February 22
This afternoon I took Moroha out for a walk in the village. Inuyasha had gone out with Miroku and I felt like we needed to get out a little bit while we waited for him to get home.
I carried Moroha strapped in her baby carrier and I also had my bow and arrows on my back; I had learned from last time to make sure I had some protection.
We walked until we were just past the village at a small cliff that overlooked the valley down below. It was a nice day. By now winter was starting to fade and spring was now trying to make an appearance. A colorful bird landed on the ground in front of us and Moroha pointed at it.
It made me giggle and we watched as the bird fluttered away. "Pretty isn't it?"
Moroha proceeded to stick her thumb in her mouth while she looked around in that fascinated way she always did.
Soon I heard some rustling in the bushes behind us. At first, I thought it was a small animal or even a demon. I wasn't expecting what I did see. It was a face I hadn't seen in such a long time, one that I thought I would never see again. I had to blink several times thinking I was going insane but it was still there.
"You," I said in utter shock at the sight of the sage I had met last summer while Inuyasha and I were on our anniversary trip.
"Yes, it's me," the sage replied. Instead of being in the creepy bat demon form, she looked like she had before she transformed: a woman in a long black cloak with white hair sticking out from her hood.
There was also a hateful look on her face and it made me nervous as I distinctly remembered what she had said the last time I had encountered her.
"What are you doing here?" I asked in a shaky voice.
"I see you're still alive, and your child too."
I held Moroha protectively. "Of course we are."
"You were supposed to have died! I put a curse on you!"
As the sage inched towards me, the look on her face became quite menacing. It actually made me very nervous.
"What do you want with me?" I said, trying to get something out of her.
"It's been my mission these few years to destroy priestesses. You're all one and the same, self-centered and evil. I've managed to exterminate a few of you."
As I stepped back again, I felt my foot almost slip. When I looked behind me, I found myself on the edge of the cliff. I immediately stepped away fearfully but the sage was still coming closer.
"Why are you doing this?" I said as my heart pounded.
"A priestess killed my sister. As a matter of fact, that priestess looked just like you."
"Kikyo?" I said softly.
"And that is why you must die!"
Everything happened so fast after that. The sage transformed into a bat demon and lunged straight for us.
I clutched Moroha tighter. "Wait…!" I instinctively stepped backward but that was a mistake. My foot went over the edge of the cliff this time and I fell backward screaming at the top of my lungs.
"AHHH!"
I held Moroha as tight as I could and as we were falling the only thing I could think of was Inuyasha; how heartbroken he was going to be when he found out what had happened to us, having not been able to save us. Tears brimmed in my eyes at the thought and I braced myself to hit the ground.
But we didn't. I opened my eyes and managed to think quickly. I grabbed onto a branch that was sticking out of the cliff. Then I made the mistake of looking down and saw that if I let go or if the branch broke it would be a long way down and there was a very slim chance we would survive that.
However, now that I had caught myself I was filled with a renewed sense of determination. Moroha was still strapped to my chest and was now crying. I had to be strong and save her.
I managed to pull us up to sit on one of the rocks protruding from the cliff and then I hugged Moroha to calm her down. "Shh, we're okay. Everything is alright, my love." I was reassuring myself just as much as I was reassuring her.
I glanced up from where we had fallen. It had to have been about a 15-foot drop and it made my stomach curl to think what would have happened if I hadn't managed to stop us from falling.
I was also extremely confused and afraid of the sage demon. She obviously had a vendetta against me and I worried that she would continue to come after me. I also knew that Inuyasha wouldn't stand for it. He would hunt her down as soon as he found out about this. I also wondered if she had reinforcements and if they would all try to come for him too. It seemed like my whole family was in danger and that scared me to death.
I would worry about the details later. All I knew was I had to get Moroha out of this dangerous situation. So I sucked up my fear and tried not to look down as I climbed back up the cliff.
The sage wasn't there anymore, but I saw footprints. I followed them and soon heard growling and screaming. Now I was running. What was going on?
Soon I saw them. There was a dead bat demon up against the base of a tree, covered in blood. Inuyasha stood in front of it.
"Inuyasha..." I said.
He turned around and I gasped when I saw that he was a full demon.
A couple from the village passed by likely taking an afternoon walk. When Inuyasha spotted them, he jumped in front of them and growled menacingly. The couple in front of him screamed fearfully at the sight of the demon in front of them. The bloodlust in Inuyasha's face was evident. Whatever he was going to do next wouldn't be good.
