Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Shippo, or the Shikon
jewel. I DO own Raia and Sol, however, very happily!
AUTHOR'S UPDATE 12/8/03: I'm so sorry about this chapter and anything that bashes Kagome. I love Kagome, she's a great character, and I'm working on re-writing this so that Kagome isn't quite as evil... Sorry everybody!
Chapter 1
Snow. Raia cursed and pulled her cloak around herself more tightly. She huddled underneath a large fir tree and watched the heavy flakes drift to the ground.
"It's the elevation," a man's voice said from behind her.
Raia turned to see a medium sized hanyou with silver hair and pointy ears on top of his head. "Inuyasha," she said in greeting. She closed her eyes and rested her head on her knees.
"What's a miko (a miko is a female priestess like Kikyo) like you doing out here?" Inuyasha asked with a hint of mocking in his voice.
Raia sighed and looked through the leafless trees, far away across the valley, and to the horizon. "It's usually purple over there when it's sunny." She lifted a hand and pointed to the horizon, her voice muffled in her pants.
Inuyasha sighed and rolled his eyes. Ever since the brown-haired purple- eyed miko had arrived in the small town in Japan, she hadn't answered any questions with a straight answer. Inuyasha was ready to give up talking to her at all, but Kagome would 'sit' him a million times if he didn't get the information that she wanted.
Raia stretched out her legs upon the pine-covered ground and straightened her red hakama (they're like samurai pants). She tucked her waist-length hair behind her ears and leaned back on her hands, closing her eyes again.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes and sat down on a rock. 'I'll wait for her to talk,' he thought to himself.
***
Kagome sipped her tea, kneeling at the table in the main room of the small country house. She looked up as a seemingly mild monk wearing purple and black robes walked in.
"Good afternoon, Kagome. Does this cursed place always snow? Why did we have to stop here?" He flopped down and set down his long staff.
"We have to protect the town from demons, you know that! You just don't want to be here because there aren't any pretty women to hit on." Kagome set down her tea. "There's a new woman in town who you haven't met, by the way. She keeps to herself and is usually up on the hill. I sent Inuyasha to try to talk to her. You might be able to charm her, Miroku. At least she'll probably slap you." The idea of Miroku charming anybody made her want to laugh.
Miroku stood up, snorting as he did so. "I'll try talking to her. Inuyasha is bound to get annoyed with her for not talking and he'll try to kill her."
A little fox yokai bounded in, a red-gold cat skipping at his side.
"Shippo, do you want to go out for a walk with Miroku?" Kagome asked.
Shippo stopped. "No thanks. I made friends with this cat and we came to see if there is anything to eat in this godforsaken place."
"Is eating all you guys think about?" Kagome grumbled, standing up.
"No," Miroku replied immediately.
"It was a rhetorical question, you utterly perverted baka of a monk!" Kagome left to find some rice in the kitchen.
"PMS," Miroku muttered to Shippo. A pan flew out of the kitchen and slammed into Miroku's head. He howled and collapsed on the ground, a large bump growing on his head.
Shippo snorted. "You deserved it! I mean, I know it's not your fault that Kagome suffers from strange monthly spurts of anger that I don't understand- "
A pot flew out and dropped on Shippo's head. He collapsed next to Miroku and the cat stared at them.
***
Raia opened her eyes when it stopped snowing and looked over at Inuyasha. "You are looking for the Shikon no Tama shards, ne?"
Inuyasha nearly fell off the rock that he was perched upon. "How did you know?"
"Kagome has it, ne? I sensed it when I first met her." Raia was looking at the geta (a type of Japanese sandal) on her feet. "And she's the reincarnation of Kikyo, ne?"
'I got a straight answer!' "Do you- I mean where did you- I mean how did you-"
"Don't bother," Raia whispered sadly. She provided no explanation, but brought a small flute-like instrument to her lips and blew a few notes. Nothing happened for a few minutes, and Inuyasha was about to ask what she had done when he saw a streak of red-gold. Raia held out her arm and Inuyasha saw a cat standing in front of her.
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.
"This is my neko, Sol." Raia stroked the cat's chin with a finger and it purred. "He's my only companion."
