*opens up a brand new spakin' box of youkai lawyer seals, also known as
disclaimers* Okay, I'm ready to get back to work!! I sadly do not own any
teeny tiny part of Inuyasha, not even a lock of that beautiful silver hair
*sob* But if I did.*happy smile* Ah well, in my dreams.
Review comments at the bottom.
Previously. "If it were outside influences, I could cast a barrier around him, but if this comes from the inside, and not a possession, I'm not sure what to do. If we could purify." his eyes lit up. "I have an idea, I don't know if it will work, but anything is worth a try," he said, and I nodded.then I noticed something. Inuyasha was missing. ************
I sighed and looked around into the dark, but I couldn't see a sign of him. 'Baka, if he went out on his own, I'll sit him till there's no tomorrow,' I thought angrily.
"I'm going after him," I said, reaching for my bow and arrows. Miroku looked at me stunned. "Are you sure that's wise?"
I nodded, "I'll be okay, besides, if I really get into trouble, he'll hear me." 'I hope,' I thought but didn't speak out loud.
"Give me the shards, and I will try and help the boy. I only pray that my idea will work." Miroku said and I slipped the necklace from around my neck, holding the jar in my hand for a moment. 'Please help the boy,' I asked, and felt the glow brighten in my hand. I handed the jar to Miroku and reached for my flashlight from my bag.
"Kirara, go with Kagome," Sango ordered and the cat mewed in agreement, running out of the hut to transform before me. I nodded my thanks to her and hopped on Kirara's back and we took to the sky.
"Find Inuyasha, Kirara," I told her and she yowled softly, swooping down into the treeline. The moon was still very full and I knew that he would stand out like a beacon, with that silver hair. Sure enough, I was right. He had found a bit of trouble, a large bird youkai that was making it hard for him to use his Kaze no Kizo, moving swiftly to dodge the attacks. I reached behind me and notched an arrow, waiting. Inuyasha was knocked off his feet, and the bird was swooping down to make its final attack. I let my arrow fly, catching it in the wing, and swiftly pinning it to the ground. Inuyasha looked up at me, his eyes wide with surprise, before grabbing Tetseiga and finishing it off.
Kirara landed nearby and I slid off her back, once again glad that I was sensible to wear a pair of pants again today. I stood with my hands on my hips.
"Baka, what are you doing, coming out here alone?" I said angrily, and he narrowed his eyes.
"Please, I was just fine!" he scoffed and turned his face to look away from me. I rolled my eyes, "Oh yeah, sure you were," I said sarcastically, and looked around.
"What are you doing all the way out here anyway?"
"Feh, I smelled something on that boy, so I came out here to see if I was right. Besides, you said the shards were around here, so I was doing some early scouting. You were too worried about that brat to notice I had left anyway" He crossed his arms and I sighed. No use arguing. But out of the corner of my eye, I notice him keeping a nervous eye on me. What was he- Oh!
"You idiot, you think I'm going to 'it' you, is that it?" I shouted at him, and he turned to glare at me. "Do you think that that's my reaction to everything? To just say that word?! Well you're wrong."
"You do use it whenever it suits you," he snarled and I narrowed my eyes, "I only use it when you deserve it. I wanted to use it on you all day today, when you were being a complete jerk towards me, but I didn't." I covered my mouth quickly, and I could feel my eyes getting large.
"Feh, so you constrained yourself once," he said and started to walk away.
"Why are you being like this?!" I shouted angrily, "Or was that someone else last night? Another part of yourself, but not really you? Was it all a lie, did you really mean it when you said you loved me?!" I felt my hands shaking, 'If that was just an act, if he was just playing on my feelings.' I could bearly contain my fury.
He turned, and flew towards me so suddenly I didn't have time to react, feeling my back hit the ground and his furious face staring down at me. He pinned my arms to the side, and held me down with his weight, "You know nothing about me Kagome, but know this, NEVER call me a liar! You don't understand the first thing about me," he hissed.
I met his gaze with equal determination, "Well damnit, why don't you explain it to me?! Everytime I think I'm getting through that thick shell of yours, everytime I get a peek, you pull away, and become this Inuyasha again, rude, insensitive, stubborn. How can I understand you, if you won't let me in!"
He stared at me, his face never wavering from the look of anger, and I could feel his heartbeat racing through his hands, his breath hot on my face. I refused to back down, I was right and I knew it. He could be Mr. Toughguy all he wanted, but if he really wanted me to understand him, he would have to open up.
