hope for any for the next day or two.

The reason being a bunch of canines running around.

The whole pack came to meet the new inhabitants of the den, tails wagging, ears perked, faces hopeful. She giggled, hearing Inuyasha giving the dogs 'no eating chickens' talk, a similar one to the one he had told Shippou at lunch. The kit sat on the engawa railing of the house, nibbling at a rice ball he'd gotten as a consolation for the fish stolen by Inuyasha.

When she focused her sight and looked for their youketsu, she could see their youki, not as agitated as before, rubbing against each other, the weird light less bright now, merely a thin line.

"What is that weird look for?" Inuyasha asked and Kagome glared at him.

"I was looking between your youki," she said with a shrug and went to put the bucket away in the small storage shed. When she came out of it, she found Inuyasha looking away into the forest, or rather above the tree tops. She could see a pillar of dark smoke rising from behind the wall of trees.

She gasped and covered her mouth with a hand when she saw this sight for the first time in her life, but she knew what it was.

A signal of distress, a silent cry for help, a plea of humans inhabiting the wild forest for the supernatural guardian of the woods to save them, to defend their lives.

And it came from the direction of Sunset Village. Her heart started pounding when she realized that it could be lit because of a youkai attack or bandits. Who knew who was injured or dead? She swallowed at the thought of her four friends and mother, and some other people that had been nice to her over the past months. Even if that had been just an act, she'd not want anyone of them harmed.

Shippou leaped to her shoulder before she turned to Inuyasha, the familiar weight of the kit on her shoulder comforting.

"Will you go?" she asked the forest spirit in a tiny voice, her hand hovering in between them, reflecting her anxiety. She wanted him to go and save the village, be the benevolent forest guardian. But at the same time she didn't want to part with him.

She wanted to go with him, even if to just make sure her mother was alright. Would the villagers have ever accepted her help if she offered?

Inuyasha cocked his ear her way before he glanced at her.

"Feh, I will. You two can go, if you want to, but you have to stay back until it's s safe.:

"We will stay out of the way," Shippou assured Inuyasha, and just like that the forest spirit left the den, moving at a pace so fast that he appeared like a blur passing by the forest.

"I..." Kagome picked Shippou from her shoulder to hug him. It was as calming as hugging Buyo at home. "I'm not sure I should go. I mean... I left and..."

"You smell like you wanna go," the boy pointed out. "And if the pesky humans are acting disrespectful, I'll bite them on the ankles and teach them a lesson."

That bold statement made her smile. She gave a firm nod, deciding that he was right, she was not exiled, at least not officially. She was no longer of the village, but that didn't mean she couldn't go there. And since they requested the forest spirit's help, it made sense that those of his den joined him, even if there was no need of their assistance.

Armed with her bow and arrows in a quiver slung over her shoulder, with her limited supply of medical aid in a basket, Kagome climbed on the pink balloon and stroked its soft furry top when Shippou took off, following Inuyasha at a slower speed.

The smoke was now just a thin, frail streak against the bright sky, the call fire no longer fed new wood.

.

When they reached the village, they saw a handful of men, armed with pitchforks and spears, gathered near ruins of a barn, where Inuyasha stood over a black, multi-legged body of a centipede youkai. A group of villagers was herding the scared cows that has fled the barn during the youkai attack.

"What the hell is this supposed to mean?" Kagome heard Inuyasha barking at the group of men, including the headman and the head hunter. "She was not worth my time! Couldn't Kaede take care of her?"

Shippou landed on the ground and Kagome picked the fox boy before approaching Inuyasha slowly. She caught the worried, pleading looks some of the men sent her way.

The centipede's limbs were still twitching, but her youki was already fading. Inuyasha spat at the ground and flicked black blood off his claws.

"Lady Kaede currently is not in the village, my lord," the headman informed, bowing his head. "Please, accept our gratitude for your assistance, and our apology."

"Where is she?" Kagome asked, anxiety in her voice. Her mother was rarely leaving the village, unless to tend to ill in the River Village or to travel to the shrine where she had been trained.