Inuyasha suddenly felt a twinge of something. Anger? Frustration? No, nothing like that. It was a hollow, sad feeling. Was it...? No, it couldn't be! Pity? Inuyasha didn't have any time to dwell upon the new emotion, for he saw Miroku and Shippo walking up the hill towards them.
Raia stood up to greet the newcomers with a bow. She then turned to look back at the horizon across the valley and sat down underneath the tree again.
Miroku went around to face her, kneeled down so that he could look into her eyes, and got her attention. "Hello, I'm Miroku the virtuous monk."
Raia blinked in surprise. She tried to remember what Kagome had told her about Miroku, but she couldn't bring it to mind because she hadn't really been paying attention. "Hajimemashite (nice to meet you)." She looked over at Shippo. "And you're the kitsune Shippo, ne?"
Shippo did a double take. "How do you know my name? Are you psychic?"
Raia shook her head slowly and a tinge of sadness appeared at the corners of her eyes. "Far from it, my little tomodachi (friend). No, I know your name because Kagome told me about all of you."
Miroku seemed to be growing uncomfortable. He finally caught Raia's attention again. "May I ask you a question?"
"Um, sure, but I might not be able to answer." Raia jumped when he grasped her hands. She began to edge away ever so slightly, her mind close to remembering what Kagome had said.
"Here it comes," Inuyasha and Shippo muttered, large sweatdrops appearing next to their heads.
Miroku ignored them and took on a 'virtuous' expression. "Will you bear my child?"
Raia's face became increasingly red. She didn't respond.
"Well? Is that a yes?" Miroku became slightly excited at the prospect of a yes.
"BAKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Raia pulled out a hidden sheathed sword and thwacked Miroku over the head with it. "WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU, HENTAI?!"
Inuyasha and Shippo were knocked over by the force of her voice.
"What the hell?!" Inuyasha gaped at Raia from the ground. It was the loudest he'd ever heard anybody's voice. It hurt his sensitive ears and made him jump out of his skin.
Raia cleared her throat and hid her sword again. Miroku was up again, used to being attacked by the women he asked. Shippo and Inuyasha jumped to their feet.
"Gomen nasai, I didn't mean to yell so loudly," Raia was addressing Inuyasha, whose ears were still ringing. He had an annoyed look on his face, and he was beginning to pout. She smiled her first smile since she had been in the village. It transformed her forlorn and brooding face into a shining, bright, kind complexion.
As Inuyasha looked at her, he felt his heart skip a beat.
The smile was short lived, however, and Raia picked up Sol and walked down the steep hill towards the village without a word of parting. Kagome waved when she saw Raia and ran over.
"Hey, where are you headed?" Kagome inquired cheerfully, trying to keep up with Raia's long-legged walk.
Raia shrugged and turned down a road towards the place where she was staying. Kagome stopped and didn't follow her into the small house.
"Heartless little b-"
"No."
Kagome jumped and turned her head to see Inuyasha standing next to her. "What did you say, Inuyasha?"
"She's not heartless," Inuyasha said flatly. "Nor soulless. Iie, she's just... confused, I guess. It's hard to tell what she's thinking. I bet she had some hardship in the past... like me." He left as quietly as he had come and Kagome followed him.
***
Raia set Sol down on the tatami covered floor and sat down at the table. She rested her elbows on it and her eyes began to quiver. Sol brushed up against her and purred.
"There's no sign of my parents or siblings here, either." Raia sighed. "I don't know why I expected them to be here, anyway. I guess it's because I sensed a kindred spirit here. Maybe I shouldn't be quite so harsh on Kagome and the others. They ARE trying to be my friends, after all. I've never really trusted anybody before..."
Sol meowed and jumped onto the table. He sat down and regarded Raia with an intelligent glare.
"I'll go over to their place and see what I can do to make amends. I hope they don't kick me out like most people would after that kind of dislay of rudeness." She stood up. "You stay here, Sol." She slid on her geta and walked along the swiftly darkening streets to the house of Kagome, Inuyasha, Miroku, and Shippo. She knocked on the door tentatively.
Miroku opened the door. "Yes, have you come to bear my child?"
Raia had been prepared for such a greeting, so she thwacked him over the head with her sheathed sword.