I let my voice soften, "Why, why were you so rude to me today?" I asked, my voice bearly a whisper.
"All my life, I've been rejected by everyone, ridiculed by humans for being half demon and different from them, and rejected by demons for being half human and weaker than them. I never let anyone see my weaknesses, and this morning, to think Miroku had an advantage on me, using you against me. I can't let anyone.." His voice was a soft growl, and I could tell he was still very angry about the whole incident.
"Oh Inuyasha," I said softly, "Miroku would never use me against you, you know this. He may be ecchi at times, but he is a good man, and wouldn't ever betray you."
He looked away from my face, and I relaxed in his grip.
"I'm dangerous to be around, and if..if anyone.if Naraku found out about you, he would use you against me, he would even kill you to get to me, and I.I couldn't bear that." His voice was a sad whisper, and for a moment I did see through the tough façade he had placed up, inside he was so scared, it was the mirror of his face the night before.
"Inuyasha, I promise you, he won't use me against you, he can't. You have to have faith in me, if you really love me. I know I can be pretty useless in a fight sometimes, but I'll learn, I promise. If you teach me how to fight, I'll learn, and that way you won't have to worry about me so much." He turned to look at me, the surprise in his face.
"Kagome, I do have faith in you, and if you truly want, I will teach you what I can," he said softly and I smiled. He smiled faintly and leaned down close to me, nuzzling his cheek against mine. My heart leapt in my throat as his lips grew closer to mine.
Kirara let out a loud yell and he sighed, pausing his decent. I echoed his sigh, and laughed faintly, "We'd better see what she wants, before she calls the whole calvary in." He released my arms and I rose quickly.
Kirara was motioning with her nose at some bushes growing along the treeline, and Inuyasha knelt beside them, sniffing and covering his nose. "Smells like death, old death," he said behind the covering of his fire-rat cloak. I pulled out my flashlight and shined it along the bushes.
"Berries," I said. They looked harmless enough, and then I moved the light lower. I almost dropped the flashlight. There, gleaming white in the beam, was a human hand, or what was left of one. I quickly raised my hand to my mouth, and took a deep breath to stop the bile that was rising in my stomach. Without looking back at the decaying flesh, I pulled a hankerchief from my pocket and grabbed some of the berries and leaves from the bush stepping back.
"What do you want those for?" Inuyasha asked as I carefully folded them in the cloth and moved over to Kirara, pulling myself on her back and motioning for him to join me.
"I think I can make a remedy for the boy, and I have to tell Miroku what we saw, he'd know what to do from here, "I said, as he settled in behind me and Kirara took to the air swiftly. Inuyasha was so close to me, so warm, I felt like his very being enveloped me, and protected me. It was a wonderful feeling.
Miroku and Sango were waiting for us as we landed, and I handed Miroku the fragile package, as well as what we saw.
"I thought as much," he said seriously, "The berries are poisioned with the restless sorrow of the spirit of the person who is buried there. They are saddened because they were not properly buried in death, and their grief has poisioned the fruit of the bush." He reached out and handed me the shards, "Thank you Kagome, these did heal the soul sickness from his body, and these berries, once purified with the water remaining, should give him strength again. By tomorrow he should be ready to return to play."
I sighed softly as Miroku entered the hut to tell the boys parents the good news, and I followed him. Shippou was sleeping beside the boy, and I smiled softly, it was good for him to be around someone his age.
"We don't know how to thank you, miko-sama" the parents said to me and I smiled softly, and perhaps my weariness was very evident, because the mother rose and took my hand, leading me over to a clean futon in the corner.
"We don't have much miko-sama, but please rest here for the night, you and your companions, all we can offer is our hospitality, I'm afraid we have little money." I held up my hands, "No no, I couldn't accept any money from you, just take care of that little boy, and help him grow up good and just." She nodded and then her eyes lowered, and she gasped softly. Sango glanced in our direction and was quickly at my side, "Kagome-chan, what happened to your arms?!"
I looked down, noticing for the first time the dark purple marks around my forearms, marks that very much resembled hands. I also noticed how sore they were and winced. Sango turned murderous eyes to Inuyasha, "Why you-" she began and I placed a hand on her arm to quiet her.
