Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, because if I did, Inuyasha wouldn't be such a jerk to Kagome all the time!
Chapter 9
The next morning dawned bright and sunny, a direct contrast to the feelings of the group gathered under it's cheerful rays.
Had anyone bothered to look out on them they would have been astounded at the group that they saw.
A girl in strange clothes hugged a small kitsune, trying to peel the tiny creature off her and set him in the waiting hands of another women. Waiting impatiently, a half-demon paced up and down the road, muttering to himself. Side by side a women in a demon exterminator's outfit, and a monk with a golden staff watched the goings-on with slightly amused looks on their faces. An older women calmly watched the proceedings, occasionally patting the hand of the small girl next to her.
"BUT WHY CAN'T I GO TOO?!" Shippo bawled, refusing to let Kagome hand him over to the villager that had volunteered to take care of him while they were gone.
"Because," Kagome explained for the third time, her patience wearing thin, "the Prophecy said we could only take those that were named and you weren't!"
"WHY?!" The kitsune shrieked, ignoring Kagome's attempts to yank him off her, "I WANT TO GOOOOO!"
The last word ended in a shriek as a very annoyed Inuyasha grabbed the little demon by his scruff and tossed him into the arms of the surprised villager.
At least she had the sense to hold on. He noted as the kitsune began to struggle.
Kagome let out a sigh of resignation and turned to survey the rest of the group. "Let's go."
The child wandered over from her position near Kaede and tugged Kagome's hand. "I'm going to meditate so that I know where we're going. It will only take a moment."
When Kagome nodded, the child assumed a cross-legged position on the ground as the others watched.
She began to breath in and out slowly, her breath eventually coming slower and slower as she slipped farther into the trance.
"The item you are searching for lies to the East. Go there and seek it." For a moment the child slumped, then, blinking as if she had just awoken, she stood and nodded.
"East then." She set off leading the others deep into the forest.
OOOOO
They walked until the sun was high in the sky and decided to stop for a rest. Even the girl agreed that everyone needed a break and settled down to meditate after refusing Kagome's offer of food.
Kagome handed Inuyasha a piece of bread and sat down to eat near him, gazing at the girl. "I wonder what it would be like to live that long- to have everyone you ever knew dead."
Realizing what she said, she immediately froze. Damn! I let my mouth run away with me again!
As if he guessed what she was thinking, Inuyasha absently patted her hand, withdrawing the moment she looked up at him.
"That was a long time ago. And I have all of you now."
She nodded, still watching him for a hint of what he was feeling. I hope I didn't upset him... That's the last thing I wanted to do!
Catching her worried glance, he gave her a glare, mostly to hide what he was thinking. "What's with the pitying looks? What do you want wench?"
She shook her head and returned to her meal. Same old Inuyasha...
OOOOO
Biting her lip in concentration, Zara allowed the talk of her companions to fade into the background as she slipped deeper into a trance.
So... You have begun your journey then little flower. The musical voice surrounded her, enclosing her in a bubble of tranquillity.
I am going to find the ring- then you will no longer be able to keep me chained to this life.
Laughter, sweet and cool washes over me like a wave.
Chain you? I never meant for you to feel so distrustful of me. I only wished for you to complete your destiny.
You chained me to a life that long ago should have ended. I do not want to be your puppet any longer.
If you were my puppet my little servant- you would be well aware of it by now. The voice was no longer soothing, but harsh and brutal.
I allowed you to make your own decisions, when I could have taken control of you long ago. Never forget that Zara. You are nothing more to me than a pawn. Do not attempt to outlive your usefulness to me.
I remained silent. What could one say in the face of another powerful enough to control your very thoughts?
Oh my little flower... The sweet, melodic tones were back, but I had experienced far worse than what had just been shown to me. The beautiful sound was nothing more than a charade, to disguise a heart harder than stone.
I do not wish to fight with you little one. I came to show you the next step of your journey.
An image flooded her mind, a peaceful brook, winding it's way down a mountainside to a lake below. The cool calm waters lapping gently at the bank in a slow, soothing motion.
Look closely little one. You will find it soon. There the next step of your journey will be revealed.
A cool brush of air against my cheek and I fell away into the darkness.
