Disclaimer: As usual, I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.
Kagome wandered the halls, half wondering why Inuyasha wasn't with her since she was sure that he'd follow her, and half wondering about the Wisdom. Now that she knew that it was almost certain that she'd get the Wisdom, she felt…somehow happier…more complete. It was weird. Even the Wisdom's throbbing power had dulled somewhat. 'Strange.' She thought to herself. She paused for a moment, feeling a different kind of power. A dark and luminous power that seemed to fill her for a moment before suddenly disappearing. 'Even stranger.' She laughed hesitantly to herself.
'What should I do?' She looked around herself at the walls that loomed on either side of her. Even though it was starting to get late, she really didn't feel like going to bed. Kagome decided to wander the halls like Yanto had mentioned she could, peering into different rooms every once in awhile. Most seemed unused and bare, or others were obviously for meetings or eating. It was strange for Yanto to have such a big house when it seemed as though only he and some of his servants lived in it. 'I wonder if he had a large family and they died in the fire?' She asked herself, a little startled by the idea of the ghosts of dead Maja's creeping around the house.
Kagome suddenly turned around, suddenly having this strange sensation that someone was right behind her. "Yanto? Inuyasha?" She asked hesitantly. There was no one. 'My imagination?' She suddenly wished that Inuyasha were with her. 'Where is he? He could have easily caught up with me by now! I hope he didn't decide to pick a fight with some poor Maja roaming the halls.' She smiled at the thought.
After Yanto had rudely walked out without answering Inuyasha's question, the hanyou wasn't sure whether he should go find Kagome before she ended up getting into trouble again, or going after that tree and forcing an answer. Either one sounded interesting, but he finally settled on searching for Kagome. 'Who wants to look for trees anyway?' He growled grumpily, wishing that Yanto would stop asking and telling him weird stuff. He soon caught up with her, but stayed cloaked in the shadows as a sudden thought hit him. If he went out and made it known that he was trying to find her, she would think that he WAS trying to find her. He wasn't sure what sense it made, but he figured it would be better to just make sure she stayed okay until that girl decided to look for him.
"Yanto? Inuyasha?" Kagome suddenly said, sounding a bit unsure of herself. 'Damn, she must have sensed me…what kind of youkai am I when I can't even hide from a human, even if its Kagome!' He thought to himself. 'And why the hell did she say Yanto's name before mine!!'
Kagome continued to walk forward, then turned around and sighed. She suddenly looked determined about something and took a few steps back the way she came from, forcing Inuyasha to duck low to avoid being seen. Luckily, the halls were dark and Kagome soon stopped, turned around yet again and with one exasperated sigh hit the side of one of the stone walls with one of her hands. "I am an idiot." She said after a moment, then laughed out loud to herself, but the laugh sounded forced and strangely sad. "How could I have fallen….in…." She trailed off.
"What's with you?" Inuyasha said, forgetting momentarily that he had decided to remain hidden. Kagome jumped at his voice and looked at him, a flash of fear and surprise in her eyes.
"N-nothing." She said and turned away from him. "I just-" 'She doesn't seem like herself,' Inuyasha couldn't help but think. "I-I…DON"T EVER SCARE ME LIKE THAT AGAIN!" She suddenly screamed at him.
"Huh?" He was completely taken back from her abrupt change in attitude. "I scared you? You're the one walking aimlessly down the halls mumbling to yourself! At least I went and looked for you before you got lost and became tree food!" He snapped back.
"I'm not the one sneaking in the shadows jumping out on people!" She yelled. "Especially when they are thinking!"
"Well normal people think in their head, not out loud where everyone can here them!"
"I THOUGHT I was alone! You were taking so long I thought you decided not to follow me!" She cried.
"Follow you? Why would I follow around my slave?" He taunted. Kagome tilted her head down so he couldn't read her expression. Her clenched fists and slight trembling though told him he had hit a nerve. 'Maybe I shouldn't have called her my slave…' He thought to himself. "Kagome…"
"In…u…ya…sha…" She said bitterly. "If all I am is your slave…then please say that right now." Her face was still hidden by the shadows and her voice sounded deadly serious. Inuyasha gulped.
"Well…um…" He stuttered. 'I…don't really think of her as a slave…though I should…but if I say that I don't, will she…leave me?' Those thoughts took him by surprise and he mentally growled at himself in anger. 'Stupid thoughts to have right now.'