Kagome went to the door to inspect why Miroku had collapsed to the floor. "Oh, it's YOU." A bitter tinge was in her voice. "What do you want?" 'Why does she insist on coming here to see Inuyasha..? No... Maybe I'm just jumping to conclusions...'
Raia stepped forward slightly. "Please forgive me for earlier, I have many things on my mind."
Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Well, I guess you can come in. Have you eaten yet?" 'Please say yes!'
Food. Raia blinked. She hadn't eaten anything since she had gotten to the village. "No, no, I haven't." She tried to keep her newly reminded stomach from growling.
"We were just about to sit down to eat. Why don't you join us?" Kagome seemed to be forcing herself to be polite.
"Yes, please!" Raia stepped out of her sandals and followed Kagome to the table. She kneeled down and smiled at Shippo. "Konnichiwa."
Shippo smiled back and tapped the table restlessly with his chopsticks. "Konnichiwa! Hurry up with the food, Kagome!"
"Be patient, will you?" Kagome snapped. "Inuyasha! Dinner!"
Raia heard some clattering on the roof and a thump outside. The shoji door slammed open and shut, and Inuyasha was standing in the room. "Huh?" He blinked at Raia. "What are YOU doing here?"
Raia sighed and stood up. "If you want me to leave, I will. Obviously I am unwanted here."
"Yes you-" Kagome started.
"No, stay." Inuyasha sat down next to her and pulled her into a sitting position again. "Eat." He grabbed a dish of rice from Kagome and put it in front of Raia.
'He's being nice to her... After all I went trough with him before he was nice to me for a second, and now he's being nice to her right away?!' Kagome bristled. "I... I... INUYASHAAA! May I speak to you OUTSIDE for a moment?" She didn't wait for a response and dragged him outside. "What are you doing?"
Inuyasha brushed off his robes. "Being ki- er, hospitable!"
"That woman has been nothing but rude and unkind to us since we met her! Why should we be nice to her now? Haven't you ever heard the saying "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth?""
'This isn't like you, Kagome...' Inuyasha sighed and rolled his eyes. "Are you jealous or something? I thought you were in love with that other guy we met."
Kagome blushed. "Well it is not like I'm going to see him again, so-"
"So you have claims on your little drop back, also known as me." A hurt look flitted across Inuyasha's face, but it quickly vanished. "Look, I'm neutral right now! I don't love Kikyo, you, or Raia."
"Oh, you know her name?" Kagome spat.
"So do you."
"That's not the point!" Kagome was intent on accusing Inuyasha for something. "You... you... You're not normally kind!"
Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "Well I can't expect a wench like you to understand, can I?" He whirled around and stormed back into the house.
Kagome clenched her hands. "SIT!" She screamed. A loud crash echoed from the house.
"WENCH!" Inuyasha yelled from within. He got up, looking to see if Raia was watching him.
"She left," Miroku and Shippo chorused, pointing to the door. "She said she didn't want to come between you two and said she was going for a walk."
Inuyasha ran to the door.
"Where are you going?" Miroku asked. When Inuyasha glared at him, he waved his hands nervously. "Just in case Kagome asks!"
"For a walk," Inuyasha snapped before slamming the sliding door behind himself. He looked up at the cloudy sky and sighed, a puff of condensed air drifting like a cloud into the sky. He walked along the dirt roads towards the edge of the small town. 'Kagome... I don't know if I love you or not... Raia... she's nice... and she doesn't remind me so much of Kikyo.' He found himself wandering up the path on the hill. At the top he came upon Raia sitting on the rock he bad been sitting on. She was looking across the valley again. He chose not to speak and silently sat down on the cold ground.
"Two years," Raia muttered. A gust of wind lifted her hair off her shoulders.
Inuyasha wasn't sure to whom she was speaking, so he remained quiet.
Raia shivered as the cold wind cut through her cloak and chilled her to the bone. "Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha looked up from the ground. He hadn't known if she knew he was there, but he wasn't surprised that she had sensed him. "Yes?"
"Did you know your parents?" Her voice was quiet and tentative.
"Somewhat, but not really. I was quite young. My father is dead, and so is my mother." Inuyasha looked up at the sky. "Why?"
