III – Misunderstandings

That afternoon, as Inuyasha made his way to Kagome's, the second of the priestesses who had met him on his arrival headed off to a poorly maintained clearing to the opposite side of the village.

Not so long ago, useful medicinal herbs grew there, but now everything had withered and weeds dominated, along with a few families of rats that had built their settlement there. Children challenged each other to see who dared to go there while their parents warned them against it; the headman himself kept as far away as possible. In the centre was a single dwelling, once the envy of all; it was one of the largest, but by now the wood was rotten and the planks were falling apart, as were the front door and the tool shed. Next to it, the wood reserve for the fire was very meagre, but a boy not much older than her was reluctantly trying to replenish it.

When Tsubaki appeared in the clearing, the two of them stared at each other and he let his gaze rest lasciviously on her curves before lifting it to her face and grinning wickedly at the disgust he found there. Then as if nothing had happened, he went back to chopping the few pieces of wood in front of him without the slightest enthusiasm.

The young woman continued straight ahead, being careful of where she stepped and scowling at the dirt around her, but before she even reached the house, a man stepped out of it as if summoned by her presence.

He must have once been quite tall, but now his posture hunched and made him shorter. His hair, already thinning at the temples and greying, was pulled back and tied in a topknot like most men, and his mouth was distorted into a grimace that accentuated the wrinkles on his not-so-young face. Tsubaki remembered him like this from when she was a child; even then, he had had the demeanour of an old man and she could not understand the old women talking about how he had been a handsome man. Since then, he had gotten no better; earning the title of sorcerer or being the constant source of dread for the other villagers had exacerbated his nasty disposition towards people and later the poverty that befell his family and his wife's death had only made matters worse. Nevertheless, although not the best party, Tsubaki knew very well why the headman had agreed to his request to take Kagome as his wife; she had convinced him.

In fact, apart from what had happened with Hojo the previous day, Haruto had still had enough respect for Ichiro to refuse Onigumo's proposal who – having always been infatuated with Kagome– had seized the opportunity when Tsubaki had informed him of the latest events. Haruto knew very well what the man was capable of and that whoever would marry him would end up like his first spouse. However, pretending to care only for the welfare of their community, Tsubaki had illustrated how it would be beneficial to all if Onigumo had a woman to satisfy and distract him. At that point the headman had accepted and given his blessing to appease him, forgetting everything that Kagome's family had done for that village over the generations.

"Tsubaki, what more do you want?" Onigumo hissed rudely as soon as he saw her.

"My my my, how rude. Is this how you treat a priestess and the one you have to thank for your impending nuptials?" she asked in reply.

"I don't give a damn what you did, and you know it. As if you could really call yourself a priestess with all the sordid things you plot day in and day out," he exclaimed, spitting on the ground. "Even if the headman had rejected my proposal, I would have taken the girl anyway. Not that she has so many expectations right now."

"Ah, Onigumo, your bride is indeed a lucky woman," she smiled evilly, "she just has to realise how much. Rather, don't you think she is already taking too many liberties? If I were you, I would remind her whom she belongs to and how to behave. You don't want someone even more undisciplined than the first as your wife, do you?" she asked him, pretending to be worried. "Some things need to be made clear right away and taught."

"What on earth are you babbling about? Avoid your usual games and get straight to the point before I decide to teach you manners too. I'm sure my son wouldn't mind having a little fun; wouldn't you, Susumu?"

The latter, who was watching the exchange closely, grinned even more openly than before. "I could teach you more than one thing, Tsubaki-chan."

The priestess did not hide her disgust and also avoided meeting the young man's gaze. "Always so graceful; to say I had come to inform you of what your beautiful fiancée is up to and how she spends her time with other men, impure ones at that. But if you really don't care..." She turned and made to leave, but a hand roughly grabbed her arm and blocked her.

Onigumo continued to squeeze it until Tsubaki looked back at him. "If you know what's good for you, you'd better keep talking," he threatened her, his face a mask of anger.

She gave him a defiant look and made it clear that she would not speak unless he removed his filthy hands from her first. She then wiped her robe, nauseated, before starting again. "A half-demon has come to us claiming to want to discuss what happened yesterday. Dear Kagome saw fit to entertain him before escorting him to the headman. It was certainly kind of her to show him around, but what must everyone have thought when they saw her talking amicably to a stranger, a half-breed, without your approval? I worried about the consequences it would have on your reputation and thought, perhaps, you should remind them of whom she'll belong to shortly."

