I think I'm getting sick…let's hope I'm just paranoid. Ah well, sick people can still type, ne? So it's all good! Okay, last chapter, that blood phobia thing…if anyone found it really weird, I'm sorry, but I thought it was all kinds of funny cause I'm a weirdo like that. I'm pretty sure that of the three stories I'm writing, I'll finish this one first, even though it is obviously getting pretty long. But you know, that's just how I am. Now then, what new developments will this latest chapter hold? Will Kagome be forced to construct a chore chart so everyone stops whining about their jobs? Will Miroku every get to kiss Sango? Will Kagura stupidly hurt herself again or will she be banned from knife usage because of what happened with the rabbits? Will she find out what Kouga admitted to everyone? His honesty was impressive and very brave considering he was risking losing respect from his tribe and maybe having his leadership challenged. But I think Kouga realizes that his position isn't everything. It may seem important, but in the next life, it will mean nothing. It is a passing thing, but he realizes…
*****
Something Is Real
Part 15
*****
"What are you doing?" Kouga approached Kagura, who was gingerly clutching at a bundle of sticks with both hands.
"What's it look like?" Kagura turned, dropping several pieces of wood and pursing her lips in irritation. "I'm trying to get some firewood. Just because I'm banned from cooking doesn't mean I'm off the hook for chores."
"Well, you shouldn't be doing it." Kouga grabbed up the sticks she had dropped and tucked them under his arm. "You're just making a mess."
"Oh, I'll be sure to apologize to the squirrels." Kagura shifted her firewood to one arm and reached to reclaim the sticks that Kouga held, but he caught her wrist with his free hand and twisted until her bound palm was facing upward. "What are you…"
"How's it feel?" he asked, looking at the grubby gauze pulled over Kagura's cut from the day before.
"Fine." She felt her face heat under his gaze. Kagura licked her lips as he dropped the sticks he'd been holding so he could unwrap the binding.
"Where's Kanna?" he asked, leading her the short distance to the stream they were camping near.
"I left her with Kohaku and Shippo. They were fishing with Ginta and Hakkaku." Kagura answered, kneeling next to Kouga and allowing him to rinse her wound. She was a youkai, so it was of course considerably mended as compared to the day before. However, Kouga still looked it over before releasing her hand and rinsing out the bandage. "Kouga?"
"Yeah?" he didn't look up from his task, but he did tilt his head toward Kagura as she spoke.
"I asked Kikyo about what happened…after I had my, er…accident." Kagura coughed, clearly embarrassed about what had taken place. "She told me what you said. You didn't have to, you know. Tell them all that, I mean."
"Course I did. Couldn't let Inuyasha think the wrong thing about Kanna." Kouga pulled the bandage out of the water and set about wringing it dry. "You'd throw a fit when you woke up, I knew it."
"Is that why? To save Kanna?" Kagura asked, watching Kouga's muscles tighten as he wrung out the bandage.
"Sure. She's your sister." Kouga gave her a brief smile before turning his eyes to her wound, which he began rebinding carefully with the newly cleaned bandage.
"Kouga," Kagura's tone was suddenly sad. "I am really sorry. About—"
"Kagura, don't!" Kouga stood up, the wound only halfway bound. "Don't. I told you before that I don't want to talk about that anymore."
"You really…never will forgive me." Kagura tugged at the binding halfheartedly, trying to finish wrapping it on her own. "But you said you trust me. How can you?"
"I just…do." Kouga growled, slightly to himself in irritation at his own overly obvious emotions before dropping beside her. "Here, lemme do that." He grabbed her hand with both of his, and though she didn't struggle, she sighed deeply and looked away. "What's it matter, anyway?"
"I guess it wouldn't matter to you." Kagura pulled her hand away as soon as he released it. "Think of all the people who trust you. Think how many trust me. I don't have enough of that to take it for granted."
"Stupid." Kouga stood up and set about picking up more wood. "You know, if you'd stop feeling sorry for yourself, maybe you could look around and see that the world isn't out to get you."
"Don't be an ass." Kagura stood as well, scowling deeply. "You know what I see when I look around? I see everyone searching for something I don't think actually exists."
"Oh yeah?" Kouga sneered at her, his lip twitching nervously. "What's that?"