He raised his razor-sharp claws and the people gripped onto each other and turned away expecting to be slashed to bits.
"Inuyasha!" I shouted to divert his attention.
Sure enough, he turned to me but looked no less murderous. He bared his sharp claws and fangs and started growling at me. I took a step back, afraid of what he might do.
The couple took advantage of the distraction and ran. "Run away, Lady Priestess!" they called over their shoulders. "Save yourself from that horrible demon."
Unlike them, I wasn't afraid. I knew that underneath all of this was my husband, not a murderous demon.
He started coming towards us, and Moroha reached out for him but when she saw the unfamiliar face of her demon father she whimpered and turned away in fear.
He cracked his knuckles again and growled menacingly. But I stood my ground. I knew in my heart that Inuyasha would not hurt us.
"Inuyasha," I said soothingly.
"Stay away!" he exclaimed in his rough demon voice. He was warning us to stay away but then he looked poised to pounce at us.
"It's me, your wife. You don't want to hurt me, do you? And you don't want to hurt Moroha."
Slowly, he forced himself to lower his claws. The demon in him was trying to control him and he was using all of his willpower to try to stop.
I began to inch closer to him. "That's it," I said softly. "Don't let your demon instinct take over you."
I was always the one thing that could bring Inuyasha back to normal when he was like this. If I could reach out to him, I could purify him, but I had to be careful. He was so unpredictable right now.
"I love you, Inuyasha. I know you won't hurt us."
Finally, when I got close enough I pulled him into a tight embrace.
Instantly, he gained his consciousness and he hugged us back tightly.
"Are you okay now, Inuyasha?" I asked. When I looked up at him, he still had sharp fangs and the stripes were still on his face. His eyes were still red but I could tell the demon in him was no longer controlling him.
"Don't ask about me." Although he still looked like a demon, his voice was back to normal. "Are you okay Kagome? You're not hurt are you?"
"Just a little sore, but we're okay."
He looked down at Moroha who was still afraid. "Hey, baby girl. I know I look weird right now but I'm still the same daddy."
She smiled a toothless smile, reassured by the sound of his voice. He smiled as well and ran his hand through her hair, being extra gentle with his sharp claws. Then hugged us again.
"I can't believe I let this happen. I was just so upset...I was so afraid I'd lost you two," his voice cracked as he spoke. "I saw the sage standing at the edge of the cliff. She said you were gone...and something in me just broke…"
Tears stung my eyes again at the thought of what he must have gone through thinking that we had been murdered. I hugged him tightly to comfort him. I don't know how I would have reacted if I were in his place.
"I must have been so emotional that it started to take over me...but I didn't care anymore. I let it happen. I didn't care if I turned into a full demon and killed everything in sight. I didn't care if my soul was devoured. If you were gone, I would have had nothing else to live for."
"We're here," I said gently. I looked into his eyes and found tears running down his cheeks but his face had changed back to normal. "It's okay," I said as I brushed them away. "We're here and we're okay."
He put his forehead on mine. "I'm so glad." He was so upset that he was shaking.
"I love you, Yasha," I said as I started to pull away but he immediately pulled me back.
"No! Don't let go of me," he said in a voice full of panic. "My dream...I don't know what I'll do. I could change back and I don't want to hurt you."
"I'll let go slowly, okay? I know you won't hurt us. I trust you." I moved back until only my hands were holding his hands. All the while he looked very worried but I had faith in him. Finally, I let go. Nothing changed. He remained as the same half demon Inuyasha that I love. I hugged him again. "Are you my husband again?"
He pulled back and looked into my eyes. "Does this answer your question?" Then he kissed me so deep and passionately that it almost knocked the wind out of me.
Afterward, I smiled and nodded. "Yes."
Moroha reached out to him and he took her in his arms. "Hey, sweetie." She looked up at his face as if trying to make sure that he was the same as always. "Daddy's back to normal now. You don't need to worry." She smiled and he kissed her.
I took his hand. "Let's go home, Inuyasha."
We began to walk hand-in-hand back to our house.
"Inuyasha, how did you know to come there for me?" I asked.
"I heard you scream," he replied. "I was at Miroku and Sango's house, Miroku and I had just gotten back. As soon as I heard you screaming I took off."
"I'm still glad you came."
"I'm glad you're still alive."