OOOOO
Zara opened her eyes, immediately registering that some time had passed since she had begun to meditate. The others waited patiently, milling around, or conversing to each other in low voices.
One of the women looked up and met her eyes. She nudged the monk sitting next to her, and nodded in Zara's direction. "She's awake."
All the others looked up to see me at that comment.
I climbed down from the rock I had been sitting on, feeling dizier than I cared to admit.
"We will reach a lake soon, at the base of a mountain. We will stop there and rest for the night, before continuing in the morning."
No one bothered to argue as they silently gathered their things and followed her into the forest.
OOOOO
Author's Note: I know you all may be wondering why Miroku hasn't made a move on Sango or Kagome yet. The reasoning behind that is- We are all aware that Miroku has feelings for Sango, one's that go a whole lot deeper than the occasional grope. Since one of them is going to die, I decided that he would react to that by not being such a complete air-head all the time. I mean, if it was possible that the person you cared about most in the entire world was going to die, would you spend your remaining time with them trying to feel them up? I don't think so!
As always here's my review responses: Dark Inu Fan (Your little sister? She must be... annoying. Thanks for the advice, I really think you're right. I may be pushing myself to hard and the story will get dull if I try to do a day-by-day thing.), CrimsonEnchantress (Mmm... I love fluff, so there will be some, but it'll just have to wait for the right moment...), wolf enchantress 340, StarfireRobin, and to my two new reviewers (!), Angeloflight (Thanks for taking the time to review! It's nice to get compliments, though critisism is just as welcome!), and FriendsForever247 (I'm so glad Punishments isn't over! I'd hate it to end there! Thanks for reading my story!)!
My next chapter may not come out for some time, because I've decided to take the advice of one of my reviewers (If you want to know who, you'll have to read the reviews...) and take a little more time on each chapter- rather than one a day. That way I'll have more time to think about my plot and make it better so all of you can't yell at me!
...muse flies around the room, laughing like a loon on loon-pills... Oh for the love of chocolate! Would you stop already! I don't know where you get your energy! ...slams muse into a drawer and shuts it, listening happily to the thumps and muffled yells coming from inside... Now, now. No need to use that kind of language...
MysteryMaiden7
Chapter 9
The next morning dawned bright and sunny, a direct contrast to the feelings of the group gathered under it's cheerful rays.
Had anyone bothered to look out on them they would have been astounded at the group that they saw.
A girl in strange clothes hugged a small kitsune, trying to peel the tiny creature off her and set him in the waiting hands of another women. Waiting impatiently, a half-demon paced up and down the road, muttering to himself. Side by side a women in a demon exterminator's outfit, and a monk with a golden staff watched the goings-on with slightly amused looks on their faces. An older women calmly watched the proceedings, occasionally patting the hand of the small girl next to her.
"BUT WHY CAN'T I GO TOO?!" Shippo bawled, refusing to let Kagome hand him over to the villager that had volunteered to take care of him while they were gone.
"Because," Kagome explained for the third time, her patience wearing thin, "the Prophecy said we could only take those that were named and you weren't!"
"WHY?!" The kitsune shrieked, ignoring Kagome's attempts to yank him off her, "I WANT TO GOOOOO!"
The last word ended in a shriek as a very annoyed Inuyasha grabbed the little demon by his scruff and tossed him into the arms of the surprised villager.
At least she had the sense to hold on. He noted as the kitsune began to struggle.
Kagome let out a sigh of resignation and turned to survey the rest of the group. "Let's go."
The child wandered over from her position near Kaede and tugged Kagome's hand. "I'm going to meditate so that I know where we're going. It will only take a moment."
When Kagome nodded, the child assumed a cross-legged position on the ground as the others watched.
She began to breath in and out slowly, her breath eventually coming slower and slower as she slipped farther into the trance.
"The item you are searching for lies to the East. Go there and seek it." For a moment the child slumped, then, blinking as if she had just awoken, she stood and nodded.
"East then." She set off leading the others deep into the forest.
OOOOO
They walked until the sun was high in the sky and decided to stop for a rest. Even the girl agreed that everyone needed a break and settled down to meditate after refusing Kagome's offer of food.
Kagome handed Inuyasha a piece of bread and sat down to eat near him, gazing at the girl. "I wonder what it would be like to live that long- to have everyone you ever knew dead."
