{ -blink- You know what I forgot (being the complete moron that I am)? Shippou! He completely slipped my mind Erm.. He might not be making an appearance in this fic at all, unless I find a convenient entrance for him.. sorry if this bothers anyone
Lunatic Pandora1 – That's a sweet thought ^^ But Inuyasha's not likely to try that; something that happened is likely to make him avoid Kagome more than anything.
Alaskantiger – the only problem with that is just saying 'sit' wouldn't do anything. "Oswari" (what she says in Japanese) is the equivalent of giving a dog the command to sit. That's why "Sit, boy!" would work, and "Let's sit down and eat, etc." wouldn't.
Rome34 – Um.. is that a good "0.o"? A bad "0.o"? Heh..
Hanyou-demoness – wow, someone who actually thinks she shouldn't get her memories back soon. It's good to know I'm not disappointing everyone!
Sango13 – I think it means "so long", but I'm not sure.
Nimkittie – it's something you don't know about yet, and will be explained later. And Inuyasha and Kagome were close enough that they knew they loved each other, but not that close, if you know what I mean
Everyone – LoL, you didn't have to try and make me feel better about the chapter; I think all my writing stinks. I'm just glad that you seem to like it, so that's all that matters =) Thank you sooo much (I really can't say this enough) for reviewing! }
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Chapter 6 – enemies
By Jamethiel1
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Kagome sat, trying not to stare into the fire despite its flickering seduction in the otherwise bleak night. Everyone else was asleep, each having claimed a corner of the hut to themselves. She was positioned diagonally to Inuyasha; he was propped against the wall, bangs hanging over his eyes, obscuring them from view. For all appearances, he might have been awake. It had taken about an hour for her to decide he truly had fallen asleep, for he hadn't stirred at all and had not answered her quiet calling of his name. The other two slumbered without a doubt: Sango peacefully, Miroku with a rather disturbing smile hovering on his lips. So Kagome was the sole person awake, unable to sleep though she had tried for a time. Now she sat near the fire, contemplating all that had occurred within the last day. It was needless to say that none of it made sense, so she decided to try and think of the complications as little as possible, and just accept what was happening. So that left her wondering: what now?
She had made it here; she had found what she was missing, even if she could not completely remember everything about it. So I'm just going to stay here the rest of my life, hoping I'll someday remember this place, these people? That didn't sound too great a plan, when she truly thought about it. She had nowhere to live, only limited knowledge of this.. time. And, while Miroku and Sango seemed like people she could easily come to know and like, Inuyasha baffled her. Miroku claimed they had been 'close', and Sango had backed up that statement; why then had Inuyasha said what he did? 'You shouldn't have come back.' The words kept replying themselves in her mind, and each repeating brought on new hurt, more tears she had to force down. He had meant it too! Even after his almost-apology, he had reminded her of them. He didn't want her here. Then why the look he sometimes gave her, why had he backed her against that tree in such a way her heart raced just thinking of it?
Brown eyes glanced up at the hanyou once again, taking in his form with mixed emotions. Then she sighed, the sound containing all her anxiety and uncertainty, before she stood. She needed to clear her head, and a walk was the only thing that came to mind at the time. Stepping from the hut, she didn't notice the pair of golden eyes that watched her do so. Kagome was surprised to find it relatively bright outside despite the hour. Glancing upward, her breath caught and she then understood the reason for the illumination; the sky was teeming with stars, more than she could ever dream of seeing in her own time. The moon was a waning crescent, bright though its size would argue otherwise. "Wow.." she breathed, but in a kind of subdued way, as if this was a wonder she had encountered before. After a while, she recalled her mission and her gaze fell from the heavens, resting instead on the land around her. She decided to let her feet take her where they would; that hadn't failed her yet.
Kagome was paying very little attention to her surroundings, she was instead reveling in the cool, crisp air that tugged playfully at her clothing, brushed against her skin and seemed to take all her worries away with it. Right now nothing mattered; she was content with just being. Kagome was unsure how long she had been walking for, but she suddenly snapped out of her trance-like state when she realized something was wrong. Well, not wrong precisely, but something she should pay attention to. It was made apparent what as she found herself standing in front of a mass of trees, a few even already scattered around her. She had been about to walk into an unfamiliar forest, alone, in the dark, with who knows what kind of beasts roaming around. She glanced behind her, letting out a sigh of relief when she found the village still in view. It was a good thing her subconscious had alerted her before she went and did anything too stupid. Kagome turned to head back to the hut.