"Its not his fault, he didn't do it!" I pleaded with my friend and she simply nodded, moving over to another corner, to curl up with Kirara for sleep. The boy's parents had taken to sleeping bedside their son, and I curled up on the futon the mother had offered me. I lifted my arms up to see the marks and sighed softly. I didn't even hear the soft footsteps till he was right above me.
"Did I really do that," he whispered faintly, kneeling down to look at my arms.
"You didn't mean to, "I said and his eyes looked so pained, that I gently reached up and touched his cheek. He curled up before me, like we had slept the night before, his back to the doorway, and him facing me, as if protecting me from anyone and anything that could come through. Inuyasha gently brought the bruises close to his face, and I watched silently as he whimpered and began running his face against them, his eyes closed. I couldn't believe it. I froze in place as he buried his face against my arms, and the throbbing slowly faded away. After a moment he stopped and opened his eyes, to watch my reaction.
I looked at him in awe, and then smiled, mouthing "Thank you," so only he could see. He reached over and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me against him tightly. And this was how we slept, protecting each other as we drifted off to sleep.
A/N: Okay, a little anticlimactic for the ending of this chapter, but my brain is a little fried, so many research papers, so little time, AND I just found out I have to do a 75 minute presentation at a conference of experts in a month. I can't do public speaking to save my life *STRESS!*
Minna, thank you SOO much for your reviews, here's my responses! Also for those of you that answered my question about Shippou's behavior, arigato, I'm glad I'm not the only one that noticed it.
My next reviewer question.what's this about Sesshomaru being called Fluffy??!! I see it everywhere, but was it something in the english version manga or the English dubbed anime??
Mitsuko Maxwell : Yeah, the idea is that she normally isn't that specific or that long range when she's looking for a shard. I know she's said in the series "There's a shard up north" but she never tried getting down to EXACTLY where it was. As for Kirara, here she is
Keri Maxwell: Thank you! I hope I can continue to be non-OOC ^_^
Akida Lupin(): *laugh* If you put enough effort into actually hunting me down, chaining me to my computer and forcing me to update, I will gladly give you the first viewing of each and every chapter
Fantasi: (Bigsis121288@aol.com): I'm so glad you're enjoying it, and I look forward to your further imput!!
Wing Weaver: Thank you ^_^
kawaiikitsune : Arigato *bows
ladyjulianna: Don't worry, there's a very Inuyasha-ish reason for his behavior. I should have a reasoning up soon enough ^_^
Review comments at the bottom.
Previously. "If it were outside influences, I could cast a barrier around him, but if this comes from the inside, and not a possession, I'm not sure what to do. If we could purify." his eyes lit up. "I have an idea, I don't know if it will work, but anything is worth a try," he said, and I nodded.then I noticed something. Inuyasha was missing. ************
I sighed and looked around into the dark, but I couldn't see a sign of him. 'Baka, if he went out on his own, I'll sit him till there's no tomorrow,' I thought angrily.
"I'm going after him," I said, reaching for my bow and arrows. Miroku looked at me stunned. "Are you sure that's wise?"
I nodded, "I'll be okay, besides, if I really get into trouble, he'll hear me." 'I hope,' I thought but didn't speak out loud.
"Give me the shards, and I will try and help the boy. I only pray that my idea will work." Miroku said and I slipped the necklace from around my neck, holding the jar in my hand for a moment. 'Please help the boy,' I asked, and felt the glow brighten in my hand. I handed the jar to Miroku and reached for my flashlight from my bag.
"Kirara, go with Kagome," Sango ordered and the cat mewed in agreement, running out of the hut to transform before me. I nodded my thanks to her and hopped on Kirara's back and we took to the sky.
"Find Inuyasha, Kirara," I told her and she yowled softly, swooping down into the treeline. The moon was still very full and I knew that he would stand out like a beacon, with that silver hair. Sure enough, I was right. He had found a bit of trouble, a large bird youkai that was making it hard for him to use his Kaze no Kizo, moving swiftly to dodge the attacks. I reached behind me and notched an arrow, waiting. Inuyasha was knocked off his feet, and the bird was swooping down to make its final attack. I let my arrow fly, catching it in the wing, and swiftly pinning it to the ground. Inuyasha looked up at me, his eyes wide with surprise, before grabbing Tetseiga and finishing it off.
Kirara landed nearby and I slid off her back, once again glad that I was sensible to wear a pair of pants again today. I stood with my hands on my hips.
"Baka, what are you doing, coming out here alone?" I said angrily, and he narrowed his eyes.
