Sam growled, "This rain has been going on for ages. It's unnatural."
The group had just finished breakfast and were currently lounging about. Most of the men were sharpening their weapons or smoking their pipes. The sole female in the group was stitching up some holes in her clothes.
Kagome let out a small chuckle, "It has only been a day, Sam. It is very natural, I assure you. Besides, there must have been a break sometime last night and started pouring again during the early morning."
"Indeed," Boromir pitched in, "It stopped raining for a while during my watch."
Sam grumbled about perfect quick showers in the Shire. Kagome shook her head and put down her fixed clothes. Grabbing some food, she walked over to the group of Hobbits who were chatting quietly.
When she got closer, she asked, "Second breakfast anyone?" The loud, excited voices of agreement filled the air. She sat down and handed everyone some bowls. As they ate, Kagome quietly watched them eat, getting lost in her own thoughts.
Her lips quirked up while she watched Sam fuss over Frodo's thinning body. She heard him say that it wasn't proper for any Hobbit. Apparently, he hadn't been eating much lately, refusing seconds during the rare times they had enough to spare.
Normally, Kagome would have chalked it up to his understanding of the importance of saving food, but she knew it wasn't the whole truth.
She could see it in his eyes. They've seen too much. She knew because they were the same kind of eyes that she saw in the mirror at age fifteen. The Ring was weighing down on his soul, much like the Shikon Jewel when it was corrupted.
At least, the Shikon would sometimes work in her favor. The Ring would never be that kind. She made a mental promise that she would help him in whatever way she could. No one should have to lose themselves like that.
An annoyed, but amused voice snatched her from her thoughts. "Pippin, this is my bowl! You have your own!"
"Well, yeah, but I want to taste yours," was the reply.
"They're the same dish!"
Kagome laughed. This was awfully similar to the time when Ginta and Hakkaku stayed at their camp for dinner.
Actually, their conversation was almost the same….Weird, she thought.
Her blue eyes traveled down to the Hobbits' feet and was suddenly reminded of the other reason she came to their little gathering.
"Merry, let me see your foot," she said.
The two Hobbits quit their quarreling, their eyes filling with confusion. Slowly, Merry shifted his leg so that Kagome could have a better look at it.
"What do you need my foot for?"
What do I- Oh. Realization hit her like a boulder. She remembered that Hobbits pride their feet and touching another's feet was a personal, almost intimate, thing to do.
She smiled reassuringly, "I'm not going to touch your feet, Master Hobbit. I don't think we know each other well enough for that, ne?" Four pairs of Hobbit eyes stared at her with wide eyes. "I just want to heal your injury."
Seeing that Merry did not refuse, she hovered her hand over the swelling ankle. She called on her powers and soon felt the familiar sizzling sensation rise from her core and into her arm. Unbeknownst to her, all eyes of her companions were glued to the pick glow of her hand.
Merry's jaw went slack when he saw the light, and his body followed when a calming warmth enveloped his ankle and spread throughout his body. He felt the aches and pains from his body leave him in a matter of seconds. Even after Kagome's hand stopped glowing, he still felt the peacefulness that had surrounded him.
"Try standing up," Kagome said.
Merry blinked in a moment of confusion; he had honestly forgotten about his injury as he was too focused on the sudden but welcome warmth.
Slowly, he made his way up to standing position surprised to find that there was no pain. In fact, he felt energized and ready for the road again.
"This is amazing, Kagome!" Merry laughed as he spun on his heel. "Thank you," he exclaimed as he gave her a hug.
Kagome hugged back. "Of course, Merry. Anytime."
"Kagome," Frodo asked hesitantly, "How did you know about our feet?"
"How did you know about second breakfast," Merry pitched in.
"How do you know anything about Hobbits at all," Pippin summarized.
"Not to be rude or anything," Sam quickly added.
Kagome smiled. She should have known these questions would come. Actually, she should have known a lot of things, but her mind was a bit slow the past few days.
"No, you're not being rude. Don't worry, Sam. To answer all of your questions, I learned a lot of what I know from Bilbo." She turned to Frodo. "I met your Uncle on his journey with his Dwarven company. I actually ran into Gandalf while he was scouting ahead."
She made a show of hiding her mouth as if she was about to whisper only to speak loud enough for everyone in the cave to hear before continuing, "But really, I think he was sulking because the company's leader, Thorin Oakenshield, refused to see Lord Elrond."
She heard a huff of annoyance behind her, and she winked at the Hobbits. "I accompanied Gandalf as he made his way back to the company when I sensed something evil in that direction. He made haste to get back to your uncle while I scouted the surroundings to make sure there were no other enemies in the vicinity.
"Gandalf had already dealt with the trolls by the time I arrived, so I healed the members who had gotten a beating during the whole ordeal. That was where I started learning about the Shire since I'd never been there at the time, and Bilbo was very eager to talk about his home." Kagome paused in thought, "I think he was lonely at the time and craved for interaction since the Dwarves hadn't warmed up to him then. Anyhow, our conversation was cut short when Radagast the Brown-"
"Who's Radagast?" asked Pippin.
"Another wizard and Gandalf's cousin," she answered.
"He has a cousin?"
"Apparently," she chuckled, "So, Radagast comes in screaming bloody murder about trouble and evil doings. That was where Bilbo and I parted ways because I joined Radagast. I didn't see Bilbo until Beorn's house. That was where we talked more about Hobbit habits and Hobbit society.