"Something that stays." Kagura told him. "Something real."
"That's it?" Kouga laughed as Kagura picked up a few large sticks. "Something real? The world's full of that sort of thing."
"Really?" Kagura arched a brow in challenge. "Like what?"
"If you don't believe me, it won't make any difference for me to tell you." Kouga shrugged and walked toward her. "I think that everyone is looking for something. Maybe you're looking for something real." He stopped right beside her. "Maybe you just can't trust what you see." He gave her a cheeky smile and walked away, leaving her searching.
----------
"Obviously, a solution has presented itself." Kikyo spoke to those already gathered for dinner. "I am positive that Kanna's mirror should be able to locate Naraku. Kagura told me something of its usefulness."
"How can we trust her?" Inuyasha wanted to know. "She could give a fake location."
"Does Kanna control illusory powers as well?" Miroku asked, his brow furrowed as he considered Inuyasha's point.
"I understand you have difficulty depending on others." Kikyo nodded toward Inuyasha as two more figures approached with armloads of wood. "Your trust only goes so deep, Inuyasha. I can sympathize, but at this point we have no room for doubt."
"Which is precisely why we must be sure." Miroku nodded toward the youkai seating herself next to Kikyo. "Kagura, we were discussing Kanna's abilities."
"Like being creepy." Inuyasha added, warranting a smack on the back of the head from Kagome.
"We wanted to know if she can create images…illusions of places and people in her mirror." Kagome asked, not even glancing at the hanyou scowling and muttering darkly beside her.
"You mean like so she could lie?" Kagura asked, seeming irate at the concept. "She wouldn't do that."
"But can she?" Sango asked. "We just wanted to know."
"Your lack of faith would upset me, but you don't know Kanna very well, and not much of what you do know is in her favor." Kagura shrugged. "But no, she can't make illusions. Her mirror only shows the truth."
"So she says." Ayame snorted. "How can we be sure of her word?" Kouga's eyes narrowed and the gleam in the female wolf's eyes dimmed.
"Ayame, knock it off." He hissed at her authoritatively. "We've talked about this already."
"I know." She grumbled. "But it still bothers me."
"Then leave." Inuyasha told her in annoyance as Kohaku, Ginta, and Hakkaku entered the camp, each carrying a half dozen fish. "We don't need some pouty fucking doubter who can't learn to trust one of us for some stupid reason. You'd just drag us down, and you ain't that great to start with." Ayame's face was red with rage, but it was Ginta who spoke in response to Inuyasha.
"Don't get hard on her." He said, eyes hard and dark. "We've all got plenty of doubt, but we're all going on. As long as we're willing to fight together, that's the best we can hope for. We're a sorry looking bunch of losers. Life's outcasts. But together, we might just do some damage."
"Good man, Ginta." Miroku nodded politely at the wolf as Sango took his fish to roast, giving half to Kagome.
"Now that we've all gathered, may we discuss strategy?" Kikyo's voice was deceptively patient.
"Kanna's not here." Kouga pointed out. "Or Shippo."
"Like Shippo ever fucking does anything." Inuyasha grumbled, but they all waited until a few moments later, when three children entered the clearing.
"We found this girl." Shippo immediately began explaining his extra companion. "Kanna knows her."
"Rin!" Kohaku rose from Sango's side and rushed to the beaming girl.
"Kohaku-kun! Rin looked so hard to find you." She spoke happily. "Now I'm hungry."
"Can she eat with us?" Kohaku appealed to the group, while Kagome held a whispered conference with Inuyasha.
"Doesn't she look familiar?" the teenaged girl asked. Inuyasha only shrugged and sniffed.
"Don't like her smell." He murmured, trying to think what exactly she smelled like that gave him an aversion to a perfectly innocent looking human girl.
"Can Ah-Un eat too?" Rin was asking, "He carried me the whole way."
"That will not be necessary, Rin." A soothing but hard voice filled the clearing and the little girl suddenly paled. "You have had enough adventure, and now you will return with me." As the speaker stepped gracefully into view, Inuyasha felt a growl build in his throat. Everyone was shocked, but Rin was the first to speak.
"Sesshoumaru-sama."
*****
The End (Of Part 15, That Is)