Raia was silent for a moment. "Two years ago a lightning demon attacked my house. All four of us were scattered to different parts of Japan, or so I've been lead to believe. Who knows, they all could be dead. I haven't seen my two sisters or my brother for an extremely long time, well, ever since the demon attacked us. But... I haven't seen or heard from my parents since I was five. Ever since the incident two years ago, I have been travelling from town to town, looking for my sisters and brothers... And forever searching for my parents."
Inuyasha was surprised that she was telling him everything. He noticed that she was toying with a polished piece of amethyst. "Do you have anything that connects you to them now?" 'What is this feeling? Am I falling in... love?' He shook his head vigorously. 'I can't be.'
Raia held up the amethyst with her middle finger and forefinger. "When put together, the gems form a five pointed star. I suppose I cannot assume that any of us are dead, because the gem would lose it's shine if that were to happen."
They sat in silence for a long time, letting the wind toss their hair.
"Where will you go next?" Inuyasha asked finally.
Raia shrugged and pulled her knees up to her chest. "Wherever the wind takes me, I suppose." She took the hilt of her sword and unsheathed two inches of it. The clouds began to clear and a shaft of moonlight bounced off the silver metal surface.
Inuyasha cleared his throat. "Not that I care, but you could always come with us." Not wanting to sound soft, Inuyasha added: "I mean, you can sense jewel shards, after all."
"Why are you being like this, Inuyasha? You're usually so heartless and emotionless, or so I've been told." Raia turned to look at him.
"Feh." Inuyasha pouted and stood up. "I'm not being any different."
"Inuyasha." Raia's voice cracked and she cleared her throat, but the tears building in her eyes wouldn't go away. She bit her lips until she tasted blood, but a tear still rolled down her cheek.
Inuyasha blinked. 'Did I do something?'
Raia couldn't stop the tears that burst forward and she buried her face in her knees.
Inuyasha wasn't sure what to do. "I'm sorry Raia, I don't have emotions. I don't know what sympathy is. I don't even know why the hell you're crying." He twirled around and hurried down the hill away from the girl that may his emotions go haywire. 'Why must I lie to myself and her? I do know why she's crying.. I know how hard it is to lose a loved one...'
Raia cried until her eyes couldn't produce anymore water. "I guess I shouldn't have spoken of my family. It hurts so much still." She sniffed one last time and went back to her house.
AUTHOR'S UPDATE 12/8/03: I'm so sorry about this chapter and anything that bashes Kagome. I love Kagome, she's a great character, and I'm working on re-writing this so that Kagome isn't quite as evil... Sorry everybody!
Chapter 1
Snow. Raia cursed and pulled her cloak around herself more tightly. She huddled underneath a large fir tree and watched the heavy flakes drift to the ground.
"It's the elevation," a man's voice said from behind her.
Raia turned to see a medium sized hanyou with silver hair and pointy ears on top of his head. "Inuyasha," she said in greeting. She closed her eyes and rested her head on her knees.
"What's a miko (a miko is a female priestess like Kikyo) like you doing out here?" Inuyasha asked with a hint of mocking in his voice.
Raia sighed and looked through the leafless trees, far away across the valley, and to the horizon. "It's usually purple over there when it's sunny." She lifted a hand and pointed to the horizon, her voice muffled in her pants.
Inuyasha sighed and rolled his eyes. Ever since the brown-haired purple- eyed miko had arrived in the small town in Japan, she hadn't answered any questions with a straight answer. Inuyasha was ready to give up talking to her at all, but Kagome would 'sit' him a million times if he didn't get the information that she wanted.
Raia stretched out her legs upon the pine-covered ground and straightened her red hakama (they're like samurai pants). She tucked her waist-length hair behind her ears and leaned back on her hands, closing her eyes again.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes and sat down on a rock. 'I'll wait for her to talk,' he thought to himself.
***
Kagome sipped her tea, kneeling at the table in the main room of the small country house. She looked up as a seemingly mild monk wearing purple and black robes walked in.
"Good afternoon, Kagome. Does this cursed place always snow? Why did we have to stop here?" He flopped down and set down his long staff.
"We have to protect the town from demons, you know that! You just don't want to be here because there aren't any pretty women to hit on." Kagome set down her tea. "There's a new woman in town who you haven't met, by the way. She keeps to herself and is usually up on the hill. I sent Inuyasha to try to talk to her. You might be able to charm her, Miroku. At least she'll probably slap you." The idea of Miroku charming anybody made her want to laugh.