"AM I or AM I not a slave to you!" She yelled. "Is that all I am to you? An unruly slave! An annoyance that you have to drag around just because you need those little rocks that only she can see!"
"Of course not!" He snapped back, then paused, realizing what he said. "I mean…" 'If I say that I don't consider her my slave, then I won't have to keep repeating this conversation with her…but if I do…' Inuyasha took in a deep breath and yelled "DO YOU LOVE THAT YANTO GUY??!!" He was surprised how loud he said it and felt embarrassed for even saying it in the first place. It was something he wanted to know though and he didn't see any harm in asking her. He had after all already asked that good for nothing tree and it gave him no answer at all. "Well, do you?"
"Huh?" Kagome looked at him in puzzlement, then burst into fits of laughter. Inuyasha just stared at her, wondering what the hell was wrong with her, as well as feeling offended that she took his serious question in such a manner. "I…just…met him!" She managed to choke out, wiping a tear away from her eye. "And here I thought you were going to say something important!"
"That was important to me!" He cried.
"Was it?" She looked at him, surprised that he was serious. "Why?" She sounded almost…hopeful. Inuyasha felt his face flush from embarrassment.
"No reason." He mumbled. She looked at him for a moment, then narrowed her eyes.
"Is this some way for you to get out of answering my question?" She demanded. "Do you or do you not think of me as a slave!" He gulped, then growled inwardly at himself. 'Why should I care if she knows that I don't think of her as a slave? I mean, so long as she isn't planning on running away with that tree, she'll still be with me to find the shards and that is the ONLY reason why I need her with me.' He carefully didn't think to deeply into the last of his thoughts.
"I guess since you don't think of me as a master, it's stupid for me to think of you as my slave, right?" He grumbled.
"Really?" She said, looking strangely happy. "You aren't lying to me, right?"
"Why would I lie to you?" He yelled.
"I'm not accusing you of lying!" Kagome stomped her foot. "I was just asking!"
"FINE!"
"FINE!" Kagome yelled back, but then smiled. "Thank you." She then started to walk the way she had come, leaving Inuyasha to follow her. 'Why did why did she just thank me?!'
Konki lively entered the temple, quickly going into one of the doors located near the alter the Wisdom was placed on. The room was sparely furnished, with only a bed located in a corner and several pots containing a variety of flowers placed decoratively around. She sighed as she looked over at the figure lying silently under the covers. If she hadn't of known better, she would have thought the person was dead from her pale complexion and because the normally green hair of the Maja's was changed to one that was sickly brown and yellow.
"Morning Flewna." She said despite herself, even though she knew that no answer would come. It made her feel better to actually speak to her patient. "Yanto is doing good as usual." She smiled as she said Yanto's name. "Today he saved two strangers! It was amazing since I haven't ever seen anything like them before. The girl was lovely with black hair instead of green! And the boy had white hair with two puppy ears! It twas soo cute!" Konki placed a moist towel onto Flewna's head and sat down on the edge of the bed.
"You're tree was taken care as usually by Yanto. He would be the one here too, but he is talking to other Maja about getting rid of the Wisdom. The girl, Kagome, might have some Miko powers, so then you don't have to use them anymore. Maybe you'll recover…then Yanto will be so…happy." Konki sniffed a bit. "When I very little, before the poison made it to where you couldn't even speak any more, I remember listening to you and Yanto talk. Sometimes he would laugh. Even though I couldn't see then, I could still tell he was happy to be with you. Now he doesn't laugh that way any more. Not even to me. I mean, I am just a little girl I guess and he is like an older brother to me…or that is what he thinks he is." She giggled slightly. "I talk even too much to you!"
She sat up and stretched her arms high over her head. "Well, at least you aren't doing any worst today." She smiled and pranced out of the room firmly closing the door shut. Even though her spirits seemed to have shift, inwardly she couldn't help thinking why Yanto wouldn't let go. Why he wouldn't see that Flewna wasn't getting better. "Hmm?" She paused by the Wisdom, feeling a strange sense around her. She slid towards the stone, feeling an odd power going into her. The darkness of it scared her. The stone grew brighter and brighter, but she was unable to turn away from it. Her eyes burned, the same way they did when she got back her sight after falling onto that rock. "Why-" She choked out. Its time you repaid me for healing you.
Kagome reached the room that Yanto had gave them and opened the door, smiling widely. 'Inuyasha doesn't think of me as a slave.' She turned around, seeing Inuyasha still unhappily following her. "It's getting late, so why don't we go get some sleep." She suggested.