"You aren't supposed to be here," a voice stated, stopping Kagome in her tracks. A chill raced up her spine at the cold tone of the speaker, and she turned warily, unsure exactly where the voice had come from.
"What?" she asked, fighting to keep her voice steady, finding her feet firmly planted to the ground, unable to retreat. She stared into the trees, but shadow was the only thing that met her gaze. "Who are you?"
"How dare you return here?" it continued, voice rising, ignoring her questions. Kagome heard something stir from within the forest, heard something starting to lumber her way. Though the voice didn't seem to come from whatever it was, she had a feeling she didn't want to meet either of them. Yet she still couldn't move. "You shouldn't have come back–"
'You shouldn't have come back.' She felt tears prick at her eyes despite the situation, brought on by the reminder of Inuyasha's words.
"–though I guess I should thank you for doing so. Now I can pay you back for everything!" it screeched in her head, and Kagome yelped, clamping her hands over her ears. That was enough to break her of her paralysis, however, and she turned, running down the hill that would lead her to the village. For a moment she thought it would be that easy, that she could reach the village and everything would be okay. Then she felt the earth tremor slightly, causing her to stumble and fall, barely catching herself before she landed in the dirt. Glancing back, she saw a bulky form burst from the trees, and fear gripped her. Everything seemed to slow to an agonizingly pace as she scrambled up, running before she had even found proper footing. She knew she would never outrun the thing chasing her, but she wasn't about to lie down and die either. Please, someone save me, she pleaded silently as she sprinted, trying desperately to escape.
Something struck her and a sharp pain seared her shoulder as she was thrown unmercifully to the ground. Ignoring the pain, Kagome was more afraid of what she would find behind her. Kagome cried out as a clawed hand grabbed her already injured shoulder, twisting her so she was on her back, eyes shining with tears, anger, and fear as she looked up at whatever was sure to be her killer. The youkai was practically on top of her, red eyes burning with a sickening pleasure, enjoying her fear and pain. The monster seemed to be mainly teeth and claws, and as those jaws opened and slowly inched toward her, she shouted the first thing that came to mind. The one thing she thought might save her: "INUYASHA!"
"Kill her already!" snapped that same cruel, seemingly disembodied voice. The youkai growled lowly in response, then pressed down harder on her shoulder, claws easily perching her skin, causing Kagome to cry out again. Then all she saw was a flash of teeth as the thing lunged for her throat, and she shut her eyes, waiting for the inevitable.
"Kagome!" came the shout, and Kagome opened her eyes just as something threw the youkai from her. She quickly scrambled backward, grabbing her shoulder and wincing as pain shot through her when she touched the bleeding wounds. Her eyes danced frantically about until they rested on the figure she was looking for: Inuyasha. He stood with his sword drawn, standing protectively in front of Kagome, staring down the demon who had already risen back to his feet. "You okay, Kagome?" he asked, though didn't take his eyes from his opponent.
She nodded, before realizing he couldn't see the movement. "Y-yes," she spoke shakily, though felt anything but.
He nodded, before holding his weapon higher and running forward with a shout. The youkai roared in response and leapt into the air to avoid the attack, ebon body barely able to be seen even in the bright night. Its glowing eyes and flashing fangs and claws gave its position away at all times, however. The hanyou pushed off the ground as well, sweeping his sword before him as he sliced at the demon with a shout of, "Tetsusaiga!"
Inuyasha landed, replacing Tetsusaiga in its sheath as he watched demon parts rain down, before vanishing completely. He glanced around as if expecting something else to attack, but soon turned his attention to Kagome. "What did you think you were doing, going near demon-infested woods alone?" he scowled.
Kagome was busy trying to fight off the pain, hurt (something other than physical pain), and confusion she was feeling. At his accusation, she looked to her rescuer, unsure if she should thank him or yell at him for being so rude when she had almost died! So she didn't answer, least she say something she regret.
