The Scent of Despair
Written by Catrina Winner
Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the reviews! You have no idea how happy I am! Please keep up the constant feedback, and I'll try to keep posting these chapters! I do hope they aren't getting boring or anything. In answer to questions I've received: Sesshomaru will not be making any appearances in this fic. None at all. I seem to be one of the few people who dislike him, and therefore, as it is my fic, don't even ask me if he's making a cameo. There will be no Sesshomaru. Also, several people have asked if Kagome and Inuyasha could make it through the well together. This is a definite negative. You see, they cast the wishes at the shrine in the Sengoku Jidai; therefore the area surrounding it is the one that controls any movement, and doesn't allow the two of them to depart, guaranteeing the fact that they will always be together. The spell can't monitor the two of them if they are not on this particular side of the well. Hope that makes sense. Anyway, now that I've got that all cleared up, please read and review the next chapter!
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Chapter Sixteen
Sango stepped out of the small hut, Kagome's problems weighing down heavily on her soul. The sun's rays were just beginning to penetrate the sky. A few clouds drifted lazily over the horizon, stained a pretty pink. Seated dejectedly on the hard wood of the porch, Inuyasha was staring out into the distance, obviously not noticing the beauty of the new day around him, his mind apparently on other things. The demon huntress wandered over to him.
"Inuyasha?" her voice stirred the hanyou out of his reverie, and he looked up tiredly.
"What do you want?" The voice was thickened with contempt, probably left over from when Sango bluntly denied his entrance to Kagome's room to soften her sorrows. His ears twitched slightly towards the back of the house, obviously trying to listen in at whatever was happening in the room behind him. The noise had stopped, and there was no longer even the slightest of sobbing. If he had been closer, his acute hearing probably would have picked up the soft rustling of fabric. Evidence that Kagome was pulling herself together and dressing herself in a cleaner change of clothing.
The two of them sat in silence for a long time. The demon and the demon huntress, perhaps a strange pair in other times, but the two of them were now so used to each other it hardly drew any attention that their status' in life were so contradictory. Fate has a strange way of bring together the most unlikely comrades. Finally, in hopes to relieve some of the tension surrounding the area, Sango began to talk of other things, such as Kohaku's return. Presently, Kohaku himself joined them. He amused Sango with tales of the night, of which he had spent most of terrorizing the adults. The demon huntress allowed herself into laughter. Finally, Kohaku looked over to Inuyasha and noted the odd jewelry around his neck. The gift that Kagome had given him to remember her by, if she was unable to return from the other side of the well, though that thought now seemed more pointless then ever before. His long claws had been clicking against the kanji there, rousing the little boy's curiosity. He stood up and made his way over to the hanyou, stopping just in front of him and pointing out the jewel.
"What does that mean? It's certainly not our language!" he stared at it intently. Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders and looked away, leaning on one of the house's support beams and resuming his staring.
Sango laughed, and, quite forgetting it being an enormous secret, pulled her brother back towards her, not wanting to agitate Inuyasha farther and told him. "Why, Kohaku, Lady Kagome gave Inuyasha that necklace. It's written in the future language, and means "love"," she smiled again. Inuyasha's head snapped up and his fingers closed tightly around the rock. He looked steadily at Sango.
"What?"
Inuyasha's voice reminded the demon huntress of the secret she had promised to keep indefinitely. She wiggled back and forth, uncomfortable under the hanyou's piercing gaze. Kohaku looked back and forth between them; then, catching sight of Shippo's kitsune tail between a small hedge of trees, he took it as a queue to leave.
Sango couldn't stand the thought of breaking her promise, but she couldn't very well lie to Inuyasha, who had heard the slip of tongue quite well. "It's just… I mean…" she stuttered.
Inuyasha shook his head and stood up. "I have something to do," he muttered, saving her from any further embarrassing explanations. With that, he took of in the direction of the forest, his clawed fingers wrapped tightly around the object in question, his mind rushing through millions of possibilities.
At
the moment the last bit of red vanished from her view, the door behind her slid
open. Turning to investigate, Sango was
slightly surprised to see Kagome standing there, Kaede close behind her.
With a bright smile, the Miko moved next to her friend, who was shocked at the sudden change in her countenance.
"K… Kagome?" she stuttered. Kagome shrugged.