"Or we could go get the damn Shikon and get out of here before morning comes." He growled.
Kagome glared at him. "OR we could wait until tomorrow, after Yanto has discussed with the Maja's tonight and get the Wisdom peacefully. I don't want to add on to why the Maja's don't trust outsiders."
"Feh." Inuyasha looked around the room. "There is only one bed." He pointed out.
"There is a couch in the other room." Kagome narrowed her eyes. "So, unless you are suggesting we sleep together you pervert, you get the couch!"
Inuyasha blushed slightly and yelled back at her angrily. "I didn't say that! And anyway, I should get the bed and you get that couch."
"I had to sleep on that stupid couch in the youkai city! It's you who gets now!" Kagome snapped.
"But you got to use the bed this afternoon, so it's my turn." Inuyasha glowered. Kagome sighed, but was at the same time happy that they were arguing over smaller matters like this.
"Are you saying that it is my fault that I fainted?" She demanded. Inuyasha paused, as though thinking carefully over what she just said. "Hey! This wasn't a trick question! It's not like a asked myself to drop in the middle of the street!"
"No, moron, I wasn't thinking of that." He cried. "I was just thinking how those Maja's might come in tonight when we should be asleep, so we should probably sleep in the same room." Kagome paused, but before she could say anything, he continued. "You get that bed you want so much. I'll sleep by the door." He sat down. 'Wow, that was different.' Kagome smiled at him, happy that he thought of her enough to want to protect her.
Sango continued walking, even though the sun was already setting. 'I don't know why, but I really am worried about Inuyasha and Kagome.' She thought to herself. She wanted to get to the Maja territory quickly and join back up with their impromptu group, especially since they had the Shikon shards. A side-glance look told her that Miroku was still following along with his usual calm expression. He must have sensed her anxiety, since he didn't mention how late it was getting. Sango stumbled a bit as the darkness continued to deepen and finally stopped, sighing to herself. "Let's make camp for tonight."
Miroku chuckled and gathered up some firewood before sitting down. Sango knelt down by the wood and quickly started a fire, glad that all of her experience as a youkai hunter paid off. She often had to spend the nights in the forest while tracking. After staring off into the fire for a few minutes, she was startled when she heard the jingling sound of Miroku's staff as he stood back up. Her eyes narrowed as well, realizing the silence of the forest around her. She reached back, one hand brushing her boomerang, ready for anything.
"I barely can feel its presence." Miroku whispered into Sango's ear. She nearly jumped, not knowing that he had shifted behind her.
"Neither did I." She whispered back. A soft growl from the bushes snapped her attention back to the imposing threat. Whatever the creature was, it crept closer, the fire finally bringing light to the creature. Sango gasped. "Kirara!" She cried out, recognizing this youkai to be the larger form of her pet from her village. "I thought you had been killed!" She ran forward, but slowed down as she realized the normally friendly cat-like creature began to growl even louder, baring sharp looking teeth. "Kirara?" She asked hesitantly.
"I don't think it recognizes you." Miroku cautioned, walking forward until he was even with Sango.
"But, I know that is--" Sango found herself violently shoved to the ground as Kirara took a flying leap at her. It's claws dug deep into her shoulders and she yelled involuntarily as the pain washed over her. A dull thud sound was heard as Miroku swung his staff at Kirara, hitting the youkai firmly over the head. It was knocked away, momentarily stunned. 'I can't be distracted.' Sango snapped at herself, forcing herself to ignore the pain. 'Something is wrong with Kirara.'
The youkai shook herself off and growled again. It's teeth appeared to get even more dangerous and Kirara even looked more menacing in size. 'She…is growing!' "It's a Shikon shard!" She yelled to Miroku. 'But where? If Kagome were here, she could see where the shard was…I can't kill Kirara just to get the shard…"
Kirara leapt again, but this time Sango was prepared and easily ducked. 'At least the Shikon seems to also be impairing Kirara's fighting skills.' She thought to herself. Miroku muttered something under his breath, taking out a small piece of paper with writing on it. Sango couldn't concentrate on what he was doing and instead focused on Kirara, who was circling them intently. "Keep the youkai still for a moment." Miroku told her. Sango didn't hesitate and quickly threw her boomerang towards the youkai, carefully aiming for the tree behind it. The tree shuttered from the impact, falling over on top of the stunned Kirara. "Ha!" Miroku yelled, slamming the paper onto the youkai. The youkai shrieked as electricity flared around it, then remained quiet on the ground, still glaring at Sango and Miroku.
