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Chapter Five - Welcome Back, Kagome
"KAGOME!" The little kitsune flung himself into her arms.
She stumbled back a couple steps from the impact as she returned Shippo's hug. "You certainly haven't changed much."
They started up the path to Kaede's hut. As they walked, Shippo sat on her shoulder, easily settling back into the perch as if it hadn't been a year since the last time he sat there. He chattered on and on, as a child was wont to do about nothing and everything. Inuyasha trailed behind, admiring the ever-patient way she spoke to the little kitsune. If it had been him, he probably would have knocked the child off of his shoulder by now to shut him up. Of course, Kagome had always been very patient.except when it came to him. As they reached the door to the old miko's hut Shippo jumped from his perch and rushed ahead inside. Stepping through the doorway, they could hear him excitedly telling Kaede that Kagome was back. The look on the old woman's face told Inuyasha that she wasn't all that surprised to see the young woman again. Damn, that old woman. Why does she have to be right so often?
"Hello, Kaede-sama," Kagome greeted her old friend. "You look well."
Kaede nodded. "As do ye, child." Her eyes narrowed slightly in concentration. "Ye have the aura of an official miko about ye. Have ye."
"Yes. I thought it was appropriate to accept it formally."
Inuyasha's eyes widened in shock. Kagome a miko? He would've never pictured it. Granted, she was the reincarnation of Kikyo, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. He'd always considered her too spirited to be a miko. Besides, she used to be so dead set against the idea because she wanted to be different from Kikyo.
* * *
She stared up at the ceiling of Kaede's hut. It came as no surprise that she couldn't sleep. How could she with him sleeping right across the room? She wondered why she had even come here. Had she been hoping that he'd welcome her back with open arms? Did she expect to discover that memories had been plaguing him as well? If they had, it didn't seem like it. It certainly didn't look as if he'd been having any trouble sleeping. She sighed. Maybe this was a mistake.
He leaned against the wall, pretending to sleep. It was a joke to think that he could for real. His sensitive ears could hear the slow, steady breathing of her sleeping across the room. He wondered what had possessed him to go to the well. What was he hoping to find if he went through it? Did he expect to find her pacing her bedroom unable to sleep because the past kept coming back to her? If it had, she hid it well. It definitely didn't look as if she'd had any trouble sleeping. He sighed. This was a mistake.
* * *
Both Inuyasha and Kagome stared into the night, thinking similar thoughts, neither of them realizing that the other was having just as much trouble sleeping, when a scream shattered the night. They were both on their feet and armed in an instant. They glanced at each other briefly before dashing out the door to follow the screams. Reaching the edge of town they saw a young woman stumble out of the forest with a large snake youkai slithering not far behind her.
The woman's breath came in ragged gasps as she ran. Hopefully, she could make it to the safety of the village. She was almost there, almost within reach of help. Then, her foot got caught on a rock or a root or.something. It didn't really matter what. The snake demon had reached her. Terror constricted her throat, she couldn't even scream as the wretched thing reared up, ready to strike. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for her death. But it never came. Instead, the demon let out a shriek of pain. Opening her eyes she saw an arrow protruding from its chest. In the blink of an eye, two more leaving streaks of light in the air thudded into the creature. Each arrow split the previous one and deepened the wound. Still, the demon lived. However, its attention was no longer on the woman. It slithered around her and towards the village. Glancing behind her she saw a young woman dressed in strange clothes preparing to let loose another arrow and a man with silvery-white hair sprinting forward with a very large sword drawn.
As the demon came towards them Kagome let fly one more arrow before letting Inuyasha finish the damned thing off. Even without four arrows imbedded so close to its heart the thing would have been child's play to deal with. Well, maybe not. It usually only took one arrow to destroy youkai. As it was, weak from pain and loss of blood, it was almost too easy for the hanyou to carve the thing to pieces. He almost.almost.felt sorry for the thing. As he sheathed Tetsusaiga, he stared at Kagome astounded and impressed. She had improved in the past year. Sure, she had been pretty good with the bow by the time they parted ways, but she wasn't nearly as skilled as the archer that stood before him now. Inuyasha was about to say something when the young woman the youkai had been chasing staggered up to them.
"Thank you, so much," she said with feeling. "I thought for sure I'd be that thing's dinner."
Kagome gave the woman a nod of acknowledgement. "It's what we do. If you need a place to stay for the night or however long you're planning to be around, I'm sure they'll let you stay at the temple."
"Thank you."
As the woman entered the village, Inuyasha came up beside the miko. "Welcome back, Kagome," he said wryly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shayril: Okay, guys, don't get upset about the screaming woman. That's the last time she'll be in it. At least in this one. What'd you think of the chapter? E-mail me at tigerwitch13@yahoo.com. I know the fight with the snake demon was kind of short. It was supposed to be. It was meant to show how much Kagome had improved with her archery and how easy it still is for them to work together. If you don't like it, deal with it! I'll let you in on a secret. There's a longer one coming up in the future .... Smiles happily .... You'll like the ones to come better. Anyway.Huh! I'm out of things to say again. Wow! That's definitely never happened twice in a row before. You can ask anyone who knows me .... Confused look crosses face ... What's wrong with me? .... Waves hand distractedly ... See you guys later. I'll figure this out and then start the next chapter...