Miroku stood up, snorting as he did so. "I'll try talking to her. Inuyasha is bound to get annoyed with her for not talking and he'll try to kill her."
A little fox yokai bounded in, a red-gold cat skipping at his side.
"Shippo, do you want to go out for a walk with Miroku?" Kagome asked.
Shippo stopped. "No thanks. I made friends with this cat and we came to see if there is anything to eat in this godforsaken place."
"Is eating all you guys think about?" Kagome grumbled, standing up.
"No," Miroku replied immediately.
"It was a rhetorical question, you utterly perverted baka of a monk!" Kagome left to find some rice in the kitchen.
"PMS," Miroku muttered to Shippo. A pan flew out of the kitchen and slammed into Miroku's head. He howled and collapsed on the ground, a large bump growing on his head.
Shippo snorted. "You deserved it! I mean, I know it's not your fault that Kagome suffers from strange monthly spurts of anger that I don't understand- "
A pot flew out and dropped on Shippo's head. He collapsed next to Miroku and the cat stared at them.
***
Raia opened her eyes when it stopped snowing and looked over at Inuyasha. "You are looking for the Shikon no Tama shards, ne?"
Inuyasha nearly fell off the rock that he was perched upon. "How did you know?"
"Kagome has it, ne? I sensed it when I first met her." Raia was looking at the geta (a type of Japanese sandal) on her feet. "And she's the reincarnation of Kikyo, ne?"
'I got a straight answer!' "Do you- I mean where did you- I mean how did you-"
"Don't bother," Raia whispered sadly. She provided no explanation, but brought a small flute-like instrument to her lips and blew a few notes. Nothing happened for a few minutes, and Inuyasha was about to ask what she had done when he saw a streak of red-gold. Raia held out her arm and Inuyasha saw a cat standing in front of her.
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.
"This is my neko, Sol." Raia stroked the cat's chin with a finger and it purred. "He's my only companion."
Inuyasha suddenly felt a twinge of something. Anger? Frustration? No, nothing like that. It was a hollow, sad feeling. Was it...? No, it couldn't be! Pity? Inuyasha didn't have any time to dwell upon the new emotion, for he saw Miroku and Shippo walking up the hill towards them.
Raia stood up to greet the newcomers with a bow. She then turned to look back at the horizon across the valley and sat down underneath the tree again.
Miroku went around to face her, kneeled down so that he could look into her eyes, and got her attention. "Hello, I'm Miroku the virtuous monk."
Raia blinked in surprise. She tried to remember what Kagome had told her about Miroku, but she couldn't bring it to mind because she hadn't really been paying attention. "Hajimemashite (nice to meet you)." She looked over at Shippo. "And you're the kitsune Shippo, ne?"
Shippo did a double take. "How do you know my name? Are you psychic?"
Raia shook her head slowly and a tinge of sadness appeared at the corners of her eyes. "Far from it, my little tomodachi (friend). No, I know your name because Kagome told me about all of you."
Miroku seemed to be growing uncomfortable. He finally caught Raia's attention again. "May I ask you a question?"
"Um, sure, but I might not be able to answer." Raia jumped when he grasped her hands. She began to edge away ever so slightly, her mind close to remembering what Kagome had said.
"Here it comes," Inuyasha and Shippo muttered, large sweatdrops appearing next to their heads.
Miroku ignored them and took on a 'virtuous' expression. "Will you bear my child?"
Raia's face became increasingly red. She didn't respond.
"Well? Is that a yes?" Miroku became slightly excited at the prospect of a yes.
"BAKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Raia pulled out a hidden sheathed sword and thwacked Miroku over the head with it. "WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU, HENTAI?!"
Inuyasha and Shippo were knocked over by the force of her voice.
"What the hell?!" Inuyasha gaped at Raia from the ground. It was the loudest he'd ever heard anybody's voice. It hurt his sensitive ears and made him jump out of his skin.
Raia cleared her throat and hid her sword again. Miroku was up again, used to being attacked by the women he asked. Shippo and Inuyasha jumped to their feet.