"Cut the crap, Tsubaki," Onigumo hissed, his body shaking with fury at what he had just heard. "You got what you wanted; you got rid of the competition; don't you think that continuing to display your jealousy so freely makes a bad impression on your pretty face? Well, not as pretty as my betrothed's, but as I have already said, my son will know how to please you," he grinned maliciously, knowing well what buttons to press with the woman. It was no news that Tsubaki harboured hatred and envy for Kagome and had long since begun to spread malicious rumours about her.

Onigumo had willingly put up with her ways to get what he wanted and for both of them, Hojo's death had only been a blessed stroke of luck. Otherwise, he had already intended to take her by force, even if married, and Tsubaki would have spread rumours about the betrayal perpetrated against the poor boy. One way or another they would both get what they wanted: Onigumo the young woman he had been aiming for since the day she had begun to show her curves, and Tsubaki would be rid of the one who was merely an obstacle to her thirst for power. But recent events had only made things easier.

"Don't make me laugh," sneered the other, beginning to lose patience, "I don't know what you see in that girl, but I'm certainly not afraid of her. Hurry up and get her out of my way; seeing her walking around in those priestess robes again is a disgrace to anyone else in the category."

He began to snicker in response. "And you, on the other hand, wear them better? Is that impure power of yours worthy of them? I reiterate that envy does not suit you at all. I thank you for the way you have made things easier for me and rest assured that I will teach my wife well where she belongs, but I am really curious as to what you will do to get rid of Kikyo."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she retorted, ignoring him.

"Oh, you know very well," he murmured, coming even closer and breathing on her face; Tsubaki took a step back and did not hide the disgust. "You know well that right after Kagome, the most gifted of the three is Kikyo, and now that the former is no longer the heir, Hitomiko will choose the latter. After all you have done, you will still not have what you most desire." Then he turned his back on her and made to go inside, laughing heartily.

The priestess clenched her fists in anger and repeated to herself that it was not worth being provoked by that dirty man. However, before leaving the clearing, she thought it wise to stress, shouting, that she would be the one to succeed Hitomiko and that, as soon as she had replaced her, she would put pressure on the headman to expel both him and his filthy descendants.

Night arrived and having made sure everyone had gone to sleep, Inuyasha silently walked towards his destination. Reaching the hut, he looked around and then knocked to ask to enter.

Kagome's little brother stuck his head out beyond the entrance and hastily grabbed his arm to signal him to hurry. When he entered, his eyes immediately adjusted to the darkness and he had no trouble spotting the other three members of the family. Kagome wept silently in her grandfather's arms as her mother arranged the few belongings she would be taking with her; Inuyasha had advised them to pack the minimum so they could travel light. Smelling her tears had no positive effect on him; it brought back his own doubts and the possibility that Kagome was as frightened of him as she was of Onigumo. Nevertheless, he cleared his throat and announced his presence.

Kagome immediately lifted her face from her grandfather's chest and made to wipe away her tears with the sleeve of the kimono she was wearing; Ichiro stopped her and passed a handkerchief over her face. "Remember whom you are going to marry," he rebuked her. "We taught you manners, don't forget them because of what happened." She nodded silently before hugging him one last time and proceeding to say goodbye to her mother and brother as well.

The farewell, as intense and painful as it was, was just as quiet to avoid any sounds reaching indiscreet ears. For the same reason, it had been decided to remain in the dark, although human eyes struggled to get used to it.

Finally, the old man turned to Inuyasha and nodded his head. "Remember well what I have told you, young man, and may the gods guide you," he said before turning again and kissing his granddaughter's head.

Once again, Inuyasha had the impression that he was taking part in something private and thought he had no right to be part of it. Unfortunately, however, haste and anticipation prevented everyone from proceeding as they would have liked. Thus, after promising to return soon and telling them to be careful, Inuyasha took Kagome's wrist being mindful of his claws, left the hut and led her down the road he had come from that very morning. Luckily for them, just behind the hut, another small trail led directly to the forest, and they could walk away from there without having to pass too many houses. Just a short distance from the last one, Inuyasha stopped and positioned himself in front of her, his back to her.

Kagome was taken aback by the gesture, but even more so when he unceremoniously ordered her to climb on. "Excuse me?" she whispered, dumbfounded.

"I said get on," Inuyasha repeated, impatient and agitated. He didn't like the air of the village at all, and despite making sure they were alone, he wished he could leave it as soon as possible.

"Of course I won't," Kagome continued stubbornly. "You promised my grandfather you wouldn't take advantage of me and now you want me to climb on your back? The nerve of you!"

"Shut up, wench," he exclaimed rudely, "do you want everyone to find out? It's not like I did it so I could touch you; what pervert do you take me for? We must be as fast as we can, and if we have to keep up with your weak human pace, we wouldn't even leave the village by dawn, let alone be back at the castle." Having said that, he stood up again and without waiting for her to start babbling again and shouting their presence to everyone, he picked her up and jumped into the first tree; he covered her mouth to avoid the screams and started running as fast as he could from branch to branch. He only put her back on the ground once they were safely across the border. At that point, he glared at her and before she could even speak, he said, "Well? Do you want to continue like this to our destination or did you decide to climb on my back? Your choice!"

