Stand By

Chapter Seven

            Scratches on my back from something that didn't even exist, claws that had disappeared from what seems like an eternity ago, there's something that I can deal with. I can deal with Inuyasha and Kikyou's marriage being on the verge of divorce (although it isn't likely, especially in this day and age when everything is based off of honor). I can deal with my contract being cut. But feeling the power of the Shikon no Tama once again is sending me over the edge; it's like a nightmare that I never want to have again catching up to me in the middle of a beautiful dream.

            I start to shake. Everything, my world that I've so carefully pieced together and painted with my own to hands, rattles, like someone bumped into it on accident. The sky darkens and I clutch the little girl to my body. I want to drop her, run away, but I can't, my knuckles white and fingers buried in the folds of her brown and blue kimono.

            The sky spins. Stress from the previous days and the reality of everything happening so quickly, like a bolt of lightening that sets a field on fire and destroys so much in its wake, causing me to once again check the back of my eyelids for holes.

            All I find is sweet black. Maybe there isn't something wrong with me after all.

            I wake to the sight of Inuyasha (Bad Kagome says that this is a good thing but Good Kagome says that I shouldn't get used to it). His torso is covered in bandages. Ah, so he did manage to do something stupid. He wrings a cloth in his hands and presses it to my forehead, some of the cool water trickling down my forehead. He smiles weakly and I see that he can't move his left arm very well. I stare at the old blood soaking through the bandages, wondering how it is that he still manages to pull off being eye candy even when spattered in blood. "That's what you get for playing chicken with demons."

            He chuckles and touches the side of his chest. "Damn pussy had claws."

            "Generally cats do Inuyasha." We both laugh softly at our pathetic attempts for light humor, but don't comment otherwise. My mind swims back to the events of what happened before I fainted. I try not to let my eyes betray me (and trust me, they betray) and ask casually where the little girl I was holding had gone. Inuyasha frowns and points towards the corner.

            There she is. I turn my head at painful angles to see her since Inuyasha would have a fit if I sat up; he's too damn protective sometimes. He speaks as I study her carefully. "The head villager said she has no parents. She has no home. Occasionally she'll work at the shrine because the old miko had liked her, but the new one doesn't. Mostly she lives off the land, findin' wild mushrooms and roots to live by. An old couple kept her in the winter but they're dead." He shows little emotion in his voice, but I can tell.

            The girl's skin is too pale. Maybe she doesn't eat enough. "So she's all alone?" I tear my eyes away from her and look into Inuyasha's violet eyes, emotions darting back and forth like fish in the water. (Bad Kagome longs for them to turn gold.)

            Inuyasha says nothing for several seconds then sighs. "I know that look." (Bad Kagome: Look? What look?) He sighs and covers his face with his right hand. It's his human way of saying that he's thinking about something. He used to do it all the time on his human night, but never as a hanyou. It's one of his cuter quirks. With a final sigh, he gruffs, "Fine."

            I give him a smile and then turn to look at her again. She'll be beautiful when she grows up; right now baby fat still clings to her cheeks and she's covered in scratches and bruises. A sprinkling of freckles that'll probably disappear within a few years cross her cheeks and nose. Turning to something else, I check her. I always do that with people; if I think something's wrong or different, I'll scan them. It might be an invasion of privacy but for an all round check, I think it's worth it.

            I feel nothing.

            The Shikon no Tama gives her aura a faint pulsing aura, tainting it pink on the outside. Normally it would be white, the sign of a miko (certain people have certain signatures, like a demon would have a blackish-blue aura, a regular human would have light blue, and I remember Inuyasha's aura being a dusky blue-gray). This is what I looked like when I carried pieces of the purified Jewel.

            Inuyasha reaches for my wrist and changes the bandages there. It's only a little scratch, but he's a complete mother hen when it comes to someone he loves. You should see him when Sango or Kikyou is having a baby. If I ever have a child (big IF here) I would love to see how much he panics. I flick my gaze to him, breathing in his smell of forest and blood and sweat, then turn back to the girl.

            "Do you know her name?" I ask him softly. "The head villager must have told you." I stare at her bandaged hand. Poor kid.

            "Yeah." He waits for awhile, taking a big pause within his sentences, and sighs. "They call her Chi." I snort at his answer. What a simple name. I wonder what it means, if it means anything at all. It probably doesn't.

            Chi sleeps on and Inuyasha stands up without saying a word. I don't ask or call for him when he slides out of the room, a limp in his normally easy, long strides. He really has to cut back on those heroics. Chi's chest slowly rises and falls. I wonder how she came to the Shikon Jewel; it had been purified some years back, nearly…

            Nine or ten.

            I look into the young girl's face. She can't be over nine or ten. Is there some sort of freaky connection to the purified Jewel and her? How would I know? The Jewel sorta disappeared after Inuyasha made his wishes; who could have tracked it? I thought it was gone. Permanently.