"Please, I was just fine!" he scoffed and turned his face to look away from me. I rolled my eyes, "Oh yeah, sure you were," I said sarcastically, and looked around.
"What are you doing all the way out here anyway?"
"Feh, I smelled something on that boy, so I came out here to see if I was right. Besides, you said the shards were around here, so I was doing some early scouting. You were too worried about that brat to notice I had left anyway" He crossed his arms and I sighed. No use arguing. But out of the corner of my eye, I notice him keeping a nervous eye on me. What was he- Oh!
"You idiot, you think I'm going to 'it' you, is that it?" I shouted at him, and he turned to glare at me. "Do you think that that's my reaction to everything? To just say that word?! Well you're wrong."
"You do use it whenever it suits you," he snarled and I narrowed my eyes, "I only use it when you deserve it. I wanted to use it on you all day today, when you were being a complete jerk towards me, but I didn't." I covered my mouth quickly, and I could feel my eyes getting large.
"Feh, so you constrained yourself once," he said and started to walk away.
"Why are you being like this?!" I shouted angrily, "Or was that someone else last night? Another part of yourself, but not really you? Was it all a lie, did you really mean it when you said you loved me?!" I felt my hands shaking, 'If that was just an act, if he was just playing on my feelings.' I could bearly contain my fury.
He turned, and flew towards me so suddenly I didn't have time to react, feeling my back hit the ground and his furious face staring down at me. He pinned my arms to the side, and held me down with his weight, "You know nothing about me Kagome, but know this, NEVER call me a liar! You don't understand the first thing about me," he hissed.
I met his gaze with equal determination, "Well damnit, why don't you explain it to me?! Everytime I think I'm getting through that thick shell of yours, everytime I get a peek, you pull away, and become this Inuyasha again, rude, insensitive, stubborn. How can I understand you, if you won't let me in!"
He stared at me, his face never wavering from the look of anger, and I could feel his heartbeat racing through his hands, his breath hot on my face. I refused to back down, I was right and I knew it. He could be Mr. Toughguy all he wanted, but if he really wanted me to understand him, he would have to open up.
I let my voice soften, "Why, why were you so rude to me today?" I asked, my voice bearly a whisper.
"All my life, I've been rejected by everyone, ridiculed by humans for being half demon and different from them, and rejected by demons for being half human and weaker than them. I never let anyone see my weaknesses, and this morning, to think Miroku had an advantage on me, using you against me. I can't let anyone.." His voice was a soft growl, and I could tell he was still very angry about the whole incident.
"Oh Inuyasha," I said softly, "Miroku would never use me against you, you know this. He may be ecchi at times, but he is a good man, and wouldn't ever betray you."
He looked away from my face, and I relaxed in his grip.
"I'm dangerous to be around, and if..if anyone.if Naraku found out about you, he would use you against me, he would even kill you to get to me, and I.I couldn't bear that." His voice was a sad whisper, and for a moment I did see through the tough façade he had placed up, inside he was so scared, it was the mirror of his face the night before.
"Inuyasha, I promise you, he won't use me against you, he can't. You have to have faith in me, if you really love me. I know I can be pretty useless in a fight sometimes, but I'll learn, I promise. If you teach me how to fight, I'll learn, and that way you won't have to worry about me so much." He turned to look at me, the surprise in his face.
"Kagome, I do have faith in you, and if you truly want, I will teach you what I can," he said softly and I smiled. He smiled faintly and leaned down close to me, nuzzling his cheek against mine. My heart leapt in my throat as his lips grew closer to mine.
Kirara let out a loud yell and he sighed, pausing his decent. I echoed his sigh, and laughed faintly, "We'd better see what she wants, before she calls the whole calvary in." He released my arms and I rose quickly.
Kirara was motioning with her nose at some bushes growing along the treeline, and Inuyasha knelt beside them, sniffing and covering his nose. "Smells like death, old death," he said behind the covering of his fire-rat cloak. I pulled out my flashlight and shined it along the bushes.
"Berries," I said. They looked harmless enough, and then I moved the light lower. I almost dropped the flashlight. There, gleaming white in the beam, was a human hand, or what was left of one. I quickly raised my hand to my mouth, and took a deep breath to stop the bile that was rising in my stomach. Without looking back at the decaying flesh, I pulled a hankerchief from my pocket and grabbed some of the berries and leaves from the bush stepping back.