"You could have asked me more nicely; you're just being rude!" hissed Kagome.

"That's what I did," Inuyasha clarified. "How much longer would you have wanted to stay there? Do you want to be brought back and marry that monster?"

Their faces were now an inch apart and they were throwing daggers at each other with their eyes.

"You call that asking nicely?"

"It's not like we had time to follow all those stupid rules you stupid humans rely on. Did you realise that what you are doing is not a game?"

"Will you stop insulting me? Is this how you want to treat me even when I marry you? Well, then it's not like there is much difference between you and Onigumo." She hadn't even finished talking that she regretted it. In reality, Kagome knew she could not compare the two and that even if Inuyasha married her out of pity, he would still be kinder and more loving than Onigumo. However, that day had been too tense for her, not to mention the pain of separation and Hojo's death. As a result, it was bringing out the worst in her and she had ended up taking it out on those who didn't deserve it.

Inuyasha recoiled and held his breath as if those words had physically slapped him. A moment later, clenching his teeth and fists, he turned around, knelt down and had his back to her again. Lowering his voice, he said, "If that is what you think, you are free to return to your family this instant. I will only give you a few more seconds; I don't want to waste any more useless time. If you want to come with me you will ride on my back, otherwise, do what you most desire."

Ashamed of her behaviour and struck by the coldness with which the half-demon had spoken, Kagome approached him and, as gentle as she could, climbed on his back, encircling his neck with her arms to support herself. A second later, she felt his hands grip her thighs, touching her as little as possible, and they were off; he didn't even warn her and began to leap from tree to tree.

Kagome looked back one last time, her heart heavy and a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, and then she hid her face in the crook of his neck to protect herself from the violent wind that lashed around her, thanking the curtain of silver hair that shielded her as well.

An uncomfortable journey lay ahead; they only hoped it would soon be over.

As fast as Inuyasha was going, he was also trying to adjust to the passenger he was carrying, which was why they were still halfway there after a couple of hours. He decided to take a break and let Kagome rest, who was also shivering from the cold of the night and the wind that was hitting her. They stopped in a small clearing and lit a small fire. "Warm yourself," he told her as gently as he could. "We cannot stay too long or attract unwanted guests. I will give you my robe when we leave; it is warmer than it looks."

Kagome, who had immediately approached the fire extending her hands to warm them, was impressed by the offer, especially after the way she had acted earlier. "No need; I don't want you to be the one to suffer the cold later."

"Keh, it doesn't do anything to me. Besides, it wasn't a question; you'll just take it. We don't need you to get sick," he huffed.

She gave him another dirty look. There was no way she could talk calmly to him; he was even more stubborn than Grandpa and definitely lacked grace or kindness. She wondered where he had hidden those polite manners he had displayed earlier; had they just been a ruse to convince them to accept his offer? No, she repeated to herself; she wouldn't make the same mistake twice by falsely accusing him. Inuyasha was the better option, and Kagome would not forget what she had found out about him anyway. However, she couldn't help but think about his tone, a far cry from what she would have expected from her soulmate, and that he was marrying her to save her and out of guilt, not because of what bound them together.

If only had she let her grandfather tell her more about that legend, if such coincidences were not so rare and had she known more about them, she might have been able to compare her situation with others. Instead, she found herself fighting with a rough and stubborn half-demon who did not seem at all grateful for the gift the gods had bestowed upon him, to use the words he had used with her grandfather. She snorted; he seemed anything but grateful.

"There's no need for you to make that face," commented Inuyasha, who had meanwhile misinterpreted her facial expressions and had drawn his own conclusions, ensuring that succession of misunderstandings between the two. "It's not my fault you didn't dress appropriately."

"You're the one who said I should have travelled light!"

"I meant the supplies, stupid, not the clothes to wear!"

"Again with the insults?"

"Oh, damn it," Inuyasha snapped, raising his hands in the air. "How long do you want to keep deafening me? Don't worry, you'll soon be rid of me since that's clearly what you want more than anything else. You haven't made a secret of it!"

Kagome gasped, terrified to know the meaning of those words. Surely he didn't mean to abandon her? Had he really just told lies to Grandfather? "W-what do you mean? You promised to take me to the castle!" she accused him.