Chapter Five - Welcome Back, Kagome
"KAGOME!" The little kitsune flung himself into her arms.
She stumbled back a couple steps from the impact as she returned Shippo's hug. "You certainly haven't changed much."
They started up the path to Kaede's hut. As they walked, Shippo sat on her shoulder, easily settling back into the perch as if it hadn't been a year since the last time he sat there. He chattered on and on, as a child was wont to do about nothing and everything. Inuyasha trailed behind, admiring the ever-patient way she spoke to the little kitsune. If it had been him, he probably would have knocked the child off of his shoulder by now to shut him up. Of course, Kagome had always been very patient.except when it came to him. As they reached the door to the old miko's hut Shippo jumped from his perch and rushed ahead inside. Stepping through the doorway, they could hear him excitedly telling Kaede that Kagome was back. The look on the old woman's face told Inuyasha that she wasn't all that surprised to see the young woman again. Damn, that old woman. Why does she have to be right so often?
"Hello, Kaede-sama," Kagome greeted her old friend. "You look well."
Kaede nodded. "As do ye, child." Her eyes narrowed slightly in concentration. "Ye have the aura of an official miko about ye. Have ye."
"Yes. I thought it was appropriate to accept it formally."
Inuyasha's eyes widened in shock. Kagome a miko? He would've never pictured it. Granted, she was the reincarnation of Kikyo, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. He'd always considered her too spirited to be a miko. Besides, she used to be so dead set against the idea because she wanted to be different from Kikyo.
* * *
She stared up at the ceiling of Kaede's hut. It came as no surprise that she couldn't sleep. How could she with him sleeping right across the room? She wondered why she had even come here. Had she been hoping that he'd welcome her back with open arms? Did she expect to discover that memories had been plaguing him as well? If they had, it didn't seem like it. It certainly didn't look as if he'd been having any trouble sleeping. She sighed. Maybe this was a mistake.
He leaned against the wall, pretending to sleep. It was a joke to think that he could for real. His sensitive ears could hear the slow, steady breathing of her sleeping across the room. He wondered what had possessed him to go to the well. What was he hoping to find if he went through it? Did he expect to find her pacing her bedroom unable to sleep because the past kept coming back to her? If it had, she hid it well. It definitely didn't look as if she'd had any trouble sleeping. He sighed. This was a mistake.
* * *
Both Inuyasha and Kagome stared into the night, thinking similar thoughts, neither of them realizing that the other was having just as much trouble sleeping, when a scream shattered the night. They were both on their feet and armed in an instant. They glanced at each other briefly before dashing out the door to follow the screams. Reaching the edge of town they saw a young woman stumble out of the forest with a large snake youkai slithering not far behind her.
The woman's breath came in ragged gasps as she ran. Hopefully, she could make it to the safety of the village. She was almost there, almost within reach of help. Then, her foot got caught on a rock or a root or.something. It didn't really matter what. The snake demon had reached her. Terror constricted her throat, she couldn't even scream as the wretched thing reared up, ready to strike. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for her death. But it never came. Instead, the demon let out a shriek of pain. Opening her eyes she saw an arrow protruding from its chest. In the blink of an eye, two more leaving streaks of light in the air thudded into the creature. Each arrow split the previous one and deepened the wound. Still, the demon lived. However, its attention was no longer on the woman. It slithered around her and towards the village. Glancing behind her she saw a young woman dressed in strange clothes preparing to let loose another arrow and a man with silvery-white hair sprinting forward with a very large sword drawn.
As the demon came towards them Kagome let fly one more arrow before letting Inuyasha finish the damned thing off. Even without four arrows imbedded so close to its heart the thing would have been child's play to deal with. Well, maybe not. It usually only took one arrow to destroy youkai. As it was, weak from pain and loss of blood, it was almost too easy for the hanyou to carve the thing to pieces. He almost.almost.felt sorry for the thing. As he sheathed Tetsusaiga, he stared at Kagome astounded and impressed. She had improved in the past year. Sure, she had been pretty good with the bow by the time they parted ways, but she wasn't nearly as skilled as the archer that stood before him now. Inuyasha was about to say something when the young woman the youkai had been chasing staggered up to them.
"Thank you, so much," she said with feeling. "I thought for sure I'd be that thing's dinner."
Kagome gave the woman a nod of acknowledgement. "It's what we do. If you need a place to stay for the night or however long you're planning to be around, I'm sure they'll let you stay at the temple."
"Thank you."
As the woman entered the village, Inuyasha came up beside the miko. "Welcome back, Kagome," he said wryly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shayril: Okay, guys, don't get upset about the screaming woman. That's the last time she'll be in it. At least in this one. What'd you think of the chapter? E-mail me at tigerwitch13@yahoo.com. I know the fight with the snake demon was kind of short. It was supposed to be. It was meant to show how much Kagome had improved with her archery and how easy it still is for them to work together. If you don't like it, deal with it! I'll let you in on a secret. There's a longer one coming up in the future .... Smiles happily .... You'll like the ones to come better. Anyway.Huh! I'm out of things to say again. Wow! That's definitely never happened twice in a row before. You can ask anyone who knows me .... Confused look crosses face ... What's wrong with me? .... Waves hand distractedly ... See you guys later. I'll figure this out and then start the next chapter...