"What do you want those for?" Inuyasha asked as I carefully folded them in the cloth and moved over to Kirara, pulling myself on her back and motioning for him to join me.
"I think I can make a remedy for the boy, and I have to tell Miroku what we saw, he'd know what to do from here, "I said, as he settled in behind me and Kirara took to the air swiftly. Inuyasha was so close to me, so warm, I felt like his very being enveloped me, and protected me. It was a wonderful feeling.
Miroku and Sango were waiting for us as we landed, and I handed Miroku the fragile package, as well as what we saw.
"I thought as much," he said seriously, "The berries are poisioned with the restless sorrow of the spirit of the person who is buried there. They are saddened because they were not properly buried in death, and their grief has poisioned the fruit of the bush." He reached out and handed me the shards, "Thank you Kagome, these did heal the soul sickness from his body, and these berries, once purified with the water remaining, should give him strength again. By tomorrow he should be ready to return to play."
I sighed softly as Miroku entered the hut to tell the boys parents the good news, and I followed him. Shippou was sleeping beside the boy, and I smiled softly, it was good for him to be around someone his age.
"We don't know how to thank you, miko-sama" the parents said to me and I smiled softly, and perhaps my weariness was very evident, because the mother rose and took my hand, leading me over to a clean futon in the corner.
"We don't have much miko-sama, but please rest here for the night, you and your companions, all we can offer is our hospitality, I'm afraid we have little money." I held up my hands, "No no, I couldn't accept any money from you, just take care of that little boy, and help him grow up good and just." She nodded and then her eyes lowered, and she gasped softly. Sango glanced in our direction and was quickly at my side, "Kagome-chan, what happened to your arms?!"
I looked down, noticing for the first time the dark purple marks around my forearms, marks that very much resembled hands. I also noticed how sore they were and winced. Sango turned murderous eyes to Inuyasha, "Why you-" she began and I placed a hand on her arm to quiet her.
"Its not his fault, he didn't do it!" I pleaded with my friend and she simply nodded, moving over to another corner, to curl up with Kirara for sleep. The boy's parents had taken to sleeping bedside their son, and I curled up on the futon the mother had offered me. I lifted my arms up to see the marks and sighed softly. I didn't even hear the soft footsteps till he was right above me.
"Did I really do that," he whispered faintly, kneeling down to look at my arms.
"You didn't mean to, "I said and his eyes looked so pained, that I gently reached up and touched his cheek. He curled up before me, like we had slept the night before, his back to the doorway, and him facing me, as if protecting me from anyone and anything that could come through. Inuyasha gently brought the bruises close to his face, and I watched silently as he whimpered and began running his face against them, his eyes closed. I couldn't believe it. I froze in place as he buried his face against my arms, and the throbbing slowly faded away. After a moment he stopped and opened his eyes, to watch my reaction.
I looked at him in awe, and then smiled, mouthing "Thank you," so only he could see. He reached over and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me against him tightly. And this was how we slept, protecting each other as we drifted off to sleep.
A/N: Okay, a little anticlimactic for the ending of this chapter, but my brain is a little fried, so many research papers, so little time, AND I just found out I have to do a 75 minute presentation at a conference of experts in a month. I can't do public speaking to save my life *STRESS!*
Minna, thank you SOO much for your reviews, here's my responses! Also for those of you that answered my question about Shippou's behavior, arigato, I'm glad I'm not the only one that noticed it.
My next reviewer question.what's this about Sesshomaru being called Fluffy??!! I see it everywhere, but was it something in the english version manga or the English dubbed anime??
Mitsuko Maxwell : Yeah, the idea is that she normally isn't that specific or that long range when she's looking for a shard. I know she's said in the series "There's a shard up north" but she never tried getting down to EXACTLY where it was. As for Kirara, here she is
Keri Maxwell: Thank you! I hope I can continue to be non-OOC ^_^
Akida Lupin(): *laugh* If you put enough effort into actually hunting me down, chaining me to my computer and forcing me to update, I will gladly give you the first viewing of each and every chapter
Fantasi: (Bigsis121288@aol.com): I'm so glad you're enjoying it, and I look forward to your further imput!!
Wing Weaver: Thank you ^_^
kawaiikitsune : Arigato *bows
ladyjulianna: Don't worry, there's a very Inuyasha-ish reason for his behavior. I should have a reasoning up soon enough ^_^