            The Jewel's aura barely escapes the folds of her body, buried deep within her small body. Nobody besides someone with a very strong sixth sense could pick it up; I'm surprised that I'm able to pick it up at all. It's probably because I was the protector of the damned thing for sixteen years.

            Inuyasha walks back in, two bowls of soup in his hands. I hear the commotion of villagers outside. He helps me sit up even though I don't need help, and we eat silently. I don't tell him anything, not of Chi's powers and the Shikon Jewel that I can sense within her. If I can barely detect it, what are the chances of a demon finding it? Slim to none I tell you. So why worry Inuyasha? I'll keep the girl close. I'll protect her.

            I tell Inuyasha nothing as he hands me my soup, weak and filled with puny vegetables.

            I wipe the sweat from my brow. Three hours ago I had finally convinced Inuyasha that I could stand (my head did spin a little from using too much ki too fast and from fainting) and went outside. People were hauling burnt logs away and digging graves for those who had died. They were lucky. Only a fourth of their village had been killed off, but I didn't say this out loud. Only a fourth. Some caring bitch I am.

            Now I'm helping to repair a roof. I've always loved being up high. Reminds me of the times I've flown in the sky on Inuyasha's back. What I wouldn't give to have that again. It's not the same with Kirara or Hachi, Miroku's tanuki servant that comes and goes.

            A while back I asked Miroku how the tanuki came to be in his services. The monk-turned-blacksmith laughed and told me a comical tale about how Hachi had gotten his tail stuck and was about to be clobbered by villagers, but he had used his silver tongue and charming looks to persuade them otherwise. Hachi, who was there at the time, blushed and stalked away to help Yahiko the apprentice clean the horse stalls.

            I place another bundle of straw on a bare spot of newly made wood (it's truly amazing how efficiently these people can work) and tie it to another. I'm almost done, then I can lash the bundles to the sides of the roof so they won't blow away during a storm.

            Most of the village is still standing, another miracle. Many of the ones remaining are a little burnt and have some ashes or demon guts to sweep out of their houses, but other than that these people should be okay. I take a final bundle of straw from the man behind, lash it to the roof, and then climb down the ladder. A recent widow stands there and hands me a cup of water, whispering that the graves are done.

            I close my eyes and sip my water, clearing my throat. I give the clay cup back to her and thank her even though my insides are turning and wriggling like little snakes. Since this village has no monks or miko left, the one having been killed in the attack, I will have to say the prayers.

            When I arrive, many of the people are dry-eyed. There's something I hate about this day and age; people love, but not so deeply. Marriages are mostly agreements and a mutual respect, children just pieces of property that are there to work. I absolutely hate it. But there are the few who stand with silent tears running down their cheeks and I silently compliment them for their bravery.

            I hate funerals. Not to say that they aren't important; it's the final farewell and the chance to put a soul to rest. I've had to exorcise several angry spirits before and it's a lot harder than just swinging around a sword and telling them what to do or die because let's face facts; they're already dead. I still hate funerals because of all that's being left undone, all that's being left behind.

            In some countries people pull out their hair and claw at their eyes to grieve for the death of a lost one. Others throw parties. I find it very strange how different cultures view death; to me death is not the end, just the beginning of something new. The part that I fear about death in this life is that this may be the only time that I get to see Inuyasha. Why not live this part to the fullest? Just damn everything and do what I want? Bad Kagome nods in agreement. I really have to stop listening to her.

            Years ago Miroku taught me a few chants. I clear my throat again and all the people look at me. I'm dressed in knee-length shorts and a long sleeved shirt (I don't want anybody to see the scratches along my body and freak out, especially Inuyasha). I can imagine how strange this is for the villagers, but I ignore it.

            Opening my mouth, my voice pours out in a final farewell, my wet throat making the notes sweet and mournful. I feel the tears stinging my eyes. Now that I've cried, it seems that my tears ducts are getting payback for nine years of disuse. The song weaves in and out, the notes rising and falling. I think I actually have a very good singing voice; I had loved music in school but wasn't that interested in it to make a living off of it.

            A hand slips into mine. I know it's Inuyasha, so I twine my fingers in his, leaning my head slightly against his shoulder. The wind picks up, making dust and ash fly together, up towards the sky. I end my song.

            "She 'tis a devil child." The old man looked at Chi, who was busy braiding Inuyasha's hair. Who ever thought that he would be great with children? Loves them to death, but doesn't show it straight out in case it ruins his "tough guy" image. I turn to the old man in surprise. He looks at me and I know by the emotion in his eyes that he doesn't lie. "She wandered o'er here some time ago, when she was just young, mayhap four or five years. She's always actin' strange, you know, trailin' off and speakin' like she's possessed or somethin'."