"Gomen nasai, I didn't mean to yell so loudly," Raia was addressing Inuyasha, whose ears were still ringing. He had an annoyed look on his face, and he was beginning to pout. She smiled her first smile since she had been in the village. It transformed her forlorn and brooding face into a shining, bright, kind complexion.
As Inuyasha looked at her, he felt his heart skip a beat.
The smile was short lived, however, and Raia picked up Sol and walked down the steep hill towards the village without a word of parting. Kagome waved when she saw Raia and ran over.
"Hey, where are you headed?" Kagome inquired cheerfully, trying to keep up with Raia's long-legged walk.
Raia shrugged and turned down a road towards the place where she was staying. Kagome stopped and didn't follow her into the small house.
"Heartless little b-"
"No."
Kagome jumped and turned her head to see Inuyasha standing next to her. "What did you say, Inuyasha?"
"She's not heartless," Inuyasha said flatly. "Nor soulless. Iie, she's just... confused, I guess. It's hard to tell what she's thinking. I bet she had some hardship in the past... like me." He left as quietly as he had come and Kagome followed him.
***
Raia set Sol down on the tatami covered floor and sat down at the table. She rested her elbows on it and her eyes began to quiver. Sol brushed up against her and purred.
"There's no sign of my parents or siblings here, either." Raia sighed. "I don't know why I expected them to be here, anyway. I guess it's because I sensed a kindred spirit here. Maybe I shouldn't be quite so harsh on Kagome and the others. They ARE trying to be my friends, after all. I've never really trusted anybody before..."
Sol meowed and jumped onto the table. He sat down and regarded Raia with an intelligent glare.
"I'll go over to their place and see what I can do to make amends. I hope they don't kick me out like most people would after that kind of dislay of rudeness." She stood up. "You stay here, Sol." She slid on her geta and walked along the swiftly darkening streets to the house of Kagome, Inuyasha, Miroku, and Shippo. She knocked on the door tentatively.
Miroku opened the door. "Yes, have you come to bear my child?"
Raia had been prepared for such a greeting, so she thwacked him over the head with her sheathed sword.
Kagome went to the door to inspect why Miroku had collapsed to the floor. "Oh, it's YOU." A bitter tinge was in her voice. "What do you want?" 'Why does she insist on coming here to see Inuyasha..? No... Maybe I'm just jumping to conclusions...'
Raia stepped forward slightly. "Please forgive me for earlier, I have many things on my mind."
Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Well, I guess you can come in. Have you eaten yet?" 'Please say yes!'
Food. Raia blinked. She hadn't eaten anything since she had gotten to the village. "No, no, I haven't." She tried to keep her newly reminded stomach from growling.
"We were just about to sit down to eat. Why don't you join us?" Kagome seemed to be forcing herself to be polite.
"Yes, please!" Raia stepped out of her sandals and followed Kagome to the table. She kneeled down and smiled at Shippo. "Konnichiwa."
Shippo smiled back and tapped the table restlessly with his chopsticks. "Konnichiwa! Hurry up with the food, Kagome!"
"Be patient, will you?" Kagome snapped. "Inuyasha! Dinner!"
Raia heard some clattering on the roof and a thump outside. The shoji door slammed open and shut, and Inuyasha was standing in the room. "Huh?" He blinked at Raia. "What are YOU doing here?"
Raia sighed and stood up. "If you want me to leave, I will. Obviously I am unwanted here."
"Yes you-" Kagome started.
"No, stay." Inuyasha sat down next to her and pulled her into a sitting position again. "Eat." He grabbed a dish of rice from Kagome and put it in front of Raia.
'He's being nice to her... After all I went trough with him before he was nice to me for a second, and now he's being nice to her right away?!' Kagome bristled. "I... I... INUYASHAAA! May I speak to you OUTSIDE for a moment?" She didn't wait for a response and dragged him outside. "What are you doing?"
Inuyasha brushed off his robes. "Being ki- er, hospitable!"
"That woman has been nothing but rude and unkind to us since we met her! Why should we be nice to her now? Haven't you ever heard the saying "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth?""
'This isn't like you, Kagome...' Inuyasha sighed and rolled his eyes. "Are you jealous or something? I thought you were in love with that other guy we met."
Kagome blushed. "Well it is not like I'm going to see him again, so-"
"So you have claims on your little drop back, also known as me." A hurt look flitted across Inuyasha's face, but it quickly vanished. "Look, I'm neutral right now! I don't love Kikyo, you, or Raia."
