{The Path to the Heart}
{chapter six – the prophecy}
~~~
"Okay, so that one fits...what colour should the obi be?" Kagome folded the new red silk kimono, addressing the shop owner instead of Inuyasha.
"Personally, I think that this very pale blue with the sakura on it suits you very well, miss," the man answered, holding up a narrow obi.
"Get a wider one," Inuyasha said, gesturing to another pale blue, though this one didn't have the sakura pattern. "I like the gold specks. It looks like your old one, so I think that one will work better." Kagome shrugged.
"You're paying, so it's your call. I guess we'll take this kimono, and that obi that my husband has. How much is it?" The shopkeeper frowned slightly, squinting at Inuyasha in slight confusion, as if her recognized the face but could not place it.
"You remind me of somebody I know..."
"You wouldn't know me," Inuyasha said callously. "You're human, and I'm the second son of Shuuraishi, the Western Land's taiyoukai."
"That's it!" he cried out. "Your father was in here about eighteen years ago, getting a kimono for his new mate. Shirobou, I believe her name was. I thought it odd for a taiyoukai, particularly Shuuraishi-sama to be shopping in my store up here in the North. Then I remembered of his then-new friendship with Okita-sama. It clicked. You do look so much like your father, you know? Much more than his first son, whatsis name?"
Kagome giggled, hiding her amusement behind a cupped hand. Inuyasha laughed out loud. "I like you. And my brother's name is Sesshoumaru. He looks more like his mother than he'll ever look like oyaji."
"Well, for Shuuraishi-sama's son – especially you, that'll be free. No worries, though, I like to give away some of my best items when they suit people so well. I think you were right about the obi. It does look much better. Good luck on whatever quest or journey you're on, my lord." The man bowed. Inuyasha dipped his head and Kagome followed the shopkeeper's example, and bent fully.
As they left, the pair began to converse mentally. That guy is more than he appears to be, Inuyasha grumbled. He wasn't telling us something, and his magical scent was...different. Strong, but slightly covered. I wish Miryoku had been in there; she could have told us who he was.
You noticed it, too? We'll ask Miryoku-san after we meet in the market.
I'm not traipsing back in there. I don't trust him.
Oh, calm down. Besides, Miryoku-san does need a new kimono. The one she escaped in is more than a little dirty.
She can live, Inuyasha decided. He'll make us pay this time.
Kagome rolled her eyes. It's not like we have two gold pieces to work with. Your father's name carries a lot of weight, especially so far north. I'm not saying we have to waste money, but I think you owe it to Miryoku-san to see that she's at least decently clothed.
Fine. Kagome smiled happily. Slowly, they walked through the town, Inuyasha's dog-ears attracting a large amount of unwanted attention. Said ears were twitching with discomfort at the stares. Finally, he exploded.
"So!? What the fuck's the wrong with you people!? Never seen a hanyou before!?"
Quickly, the heads snapped back. "There you are!" a familiar voice called out. Miryoku came running up to them. "I found some money in the padding of my obi, so I bought a new kimono for myself." Inuyasha sighed mentally. Miryoku's new outfit was an of-the-shoulder kimono in blue, green, and red. The obi was slightly narrow, and the bottom half looked like it was made of strips, but was really all one piece. "It's a new gaijin thing," she explained. "Called a 'pleat'. Pu-rii-to. Weird word."
"Did you buy the food?" Kagome asked.
"Yeah. I sewed my old kimono into sacks to carry it better, too. The mark of a true Dancer is that they are always prepared for anything. Oh, yeah, and I ran into a Healer when I bought this. It's weird seeing one of Mary's trainees going undercover as a shopkeeper, but hey. To each his own, right?"
"Whatever you say," Inuyasha grumped. Kagome poked his ribs gently.
"Stop being such a sour-puss," she scolded.
"I am not a sour-puss." Miryoku rolled her eyes.
"Anybody know where we're staying tonight?"
Kagome shrugged. "I think one of the villagers will let us stay with them." Inuyasha scoffed.
"Yeah, right. We're just going to walk up to some random house and say, 'Hi, we need a place to sleep. By the way, you wouldn't happen to have some food for us, would you?' I don't think so."