"Lady Kagome," it was Ken who answered, when the headman looked worriedly at the hanyou grumbling under his breath. "Lady Kaede left the village a few hours ago, going to the forest with a trio of youkai. It had to be an urgent matter, because she haven't stopped to talk to anyone about it."

Well, that was odd. Youkai approaching miko and requesting assistance were strange. Youkai that wanted to interact with humans in a civil way usually approached those without reiki. And her mother would never just up and leave the village, even if it was to help a youkai. She'd have told someone where she was going or would've asked for a handful of men to help her. She was no longer a young priestess overflowing with reiki and she tired easily.

"Um..." she started, but at the same time a group of girls ran out from behind a hut and towards her.

"Kagome!" they called. She tensed, recognizing her four friends. She wasn't sure she wanted to talk to them right now. Shippou looked up to her face and climbed to her shoulder to press his cheek against hers.

"Don't worry," he murmured in her ear. "I'll protect you."

It was hard not to smile at his sweet promise, she was pretty sure he wouldn't really attack the girls, but the other supernatural being beside her could. And he was already growling, which luckily made the running girls slow down and then stop at a respectful distance.

"Hey, guys," Kagome said, feeling a wave of relief washing over her. She didn't want more animosity between the village and the forest spirit, especially since Inuyasha still seemed to be much easier to be angered. Not that his usual patience was huge, but since the festival he had been adamant about not letting anyone, except Shippou and the dogs, get close to her.

She was thankful for that, since she knew he was doing that to protect her, but she hoped he would eventually let her go around and interact with those people who weren't hostile. She looked at her friends.

"Kagome, we were looking for you," said Yuka.

"I... I know. I'm sorry," the healer bowed her head. She just wasn't sure how to act around them anymore. She didn't want to see them hating or pitying her. "I just..."

"We saw the youkai that took Lady Kaede," Sakura interrupted her impatiently. "We tried to find you in the forest to tell you."

Kagome looked up and blinked.

"The big one looked intimidating," Ayumi said from behind her sisters "A real strong youkai, like the ones only the forest spirit can take down."

"Oh," Kagome uttered. She felt Inuyasha's youki swell for a moment as he took a step forward.

"He said..." Ayumi's eyes widened when she saw Inuyasha looking straight at her and it was Yuka, who finished the sentence.

"He said that now, that he has Lady Kaede, he will be marrying his bride soon," she said. A chorus of gasps joined Kagome's as they all heard the news.

"We tried to find you and ask you to save her," Sakura informed. "We went back to the forest and tried to find the forest spirit's den, but we were just going in circles."

"I guess the old lady is going to be a wife now, so you're out of priestesses," Inuyasha snorted.

"My lord, please, can't you do anything to save her?" the headman asked. "I'm sure there must be some magic at work, Lady Kaede never spoke about wishing to marry, especially at her age."

Kagome looked to Inuyasha. The villagers couldn't retrieve their miko without the aid of the forest spirit, if the youkai was strong enough to abduct the old priestess, he was surely mightier than a bunch of humans with crude spears. Inuyasha looked at them all with no emotion visible on his face. One ear was cocked her way.

Her mother was in trouble, probably bewitched. What kind of youkai would want to marry an old lady, a miko at that? It made no sense, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that she needed to be rescued.

"Inuyasha..." she started, joining the pleading villagers around them. Over the past months his relationship with her mother had been steadily warming up to a 'I-pretend-I-dislike-you' kind of friendship. but she wasn't sure what he was going to do about that. The youkai was certainly from beyond the borders of his forest and Inuyasha hated to leave his domain. The youkai was of unknown power, what if he was as strong as Lord Sesshomaru? Inuyasha could handle most youkai, but a being of such power could be too much for him. But there was no one else who could have at least a shadow of a chance. "Please, can we go get my mom back?"

"We?" he turned her way, ignoring the startled humans as he growled and glared at her. "What does 'we' mean, wench?"