"No use in mourning for what's already gone, right?" she looked off into the distance for a moment, her eyes clouding over. She glanced over at Sango and smiled again.
"Kaede told me that the villagers gave you a house somewhere around here in thanks. A big one," she said. Sango nodded. "Do you think that I might be able to stay there? At least, until I get a place of my own or other arrangements…" she paused for a moment, obviously lost in her own secret thoughts. Sango took a deep breath, deciding that this was the best time to tell Kagome about her slip of the tongue, when Shippo came bounding towards them. He threw himself in a flying leap, ending up in Kagome's arms with a shriek.
"Kagome! You're okay!! I was so scared!" he whimpered. From somewhere around the side of the house, his two parents appeared. Both were tall, proud-looking demons, distinguished by their beautiful white coats. They remained in the form of foxes, hoping to hide the discomfort at being around so many humans at once. With two delicate smiles on their muzzles, they approached Kagome and bowed.
"We never got a chance to properly thank you for taking care of our son and resurrecting us so that we might watch over him again," a discernibly deep male voice stated. Kagome smiled and shrugged. "I am Harusame and this is my mate, Harukaze. We are deeply grateful for everything you've done for us," he passed a fond look over the little kitsune curled into her chest. "It's apparent to us that our son has taken a strong liking to you. You're like a sister to him, and, therefore, a daughter to us." Harusame leaned forward and nipped her wrist lightly, leaving a slight, intricate mark with his teeth. Kagome winced, but guessed something beyond her understanding was happening, so she sat still. Her guess proved right when Shippo squealed and hugged her tighter.
Harukaze stepped closer, leaning lightly on Harusame. "That mark means you are our daughter, and we will always protect you. No human has even been marked as a sibling or a child to another full-blooded demon, as far as our knowledge extends. We hope you understand the gravity of our choice."
Kagome nodded, slightly stunned, and looked closely at the mark. It was nothing more then a torn circle of flesh, but she guessed it would scar over and remain there for the rest of her life. "Are you going to be remaining in the village, or returning to the outer woods?" she asked the two kitsune.
Harusame smirked, a strange look for a white fox to sport on his face. Kagome was struck by this oddity, but contained her laughter.
"We'll be remaining here. We owe these people, and you, too much to stray beyond. Besides, we can grow used to human company after a time, and it seems as if our Shippo cannot survive without it. A small sacrifice, as this village is under several demons' protection as it is. And, with such a powerful Miko as yourself, we seem to have chosen the best place to remain for a time, at least."
Kagome nodded again, and then yawned. The whole night had taken more out of her then she believed at first. The emotional strain was pulling her down, and her body was crying out for sleep. The elder kitsune noted this, and Harukaze lifted Shippo from her arms delicately with her teeth while Harusame excused them. The two wandered into the outer ridge of the forest, the area where the hot springs and a large lake resided. It was apparent that they had chosen the area to be their permanent home.
In the introductions, Sango had quite forgotten about her predicament and broken promise. With a gentle smile, she suggested that Kagome go with her to her new home, and they could find a room for her. Imagine Kagome's surprise where she discovered that the place the villagers had given Sango, Miroku, and Kohaku was larger even then her modern home, and lay just off the lakeside, near Harusame and Harukaze's home. Sango had no trouble finding her a room in the rambling mansion, and gave Kagome a few of the kimonos that the thankful people had pressed upon her. Being the same size, Kagome didn't even bother to try them on, but instead went straight to the futon lying in a corner of the lavishly decorated room.
A tired yawn and Kagome found herself asleep, the last thought whispering through her mind one of the hanyou.
Where is Inuyasha?
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Well, another chapter done with! Sorry this one is so short, but I thought that you would like another chapter, regardless, and I had to end it on that particular note. Shippo's parents couldn't just go through life without names, and I don't think they were ever named in the manga or series (feel free to e-mail me and tell me what their real names from Rumiko Takahashi are, if you know them! I certainly don't.) I tried to give them nature themed names, as they are kitsune, demons closer to nature and Mother Earth then most demons usually are. Harusame means "spring rain" and Harukaze means "spring breeze". "Haru", in this case, means "spring" and signifies that's when these two demons decided to become mates. At least, that's how it works in my mind. Please, review, and I'll try to be prompt with the next chapter!