Realizing what she said, she immediately froze. Damn! I let my mouth run away with me again!
As if he guessed what she was thinking, Inuyasha absently patted her hand, withdrawing the moment she looked up at him.
"That was a long time ago. And I have all of you now."
She nodded, still watching him for a hint of what he was feeling. I hope I didn't upset him... That's the last thing I wanted to do!
Catching her worried glance, he gave her a glare, mostly to hide what he was thinking. "What's with the pitying looks? What do you want wench?"
She shook her head and returned to her meal. Same old Inuyasha...
OOOOO
Biting her lip in concentration, Zara allowed the talk of her companions to fade into the background as she slipped deeper into a trance.
So... You have begun your journey then little flower. The musical voice surrounded her, enclosing her in a bubble of tranquillity.
I am going to find the ring- then you will no longer be able to keep me chained to this life.
Laughter, sweet and cool washes over me like a wave.
Chain you? I never meant for you to feel so distrustful of me. I only wished for you to complete your destiny.
You chained me to a life that long ago should have ended. I do not want to be your puppet any longer.
If you were my puppet my little servant- you would be well aware of it by now. The voice was no longer soothing, but harsh and brutal.
I allowed you to make your own decisions, when I could have taken control of you long ago. Never forget that Zara. You are nothing more to me than a pawn. Do not attempt to outlive your usefulness to me.
I remained silent. What could one say in the face of another powerful enough to control your very thoughts?
Oh my little flower... The sweet, melodic tones were back, but I had experienced far worse than what had just been shown to me. The beautiful sound was nothing more than a charade, to disguise a heart harder than stone.
I do not wish to fight with you little one. I came to show you the next step of your journey.
An image flooded her mind, a peaceful brook, winding it's way down a mountainside to a lake below. The cool calm waters lapping gently at the bank in a slow, soothing motion.
Look closely little one. You will find it soon. There the next step of your journey will be revealed.
A cool brush of air against my cheek and I fell away into the darkness.
OOOOO
Zara opened her eyes, immediately registering that some time had passed since she had begun to meditate. The others waited patiently, milling around, or conversing to each other in low voices.
One of the women looked up and met her eyes. She nudged the monk sitting next to her, and nodded in Zara's direction. "She's awake."
All the others looked up to see me at that comment.
I climbed down from the rock I had been sitting on, feeling dizier than I cared to admit.
"We will reach a lake soon, at the base of a mountain. We will stop there and rest for the night, before continuing in the morning."
No one bothered to argue as they silently gathered their things and followed her into the forest.
OOOOO
Author's Note: I know you all may be wondering why Miroku hasn't made a move on Sango or Kagome yet. The reasoning behind that is- We are all aware that Miroku has feelings for Sango, one's that go a whole lot deeper than the occasional grope. Since one of them is going to die, I decided that he would react to that by not being such a complete air-head all the time. I mean, if it was possible that the person you cared about most in the entire world was going to die, would you spend your remaining time with them trying to feel them up? I don't think so!
As always here's my review responses: Dark Inu Fan (Your little sister? She must be... annoying. Thanks for the advice, I really think you're right. I may be pushing myself to hard and the story will get dull if I try to do a day-by-day thing.), CrimsonEnchantress (Mmm... I love fluff, so there will be some, but it'll just have to wait for the right moment...), wolf enchantress 340, StarfireRobin, and to my two new reviewers (!), Angeloflight (Thanks for taking the time to review! It's nice to get compliments, though critisism is just as welcome!), and FriendsForever247 (I'm so glad Punishments isn't over! I'd hate it to end there! Thanks for reading my story!)!
My next chapter may not come out for some time, because I've decided to take the advice of one of my reviewers (If you want to know who, you'll have to read the reviews...) and take a little more time on each chapter- rather than one a day. That way I'll have more time to think about my plot and make it better so all of you can't yell at me!
...muse flies around the room, laughing like a loon on loon-pills... Oh for the love of chocolate! Would you stop already! I don't know where you get your energy! ...slams muse into a drawer and shuts it, listening happily to the thumps and muffled yells coming from inside... Now, now. No need to use that kind of language...
MysteryMaiden7