"We. Like - you, Shippou and me," she said, her voice stronger now.

"Yeah, we're a team," the kit backed her up. "We can handle any foe together!"

"You're delusional," Inuyasha informed the kit. "And you - what are you going to do about fighting a youkai your old woman couldn't fight off?"

"She's my mom. And you might need a miko, you know. I want to help," she glared back at him, not fearing his ire any bit.

"You have no way of making me take you to a battle, woman!"

Now, born out of her concern for her mother and the anger at the antagonistic barking of the forest spirit, Kagome did something she never had done before. She rested her hands on her hips.

"O..." she wasn't going to use the kotodama, even if a big part of her wanted to. But he didn't have to know she wasn't going to subjugate him. "su..." his eyes widened, as if just now he realized, what she was saying. " wa..." she trailed off. She was staring straight in his eyes, determination and defiance in her eyes, a clear challenge.

"We go!"

"Thank you!" she smiled happily and climbed on the back he offered to her. They had to move much faster than Shippou could on his own. The kit giggled as he took a position on Inuyasha's shoulder. As soon as Inuyasha grabbed her legs, he leaped forward, leaving the village behind.

"Lady Kagome's power is truly unique and strong," said the headman, rubbing his chin as he watched the forest spirit disappear in the trees.

"Let's just be thankful that we will get Lady Kaede back," Ken shook his head.

There was no doubt in the villagers' minds - the forest spirit chose to save the priestess only because of Lady Kagome. And she was going to make sure that he would bring her back soon.

.

Lady Kimiko wasn't smiling.

A small group of her court ladies was huddled together in a far corner of the audience room of a small mansion located near the eastern border of the Western Lands.

The Lady of the West was sitting on her pillow, motionless like an ivory statue, a frown on her face. She held a letter in her hand, one brought to her by one of the Chinese youkai.

"I have the miko. I will be joining you soon. Your groom," was all the letter said in big, bold letters.

The joyful atmosphere of the mansion, where the ladies had been enjoying themselves during their short trip out of the Western Palace, was gone now.

"My lady?" asked a tanuki daring to approach the frowning inu.

"How could he fail? He'd taken my pup's arm and couldn't fend off a piglet?" she muttered to no one in particular, making the tanuki blink.

It was known in the court, that this winter the young lord had been defeated and injured in a battle. His arm was still to grow back. Some had tried to use his weakened state to kill him, just to be killed themselves. Neither the lord, nor the lady, had spoken about who had been so powerful to defeat the Lord Sesshomaru.

It seemed, that whoever it was, he was living in this area. And that the lady had sent the Chinese youkai to him to get him killed. But somehow her plan was foiled and now the Chinese youkai was coming to the manor to demand the right of being the Lady's spouse. A pig ruffian ruling in the ancient house of Lunar Akita of the West?

Was the world going to an end?

.

Master was annoyed. He was trying to hide it, but she knew. She could sense it in how tense the muscles of his magnificent, strong back were when he carried her.

Her tiny, weak human legs were too old to carry her fast enough for his liking, so he carried her. His two friends had gone ahead, to warn whoever was waiting for him on the other side of the forest.

She was enjoying her ride, the firm hold of the master on her to make sure she was safe on his back as he ran, grunting to himself. She'd tried to talk to him, tell him how happy she was that he was her master, that he'd chosen her despite her age and lost eye. She felt a bit like a young girl, stolen away from her father's house by her sweetheart, to start a new life with him somewhere far away/

Her mind was full of fog. She knew that she had many memories, thoughts and plans, but since the master had come to her life all of it was not important anymore. She didn't even want to think about her life before the master.

The forest was moving rapidly past her, as the tornado called forth by the master, carried them even faster than his legs could. His companions returned to his side and soon they left the woodlands, coming to a plain with many small lakes scattered across the uneven ground. A mansion stood over the land, located on the side of a hill that rose over the landscape.