"What was that?" Sango demanded.
"It'll just hold Kirara for the time being. It won't last long, so lets find the shard." Miroku said, surprisingly calm under the situation. Sango nodded, and with his help pushed off the tree from her friend. She then gently began shifting through Kirara's fur, searching for the shard. Miroku took to the other side. After several minutes of work, Sango felt her hands run across a small stone in the middle of Kirara's forehead. She took it out, and watched with satisfaction as the youkai grew back into its small form, mewing slightly as the spell Miroku cast wore off.
"It must have gotten a piece when the shard broke apart in our village." Sango said softly. When she couldn't find Kirara, she automatically assumed that it had been killed in the fighting. She felt herself sway back and forth. Her mind felt surprisingly clogged, and the pain in her shoulders grew suddenly worst, then faded away as she fell forward into faint. All she could think as this happened was that someone had survived from her village…and how her brother had died…
Kagome woke up to the sounds of someone knocking on the door. She got up, yawning slightly, but still feeling refreshed over the promise of a new day. Inuyasha, who, as he had said he would, was sleeping next to the door, had it already open before she had even sat up. "What do you want?" Inuyasha scowled angrily, but Kagome brightened as she saw that it was Yanto with a tray of food.
"Oh, dear me, I must apologize. I didn't realize you weren't up yet." Yanto said in dismay, looking ashamed of himself.
"You should-" Inuyasha started, but Kagome cut him off.
"It's okay, we were just about to get up." She got out of bed and took the tray from Yanto.
"You look bright and cheery this morning, lady Kagome." He bowed before her. "But I am afraid I bring misfortune with me."
"You got that right." Inuyasha muttered.
"What do you mean?" Kagome said hurriedly, glaring over at Inuyasha.
"I talked with the other Maja, and they refuse to let the Wisdom be taken by you. I explained to them how much it would benefit us, but they stopped listening after I mentioned you were human." He sighed. "They don't understand that not all human's are evil, nor do they want to."
"Well, that just means we have to take it." Inuyasha cried. "A couple of damn Majas aren't going to stop me!" Kagome sighed, but a part of her was actually agreeing with Inuyasha's idea. She felt the familiar presence of the Wisdom in the back of her head and wanted now to take it away with her. 'That is stupid of me to think.' Kagome thought to herself angrily. 'It's their Shikon after all…'
"I agree." Yanto said.
"What!" Both Kagome and Inuyasha exclaimed. "You mean you want us to actually take the Wisdom!" Kagome cried out. "But wouldn't that be stealing!"
"Who cares! We got permission now, so not even you can convince me not to!" Inuyasha laughed.
"But why?" Kagome continued, looking at Yanto.
"Because…I fear that this prejudice will one day be the end of us." Yanto said softly. "Also, the Wisdom has seemed to have kept us encased in time. We now live even longer lives then we should have, and yet we rarely have any offspring. If this continues, one day none of us will be left." He smiled somewhat brighter. "But all that depends on if lady Kagome is a Miko. I am sure she is, but it will be proven when she touches the Wisdom."
"An old hanyou we met said she was, so she is." Inuyasha said firmly. Kagome watched as he suddenly scowled.
"Aye, I believe so as well." Yanto nodded, then took a step back and looked at them both with a smile on his face. "My, you two appear to have become closer since the last I've seen of you. Is it possible you are now soul bound?"
"Of course not!" Kagome cried, finding herself blushing deeply.
"No!" Inuyasha said at the same time, also looking a bit uncomfortable.
"Ah well." Yanto said, still smiling. "Shall I escort you to the temple? Of course, we will be taking the indirect route through a highly secretive compartment." He bowed to both of them.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Inuyasha demanded. "With all those idiot flares, no one can understand you."
"He said that we're going through a secret door to get to the temple so we don't have to take to the streets." Kagome explained, looking a bit smug at Inuyasha's angry expression.
"Keh." He stomped after Yanto with Kagome following behind. He stopped after a few steps. "Humans are so slow!." Kagome quickly caught up with him, smiling despite herself.
********
I am extremely sorry about for the long update! I broke my arm when I fell off a horse while riding (quite honestly it was only my second time to ever be on a horse) and didn't really feel like typing with one hand. After it healed I sorta had a major writers block and avoided the computer for awhile…sniff sniff…I really am not dead!!! I am really sorry!!
Please review!!!