"Of course they will," Kagome said seriously. "Remember, I grew up in one of these villages. The people here will accept, say, helping with chores a bit, or telling a good tale for a place to sleep and a bite to eat. The food's not the best and the futons – if you get to sleep on any, that is – are worn and old, but it's all they've got and it seems like a lot coming from them."
Miryoku smiled. "It's worth a shot, anyhow. The worst that can happen is they'll laugh in our faces, right?"
"Fine." As the group trudged on, they came to a small house with several small children laughing and playing outside. When they saw Inuyasha, Miryoku, and Kagome, they dashed inside calling,
"Kaachan! Touchan! We have guests!" An aged woman hobbled out, grinning.
"Well, it's a good day, then. You three have the look of travelers about you. For a few stories of your journey, we will give you each a futon and some food. Mind you, we don't have much, but what there is, I hope you enjoy." She bowed. Kagome and Miryoku returned the gesture, but Inuyasha snorted slightly. Kagome prodded him mentally, and the stubborn boy simply ignored her.
I don't have to show respect to some old crone, he said distastefully.
Inuyasha, all this woman is asking for is some stories and a bit of respect. I don't think you realize how amazing it is she made it to her age without a major deformity.
Inuyasha sensed her upset, and soothingly crept back into her head, giving her the mental image of him stroking her hair lovingly. Sorry, koishii. Forgive me?
His gentle tone melted her anger quicker than a flame melts ice. Of course I do.
Good. The old woman eyed Inuyasha and Kagome skeptically. Her deep eyes seemed to probe them both, digging beneath the surface and uncovering a great secret. Somehow, her scrutiny sent little warning bells off in Inuyasha's mind, cautioning him. Things are not always what they appear to be, Inuyasha mused silently, keeping his thoughts from his mate, who was now chatting cheerfully with the woman and Miryoku. The feeling of distrust did not fade from the hanyou's mind. Stay on guard, he warned himself, preparing to stay up all night if need be.
~~~
Nankahen was cold. Sitting on that old witch's roof all night wasn't his idea of a great time, but Inuyasha was far too careless. If the young Prophet had been aware of the hanyou's thoughts, he would not have felt the need to watch over Kagome all night.
"I think the universe is out to get me," he grumbled to himself. "I mean, my whole life has sucked. Oh joy. What are the gods going to throw at me next? A spontaneous decision to go straight, perhaps? The only good thing about this is that Inuyasha's so good-looking – and that I finally get to meet Kagome-chan again. I'm glad she's even alive, though I wonder how she managed to integrate herself into the good graces of Shuuraishi-sama's hanyou son. The two seem a little too close for my liking – it's such a pity Inuyasha isn't gay. Then this would really be fun. Oh well, I guess I'm just going to have to settle for admiring my silver-haired beauty down there from afar."
Slowly, his thoughts began to wander to a time before this whole mess. Let's see here, how long has it been since I last saw Kagome-chan? "Has it really been that long?" he mumbled to himself.
"Who are you, and what the fuck do you want?" Nankahen spun around to see an angry silver-haired hanyou glaring at him. Nankahen stood up and gave a mock bow, trying desperately to not grin happily.
"I'm Nankahen. Kagome-chan's childhood friend. I'm also a Prophet."
The hanyou's scowl deepened. "I don't believe you."
"Ask Kagome-chan."
"She's asleep."
"Wake her up."
"I want to let her sleep." Nankahen rolled his eyes. Yeah, Inuyasha was hot, but he was acting like a four-year-old brat right now.
"Then I guess we just have to wait until morning."
"I don't trust you," Inuyasha said coldly. Nankahen sighed in exasperation.
"Why not? I've given you no reason to dislike me."
"You were camped out on the roof of the house we were sleeping on. I've never seen you, and you're human. That's reason enough for me."
"Kagome-chan and Miryoku-san are both human, yet you trust them. Furthermore, I'm camped out on your roof because that woman is not what she appears to be. That's Kagura in disguise. She's one of Naraku's 'children'."
"I figured she was evil. That's why I haven't gotten to sleep yet. Your damn mumblings annoyed me anyhow."
"Just trust me," Nankahen implored.
"Why...are...you...here?" Inuyasha snarled, his voice deepening as his anger was displayed. A youkai – even a hanyou – was not a very good being to aggravate; particularly not one who was so viciously protective of his mate. Particularly in the middle of the night.