"Of course I did, but I'm not the one who breaks his word. What's more, I don't want to condemn you to live next to the poor, disgusting half-breed," he remarked sardonically. "I never lie and I was sincere when I said I wanted to rid you of that scum the village wanted to feed you to. Still, I don't want my bride to be a woman who hates the thought of me or has to force herself just because I am the lesser evil. So, if that is what you wish when we arrive at the castle and after we have provided you with better clothes, I will take you to people who have my trust and to a community where your talents can be useful. Then, you can build a better life for yourself."

She listened to him in amazement the whole time, and she was even more surprised by the half-demon's satisfied expression when he concluded as if proud of his idea. Yet, the mere thought of it filled her eyes with tears and her heart with rage. A moment later, she was striking him without hesitation and he, taken by surprise, tried to cover his face and head as best he could. "Oi! What the hell is the matter with you?"

Kagome continued to cry and punch him, so he locked her wrists and pinned her down. "Wench, stop that immediately; what do you think you're doing?"

"Me? And you? You want to abandon me!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs. "After all the talk you gave my mother and grandfather you want to abandon me!"

"What on earth did you understand?" he shouted back at her. "I meant helping you get rid of me like I did with the other one. It's clear that the only one you wanted to marry was the boy Sesshomaru killed."

"Don't mention Hojo!" cried Kagome again after new tears had wet her cheeks. "And here I had even changed my mind and thought you might be a kind and unprejudiced person." She tugged at him to free herself from his grip and when he let go, she covered her face with her hands, continuing to sob.

Inuyasha was increasingly amazed by the woman's mood swings and her inconsistencies. What the hell did she want? First, she treated him like shit and then got angry if he gave her free rein. Wasn't that what she wished? Not to mention that seeing her cry, again and again, was slowly breaking his heart. He wanted to comfort her, but at the same time, he didn't know how she might react and so, after reaching out his hand to caress her, he withdrew it.

"Look," he began in a softer tone, "maybe we both got off on the wrong foot and misunderstood each other. I don't know what idea you have of me, but I'm certainly not prejudiced. Do you have any idea who I am? I know full well what damage prejudice can cause, so please don't put me on a par with the people you've lived with so far. I can't give a rat's ass what they say about you; I can recognise a black priestess with my eyes closed and I certainly don't believe the crap about people bringing bad luck. So, if your tears are for that, you may as well avoid shedding them."

Kagome finally lifted her face, surprised, sniffling a couple of times. "N-no?" she asked in confirmation as if she couldn't believe her ears. "Y-you haven't heard what they were saying about me?"

"Of course I've heard it, but I never heed evil tongues. They've been throwing shit at me all my life, and I know they're just that." He then retrieved the handkerchief from her bag and handed it to her, turning his face away, embarrassed, when she thanked him.

"So you don't want to abandon me because you think I'm cursed?" she asked him again in a timid voice, making him feel even worse.

How could she think she was cursed? Who could even believe that someone with such a clean and bright aura could be? "Did they tell you that too?" he asked her, trying not to show how sick the possibility made him feel.

She nodded her head. "The rumours started even before Hojo's death, but I always ignored them because I had a family that loved me and it was enough for most of the community to know that I performed my duties with excellence. I don't know how they could be so easily convinced, but the fact that no one actually saw your brother k-kill Hojo and that such a violent death hadn't happened in decades helped." Her feeble voice cracked in more than one place as she spoke.

"I don't think you're cursed, Kagome; I couldn't possibly," he whispered to her softly, holding back from reaching out and wrapping his arms around her to offer her comfort as best he could. He would have liked to at least reach out and wipe away the silent tears that continued to streak her face, but he clenched his fists to resist the impulse, telling himself that even though they were talking quietly now, before that the insults had flown easily.

She nodded again, heartened, but added nothing more on the matter or his marriage proposal, leaving most of the doubts still alive. "C-can I have your robe now? If... if you still want to give it to me."

He slipped it off without a word and laid it on her. Soon after, comforted by the warmth and, unknowingly, the smell of Inuyasha surrounding her, Kagome fell asleep exhausted by the events and lack of rest. Only once her breathing had confirmed that she was asleep did he dare to reach out his fingers – dangerous and deadly to any human – to wipe her cheeks as gently as possible.

He watched her for a few seconds, paying particular attention to the half-open lips from which her warm breath escaped, her long, wet eyelashes, the sad expression she still held and the blush on her cheeks; Inuyasha had never seen anything so delicate and beautiful. Although he couldn't understand why certain feelings had developed so quickly or if it was the effect of those laces that had appeared during their first and recent meeting, he prayed that he could protect her forever and not just for the short time she would give him. Careful not to wake her, he carried her on his back and, silently, resumed the journey home.

Hi there!

I hope you still are here to read even though I'm late updating this story. Just for that, the following chapter will be up next week and then we'll resume the regular schedule.

Looking forward to hearing from you ❤.