"That was the last time I saw Thorin's company because I had business elsewhere. I do wish I could have seen them at least once more," Kagome admitted with a small frown of regret. "I know I could have helped somehow, but some things are just meant to be, I suppose."
She shook her head before saying, "I finally visited the Shire with Gandalf years later. I even saw all of you as fauntlings, but I doubt you would remember me. You were too young."
Kagome smirked as the Hobbits laughed and continued joking around.
It was around noontime when the rain finally died down. The group was starting to prepare to head out again, but before they cleaned everything up, Kagome suggested that they stay one more night.
"You guys have been on the road for so long. When was the last time you took a break?" She added, "Not counting last night."
"Not once, no," complained Pippin.
"Yeah, let's stay here for a while. Can we?" asked Sam.
Gimli grunted, "Another night's rest would be most welcome."
"Yes, but it is safer if we keep moving," Aragorn argued.
"But this is a very safe cave," commented Gandalf.
Merry turned to the ring bearer. "Frodo?"
With all of the eyes on him, Frodo swallowed before saying, "I would like to stay one more night."
Kagome smiled and started making a stew for lunch as the Fellowship went on to do their own things. Sam came over to help Kagome cook.
"What do you think of adding some basil or rosemary into the stew, Sam?"
Sam pursed his lips in thought before he answered, "We should add basil. Mr. Frodo doesn't like rosemary as much."
Kagome gave him a side glance, but nodded in acknowledgement. They worked together in relative silence until all they had to do was wait for the stew to come into a boil.
"You care for Frodo a lot, don't you Sam?"
Sam looked up in surprise, though Kagome could not guess what he was surprised about. She watched as the Hobbit recollected himself.
"Yes, I do, Kagome," he said quietly. "My family has been working for the Baggins Family for years. I've known him since we were faunts. It's hard not to care for someone who has become your best friend." His gaze settled on Frodo who was laughing at some joke Merry and Pippin said.
Kagome paused for a moment. "He is lucky to have you by his side," she said. "You play an important role."
Sam scoffed, "Me? No, I'm not important. Frodo is the one with the Ring. He's important. Aragorn and Legolas are royalty, Gimli is a strong fighter, and Boromir is the son of the Steward of Gondor. They are important."
"And Merry and Pippin?"
"They are Frodo's cousins. That makes them important. I'm just a gardener. I'm here because Gandalf caught me listening to them talking about the Ring. I wouldn't be here otherwise. Like I said, I am not important."
Kagome looked at him sadly. She knew that thought process. She knew it very well.
"Sam." He looked back up at her. "You are the one tasked with taking care of Frodo. This journey will take a terrible toll on his mind, body, and soul. You've seen it start already," she said with a knowing eye.
Sam nodded and she continued, "There will be a time when he cannot support himself on his own. He will need to lean on somebody though he won't know it. That is where you come in, Sam. You know Frodo best, and during dark times, that may be more than he will know himself."
Sam listened with wide eyes before an emotion flitted in his eyes and he looked into the fire. Kagome let him think about it while she stirred the stew.
"How do you know?" he said. She turned around to look at the Hobbit who was hugging his knees. "How do you know he will need me, Kagome?"
Kagome put down the wooden ladle and sat next to Sam. "I've been in a similar position." She felt eyes on her, but she kept her gaze on the ground. "I had my own group of friends a very long time ago. They were amazing and so, so talented. They knew how to survive on their own in what seemed to me as any situation. And they were strong and very powerful." She smiled at the memories of her past with no little amount of melancholy.
"I was not even an adult at the time," she continued. "I didn't know how to fight, much less survive on my own. I was the odd one out."
A girl out of her time.
"I didn't think of myself as special. I was only a tool they could use. It wasn't until much later when I realized I played a more important role than just a replaceable member of the group."
She turned to finally look at Sam who looked at her with a shocked expression. "I was a mother, a sister, and a best friend. I was the one my friends turned to when their weight became too heavy to carry. I was the one they could turn to in their time of need. I didn't even realize it, just as you don't realize it. Trust me, Sam. You are far more important than you think."
Kagome put a hand on the Hobbit's chin and closed his gaping mouth. Neither of them said anything even after the handed out bowls of stew to the rest of the group. The priestess didn't take offence to Sam's silence. He had a lot to think about after all.
Kagome sat near Gandalf meaning to ask him about the quest, but before she could get a word in, Gimli spoke up.
"So, lass," he started, "You met Bilbo on his adventure which means you met my father."
"Yes, Gloin is a fine Dwarf. You must be proud to be his son."
"Fine Dwarf, indeed! Not just any Dwarf would go on a quest to face a dragon," Gimli boasted.
Kagome shook her head in amusement. "There was some talk among the Dwarven company that some dwarfling threw a tantrum when he found out that he wasn't allowed to join the quest."
Turning a sly smirk at Gimli who gulped rather comically, she said, "Do you know who that would be, Gimli, son of Gloin?"
Gandalf guffawed next to her while Gimli turned an alarming shade of red.
"Oh my, Gimli," Kagome exclaimed, trying hard to conceal her mirth, "You look unwell. Are you ill?"
"That's not nice, lass," the dwarf finally spoke. "And it was not a tantrum!"
Laughter filled the cave.
A/N: Surprise, I'm not dead! Heh, it only took me another year to update. Well, lucky for you, I know exactly where this fic is going to go from here. That being said, I'm going to try to update in a few weeks at least! I hope all of you are staying safe in these trying times. Love you all!