"To protect Kagome-chan. I promised I wouldn't let her fall into the hands of a youkai, and I've failed." Nankahen clenched his hands into frustrated fists. "Originally, my plan was to rescue her from you – I'd heard about Shuuraishi-sama's second son taking a human for his mate, and upon deeper research, I figured out it was Kagome-chan. But...I saw how happy she was with you. How well she was treated; that you didn't force her into anything. So I decided to simply watch over her." And you, he added silently.
"Inuyasha?" Kagome was standing there sleepily. Inuyasha wondered slightly how she'd managed to get up on the roof, but dismissed it. Suddenly, his mate's eyes focused on Nankahen. "Nan-chan?" she asked in bewilderment. "Is that you?"
"Yeah." Nankahen smiled happily. "It's good to see you again." Kagome threw herself into the Prophet's arms, squeezing the life out of him.
"Why did you leave?" she murmured into his chest. "I missed you." Inuyasha glared at the sight of the two embracing, jealousy rising in his chest.
"Who is he?" Inuyasha asked icily.
"An old childhood friend of mine," Kagome said happily. "He left after I received the Shikon no Tama."
"Now do you trust me?" Nankahen asked impatiently.
Kagome gave Inuyasha a look. "What does he mean?" she asked, carefully keeping the angry tone out of her voice.
Inuyasha sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Well, some weird guy's sitting on the roof, what am I supposed to think?" Kagome sighed.
"All right, you silly puppy," Kagome said teasingly. "Come to bed, I can't sleep without you."
Nankahen wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "And are you sure you're going to sleep, Kagome-chan?" He giggled. Inuyasha growled softly, a testament to the fact that he still didn't like this guy.
Kagome scowled. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Nan-chan."
"Oyasumi, then. Watch your back, Inuyasha. Remember that you should always take a deeper look at things – because not everything is as it appears to be. Things can change in the blink of an eye..." Slowly, Nankahen's eyes unfocused, becoming distant.
"And the world shall collide with evil and hatred. Five Magics shall be summoned. Fire, Ice, Thunder, Protect, Heal – the core five. A love shall be changed. Hazel-blue shall shift to gold, and the sacrifice of the Golden One shall save those strong enough to protect the Earth. The Two shall join for an endless moment, and bring everlasting joy to the world."
His voice was harsh, rough; as if somebody else were using his body and vocal chords. A Prophecy was being born.
"The hearts of the cruel shall be touched, and for another endless moment, love shall prevail. But evil will always exist; and those brave enough to fight it shall not perish in their battles."
Suddenly, the Prophet's eyes snapped open widely. "Damn! Did anybody think to memorize that?"
"Why?" Inuyasha grumbled.
"That was a Prophecy, stupid," Kagome groaned. "A real Prophecy. It told of our future."
"Didn't make much sense."
"It's not supposed to," Nankahen said distractedly. "Do you remember it word-for-word, Kagome-chan?"
Kagome shook her head regretfully. "Sorry. I thought you would."
" 'And the world shall collide with evil and hatred. Five Magics shall be summoned. Fire, Ice, Thunder, Protect, Heal – the core Five. A love shall be changed. Hazel-blue shall shift to gold, and the sacrifice of the Golden One shall save those strong enough to protect the Earth. The Two shall join for an endless moment, and bring everlasting joy to the world. The hearts of the cruel shall be touched, and for another endless moment, love shall prevail. But evil will always exist; and those brave enough to fight it shall not perish in their battles.' That's it, right?" Nankahen looked in amazement at Inuyasha.
"It sounds right. Jeez, how'd you memorize that?"
Inuyasha shrugged. "I'm half youkai. My brain is stronger, faster, and remembers things better than yours do."
"Makes sense," Kagome agreed. "The brain is a muscle, and all youkai muscles are stronger than their human counterparts'. Now can we go to bed or not? I'm tired. Really, really tired."
"And we all know what happens when Kagome-chan gets tired," Nankahen joked.
"The world ends and I'm sore," Inuyasha grumbled. Kagome laughed and dragged her mate off to sleep.
"I'll stay up and guard," Nankahen said softly. "Sweet dreams, you two."
~~~
Whew. Stupid Bowl Sunday and I've got another chapter out.
I hope you guys are reading "Letters from Children". I'm really working hard on that one. Time for chapter two...oh yay.
REVIEW. I have a strictly non-reviewer diet. ^.~
-Katra Winner