The next day, Yujin entered Mesu's hut, only to find a still sleeping Mesu. "By the gods." Yujin sighed. "Damnit you lazy girl. Get up." Yujin said, shaking Mesu awake. "What do you want?" Mesu asked, rolling onto her stomach and covering her head with her blanket. "Oh will you get up. The villagers want to see "The" Lady Mesuken." Yujin replied. Mesu immediately shot up from her futon. "You didn't" Mesu growled. Yujin just smiled and handed her a white gi and red hakama. "Damn you Yujin. I didn't want anyone to know I had returned." Mesu hissed. "Well, it's too late for that now. The people know, and they're waiting." Yujin said, shoving the clothes in Mesu's arms. "Shit. Shit shit shit shit SHIT!" Mesu cursed. Yujin stood behind her, pulling her hair back into Miko fashion. "I thought you liked your Miko position. You've trained so hard to master your Miko powers." Yujin stated. Mesu sighed. "I do. It's just...I'll only remind Inuyasha of Kikyo." "You don't know that." Yujin said soothingly. Mesu sighed again. "Come on now, get dressed. The villagers are waiting for you." Yujin coaxed. "Alright, alright." Mesu said, pulling on her garments, then stood up. "Lady Mesuken has returned." Yujin smiled. "Don't say that. You make me sound old." Mesu said, exiting the tiny hut. She went outside and found half the village awaiting her. The crowd stared at her in awe. "It's-it's...Lady Mesuken!" one villager cried. "Praise the Gods. She has returned!" cried another. Mesu smiled. Then a younger woman carrying a small child approached her. "Please my lady. My-my son, he-he has trouble breathing. Please, please save him." She was crying. "Give the child to me." Mesu said softly, holding out her arms. The young mother gentle placed her son in Mesu's arms. Mesu smiled warmly at the woman. "Don't worry. Your son will be just fine." Mesu assured her. She sat down, cradling the child gently in her embrace. His breathing was dangerously raspy. Mesu examined him, and then pulled a small jar from the sleeves of her robes. Opening the child's kimono, she messaged a fair amount of the contents of the pot on the child's chest. After a few minutes of Mesu's message, the child took a deep breath and opened his eyes. "Mommy." he said softly. "Oh my baby!" the mother exclaimed, running to her child. "Mommy!" he cried, jumping out of Mesu's arms and into his mothers. "Oh thank you Lady Mesuken. We are truly blessed you have returned." She was crying, holding tightly to her son. Mesu smiled at the woman. "I was happy to help."
"Inuyasha had been awakened by the clamoring crowd outside. "What the hell is that damned noise?!" he growled, coming out of his hut. He saw that the crowd was gathered around Mesu's hut. He worked his way through the crowd. "What's going on?" he asked one of the waiting villagers. "The Gods have blessed us. They have returned our Lady to us." The villager answered. Inuyasha pushed his way to the front of the crowd. "Mesu?" he inquired upon seeing her. "Oh...Hello Inuyasha." She said, smiling at him. 'By the Gods, she so beautiful.' He watched in amazement as she messaged a salve into a child's back, watching her gentle hands soothe the child's pain. He sat beside her when the child went back to her mother. "Can I help?" Inuyasha inquired. Mesu smiled at him. "Of course you can Inuyasha." He sat with her, helping her for the rest of the day. The sun had begun to set when they finished with the villagers. Mesu folded her hands in her lap and stared at the setting sun. "I had forgotten that you were the Miko in this village." Inuyasha stated. "I had forgotten how much I loved it." She said, looking back at Inuyasha. "Thank you for helping me today. It really went a lot smoother with your help." She said, pushing a stray hair back into place. "It's getting late." He stated, looking at the twilight above. "I suppose I should let you gat to bed. I know how cranky you get if you don't get enough sleep." She said softly, rising from the ground. Inuyasha stood as well. "Uh...Mesu." He said softly. She turned to face him, the rising moon creating a halo behind her. "What is it Inuyasha?" she asked sweetly. He stared at her in awe. 'She's so beautiful.' He thought. He had decided that he would finally tell her how he really felt. "I-I just wanted to tell you-." He was cut off by a loud crash in the forest. "Damn it! Something's attacking the village!" Mesu growled, running into the dense forest. Inuyasha hurried after her. "Damn!" she cried when they reached the source. "It's a fucking demon!" Inuyasha yelled over its mighty roar.
YEAH!! Chapter eight is finally done. ï Sorry it took so long, but I've been making the transition from home to college. Hopefully I'll be able to get the others done a little more quickly now. Cross your fingers for me. Well, see you in Chapter nine. TTFN.