            I look over at her again. She looks so sweet, so innocent, and in desperate need of a bath, nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to this day and age. She may bear my eyes and Kikyou's hair, but that's it, right? It could mean nothing but it could also mean everything. Could the Shikon no Tama have anything to do with it?

            I turn back to the old man. "Fujitaka-sama, it's best that I take her." I lick my lips and watch as Inuyasha makes a face because Chi pulled a strand of his hair too hard. "I can help her. Since your miko has died, it's best that I keep her close. If there is indeed somethind wrong with her, then I wouldn't want anyone else to get harmed because of it. Inuyasha and I are used to this."

            He nods, then turns his gnarled body to watch. After a moment he asks, "If miko-sama allows…?"

            "Hmm?" My gaze darts to his brown eyes, and I know he wants to ask something. "Oh, yes. Go ahead."

            "I don't mean to be rude, but what is that lad to you?" He gestures at Inuyasha. I bite my lip, but quickly put on a loving smile for the elder to see. "He slays demons with the ease of a youkaitaijiya, and yet he is kind. It is very strange to see someone like him in this world…"

            I grin. My love for Inuyasha shows plainly on my face, but Inuyasha himself will think it's just another mask if he looks up. "Inuyasha is my fiancé. We have been fighting against the youkai for almost a decade. We just wanted to wait because of my miko powers." Gesturing at Inuyasha and Chi, I add, "Chi has already become the daughter we never had. I beg of you to let us help her, and take her back to our village."

            We stand in silence for some time, and bile rises to the back of my throat. It is as I said on the turn of a dime; Chi is like the daughter we never had. I feel the tears stinging the back of my eyes, but blame it one the dust that the wind is kicking up. "Very well." He sighs, then turns away to leave, giving me a small, crooked bow of respect. I nod my head in return, but my eyes stay on Inuyasha and Chi, whose is almost done braiding his hair.

            The room is small and cramped, but we could be sharing it with several other villagers, so I'm not complaining. They know we are not married, but I explained that Inuyasha was my fiancé and my bodyguard. That lessened the blow that we were staying in a room together, but it still made several of the elders that survived quirk their eyebrows. I guess they didn't put up much of a fight since we are helping them repair their village.

            I lay out the sleeping bag. I'll take Chi to the hot springs and wash behind her ears (she squeals and hugs me when I tell her of my plan, shampoo in one hand and towels in the other), then we'll share the futon the villagers have laid out for us. Inuyasha will lay next to me, in his sleeping bag of course, but all the same I know Bad Kagome will have a field day. That's why Inuyasha's going off to the hot springs right after us. It will give me time to get to sleep.

            I still do not tell Inuyasha of the Shikon Jewel imbedded within the girl's body.

            The villagers are trying to heal one another. A man plays a reed pipe while the younger girls and boys dance, the large fire and the moonlight making shadows flicker across the packed dirt and the splintered logs. A girl laughs as her lover kisses her in the dark. A boy tackles his elder brother, the only remaining member of his family.

            Time passes, and Inuyasha pulls me up to dance. The embers of the fire fly in the air, adding new stars to the sky above. Emotions that I dare not feel at other times rise into my chest and I press myself to his chest, nearly dying with happiness that he doesn't push me away and tangles his hand in my hair. Bad Kagome rejoices and Good Kagome is lost in tangle of my heart.

            I hope I don't wake up, and lean into Inuyasha's shoulder after the song is over. Villagers call for a good story, but nobody knows one, so my lover calls out and begins to tell the story of a boy and a girl, and how they were tricked into hating one another. Then he tells of this boy meeting another girl, who changed him and healed him. He tells of a powerful evil and of a perverted monk and his demon slaying lover, of an annoying kitsune and a grandmother miko who is now dead.

            Inuyasha's tale leaves many hurting for more, but he leaves many things out. They don't need to know of the other girl's suffering when his previous love was brought back. They don't need to know of the hurt and the anguish and the blood and the tears… Inuyasha tells of the defeat of the greatest evil seen for centuries, his voice cracking because of how much he spoken. My eyes sting with tears.

            He does not tell them the ending, but they do not know that. Inuyasha picks me up into his arms, wrapping them tight around my body, and my eyelids droop. The stars and the embers of the fire fade. The last thing I know is Inuyasha's lips upon my forehead, and the story continues.

Kudos to Aoi EkO. Your review gave me hours of endless entertainment. To squeaky-chan, how was your trip to China? I'm dying to hear about it.

Also, I've discovered the perfect song to listen to for this story. If you haven't heard Ayumi Hamasaki's 'Endless Sorrow', then I suggest you go searching for it. It's truly beautiful and though I have no clue as to what most of the words mean, the raw emotion nearly had me clawing my heart out. Thus I put it on the repeat button.