"Oh, you know her name?" Kagome spat.
"So do you."
"That's not the point!" Kagome was intent on accusing Inuyasha for something. "You... you... You're not normally kind!"
Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "Well I can't expect a wench like you to understand, can I?" He whirled around and stormed back into the house.
Kagome clenched her hands. "SIT!" She screamed. A loud crash echoed from the house.
"WENCH!" Inuyasha yelled from within. He got up, looking to see if Raia was watching him.
"She left," Miroku and Shippo chorused, pointing to the door. "She said she didn't want to come between you two and said she was going for a walk."
Inuyasha ran to the door.
"Where are you going?" Miroku asked. When Inuyasha glared at him, he waved his hands nervously. "Just in case Kagome asks!"
"For a walk," Inuyasha snapped before slamming the sliding door behind himself. He looked up at the cloudy sky and sighed, a puff of condensed air drifting like a cloud into the sky. He walked along the dirt roads towards the edge of the small town. 'Kagome... I don't know if I love you or not... Raia... she's nice... and she doesn't remind me so much of Kikyo.' He found himself wandering up the path on the hill. At the top he came upon Raia sitting on the rock he bad been sitting on. She was looking across the valley again. He chose not to speak and silently sat down on the cold ground.
"Two years," Raia muttered. A gust of wind lifted her hair off her shoulders.
Inuyasha wasn't sure to whom she was speaking, so he remained quiet.
Raia shivered as the cold wind cut through her cloak and chilled her to the bone. "Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha looked up from the ground. He hadn't known if she knew he was there, but he wasn't surprised that she had sensed him. "Yes?"
"Did you know your parents?" Her voice was quiet and tentative.
"Somewhat, but not really. I was quite young. My father is dead, and so is my mother." Inuyasha looked up at the sky. "Why?"
Raia was silent for a moment. "Two years ago a lightning demon attacked my house. All four of us were scattered to different parts of Japan, or so I've been lead to believe. Who knows, they all could be dead. I haven't seen my two sisters or my brother for an extremely long time, well, ever since the demon attacked us. But... I haven't seen or heard from my parents since I was five. Ever since the incident two years ago, I have been travelling from town to town, looking for my sisters and brothers... And forever searching for my parents."
Inuyasha was surprised that she was telling him everything. He noticed that she was toying with a polished piece of amethyst. "Do you have anything that connects you to them now?" 'What is this feeling? Am I falling in... love?' He shook his head vigorously. 'I can't be.'
Raia held up the amethyst with her middle finger and forefinger. "When put together, the gems form a five pointed star. I suppose I cannot assume that any of us are dead, because the gem would lose it's shine if that were to happen."
They sat in silence for a long time, letting the wind toss their hair.
"Where will you go next?" Inuyasha asked finally.
Raia shrugged and pulled her knees up to her chest. "Wherever the wind takes me, I suppose." She took the hilt of her sword and unsheathed two inches of it. The clouds began to clear and a shaft of moonlight bounced off the silver metal surface.
Inuyasha cleared his throat. "Not that I care, but you could always come with us." Not wanting to sound soft, Inuyasha added: "I mean, you can sense jewel shards, after all."
"Why are you being like this, Inuyasha? You're usually so heartless and emotionless, or so I've been told." Raia turned to look at him.
"Feh." Inuyasha pouted and stood up. "I'm not being any different."
"Inuyasha." Raia's voice cracked and she cleared her throat, but the tears building in her eyes wouldn't go away. She bit her lips until she tasted blood, but a tear still rolled down her cheek.
Inuyasha blinked. 'Did I do something?'
Raia couldn't stop the tears that burst forward and she buried her face in her knees.
Inuyasha wasn't sure what to do. "I'm sorry Raia, I don't have emotions. I don't know what sympathy is. I don't even know why the hell you're crying." He twirled around and hurried down the hill away from the girl that may his emotions go haywire. 'Why must I lie to myself and her? I do know why she's crying.. I know how hard it is to lose a loved one...'
Raia cried until her eyes couldn't produce anymore water. "I guess I shouldn't have spoken of my family. It hurts so much still." She sniffed one last time and went back to her house.