"Well?" he prompted, then stiffened. Kagome felt fear grip her again as he did so; were there more monsters around? His eyes widened momentarily, before he growled and narrowed his amber eyes instead.
"What is it?" she asked, unsure what was causing such a reaction in him.
Her voice seemed to snap him out of something, and he gazed down at her. "You didn't hear that?" he asked, and she shook her head. She hadn't heard anything..
"What was it?" she asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. But the hanyou just shook his head and moved closer to her. He stopped, however, as he sniffed the air before glancing to her wounded shoulder. Cursing, Inuyasha moved quickly to her side, eyeing the injury. Without further words, he lifted her from the earth and sprinted toward the village and the hut where Miroku and Sango still slept.
~~~
Despite what she would have guessed by the size of that youkai's claws, her injury was not all that serious. Unfortunately, her sweater was in bad shape. Sango had already bandaged the wound, and she now wore a kimono generously loaned by another girl in the village. Now they all once again sat in the hut; Sango and Miroku together, Inuyasha brooding in a corner, and her once again by the re-built fire.
"Now, would either of you like to explain what happened?" Miroku asked, and Kagome turned to look at him. Her eyes wandered to his hand, which was held entwined with Sango's own. They were holding hands! Why did that seem so incredible? Sango glanced over to Kagome at her silence, saw where her gaze was directed, and quickly released the monk's hand as a blush rose on her cheeks. Kagome smiled slightly as Miroku looked amused by her reaction. He turned his head to Sango and spoke, though so quietly Kagome couldn't make out the words. The youkai slayer shook her head, flush increasing. Okay, there was something definitely going on between those two, but if Sango didn't want to admit it, Kagome wasn't about to push. Not just yet, anyway.
"I'm not really sure what happened," Kagome finally replied, to the noticeable relief of Sango. "I went out walking when–" she cut herself off a moment, wondering if she should tell them about the voice. Somehow it seemed like it was a personal grudge the thing held against her, and she didn't want to worry the others by her words. She didn't want Inuyasha to have more reason to push her away. "–when something ordered that demon to attack me," she settled for. "Inuyasha showed up just in time and killed it, then brought me back here." She shrugged, then winced as it brought fresh pain to her shoulder, "I'm not sure there's that much to tell."
"Who ordered it to attack you?" Sango inquired, seeming over her embarrassment.
"I didn't see anyone, and the voice sounded more in my head than actually there," she spoke, hesitant to let it known least they thing her crazy. At this statement, however, Inuyasha finally looked up, eyes focusing on her intently. "What?" she asked nervously, but the hanyou looked to Sango and Miroku instead.
"Someone knows that the Shikon no Tama is gone, and that Kagome's the cause of it," he said, almost sounding guilty.
"What!?" Sango exclaimed, eyes wide as she stood swiftly. "The Shikon no Tama's gone!? What do you mean?" Even Miroku looked shocked by the news, though more reflective than anything else.
"I made a wish, and it disappeared," he stated, voice growing quieter as he appeared almost fearful of Sango's outburst. She looked too stunned to even speak, though she gave a few good sputters as a start, before falling into silence when she found the act futile. So she just glowered at the hanyou instead.
Miroku spoke up next. "What does that have to do with Kagome?" he asked curiously. Inuyasha mumbled something under his breath. "What was that?" the monk repeated, earning himself a deathly glare from the hanyou.
"I said it's none of your business!" he shouted, before everyone fell silent, just glaring at each other.
Kagome was just sitting, watching the three, feeling completely lost. "Um.." she uttered quietly, and all eyes turned to her. She laughed nervously, "Would someone please tell me what's going on?" she asked, seeming to forget her earlier request to remember everything on her own.
Inuyasha turned away from the three of them, Miroku and Sango exchanged glances, looking rather bewildered themselves, and Kagome sighed. She remembered her grandpa telling her things about the Shikon no Tama, but she rarely listened to him drone on about the history of things. Now she wished she had paid more attention. "Will someone at least tell me what the Shikon no Tama is?"
Sango sat back down with a sigh. "This might take a while," she said, before beginning her narrative.
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End of Chapter 6
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{ Sorry it took so long to get the chapter up; it just didn't want to be written. A little was explained in this chapter, though it probably only made things more confusing. Anyway, please review!! Please, please, please! }