She was able to only watch in amazement as they made their way across the land, straight towards the manor. The master ran through the opened gate into a big yard in front of the main building. On the second story engawa gathered a handful of youkai people. She felt perfectly safe with the master so close by, so she smiled at the gathering. They looked like they were all of high birth, definitely higher youkai, each in ornate robes and with distinct features.

Among them stood a woman in purple, with two tails of silver hair falling on her back. Her golden eyes were narrowed and her face was as pale as the moon. Upon her forehead was the mark of a crescent moon.

"I'm back!" the master exclaimed and put his burden on the ground, so everyone could see her. She smiled, seeing the stunned looks on all their faces. The lady in purple stared in shock.

"Impossible," she said.

"Oh, it's very possible! Look," master turned to her and grunted. "So, you're the miko of the village in Inuyasha no Mori, right?"

"Yes, master," she said, happy she could please her master.

"And I brought you here safely and with no fighting, right?"

"Yes! I am very happy to be with you, master," she nodded eagerly.

Woman!" the silver-haired lady spoke."How come you're so old and without an eye? I saw you the last winter and you were a young girl." The human didn't answer, too busy looking at her master with her one good eye full of admiration. "Free her from your spell."

The whispering between other youkai stopped and the smile on the master's face faded a bit. Then, reluctantly, he lifted the golden circlet from her head.

Kaede blinked, feeling as if she was woken from a deep slumber. She looked around and gasped, when she looked to where a gathering of youkai stood. Near her was the boar youkai and his two companions,

"What happened? Where am I?" she asked. The youkai lady standing on the edge of the engawa, hands casually resting on the red painted railing, caught her attention. She had the same coloring Inuyasha had, but her power was far superior compared to the youkai surrounding her.

"What happened to you, Kagome? You are an old human and your scent is different," the woman spoke. There was no hostility in her, only curiosity, as was in those around her. They were wary of her, unsure what she was going to do, but none seemed eager to attack.

So, there was no reason to panic and worry, at least for now. They most certainly were intelligent enough to reason with.

Kaede chuckled at the question. "This is easy to answer, lady youkai. I am not Kagome. May I ask you, from where do you know my daughter's name? And were it you, who ordered these three to kidnap me from my village?"

The silver-haired lady's golden eyes lit up at her words, while the boar youkai stared, gaping at the old miko.

"I am terribly sorry," the lady spoke to the boar. "I cannot marry you, since you failed at your task."

"What? But she is a miko from Inuyasha no Mori, just like you wanted! She counts!" the boar complained.

"I meant the other miko," the lady shook her head. "This one is a regular miko, no offense, not the special one I wanted."

"I demand a second chance! Now I will bring the right miko!" the boar flailed his arms.

"I think you will not," came a deep growl from the gate of the manor. Kaede turned her head that way and smiled when she saw Inuyasha, with Kagome and Shippou at his side. Her daughter had her bow ready to shoot.

The lady with silver hair and the moon gasped loudly and threw her hands to the sides, causing any youkai of her group who might've wanted to engage the newcomers to freeze motionless.

"Oh, a rogue! What a terrible fate brought him here?" she exclaimed dramatically. "Stay back, my ladies, don't gaze upon his foul form!"

"Shut up, crazy bitch!" Kaede felt a wave of warmth when she heard Inuyasha bark. The only foul thing about the forest spirit was his language.

"Tell me, did you hear that the one who brings to me miko Kagome will become my groom? Is it why you stole her before Chokyukai could kidnap her? Oh, by the Moon, am I now to be wed to this foul creature?"

"Hey!" Inuyasha yelled. "I ain't...!"

"Ha!" the boar - Chokyukai - exclaimed. "I will fight for you, lady! I will defeat the hanyou and give you the right miko as my wedding gift!"

Kaede looked at the grimace on Kagome's face, before she glanced back to the silver lady. She noticed her gaze and winked at her before gesturing her company to stay back and just enjoy the show.

A/N: Sess Mom is low key my fav background character. I think it shows in this chapter.