"Higurashi" by Jezunya
Chapter 5
Standard disclaimers still apply; I own nothing but the plot and the Kurotsune.
Does anyone think Inuyasha is a little OOC in this chapter? I'm not sure.. tell me at the end of you think so…
** ** ** ** **
Putt, putt…
Sango sat, staring into the fire, deep in thought. She was not necessarily a violent person, save for exterminating youkai and hentai priests, but right now she sincerely wanted to hit someone.
Putt, putt…
She had been sharpening her katana earlier, but now she merely held the heavy whetstone, lightly slapping it against the palm of her left hand as she watched the glowing embers in the fire pit slowly die down. Miroku was hunched against the far wall, asleep, his staff leaned in the crook of his arm, the metal rings trembling as he breathed. Shippou was curled up next to Kagome's head as the girl lay sleeping under a warm blanket behind Sango. Even now, small sniffles came from both the girl and kitsune.
Putt, putt…
They had found Kagome curled up on the ground on a hill overlooking the rice fields. Inuyasha had supposedly gone to talk to her earlier, but when they'd found Kagome, there had been no sign of the dog-demon. Sango glared at the fire. They must have had a pretty bog argument. And, knowing Inuyasha, he'd probably said something stupid.
Putt, putt…
They'd gotten Kagome up, and the girl had allowed them to lead her back to Kaede's hut. But she wouldn't talk, wouldn't eat. It was like she'd gone back to the way she was when Inuyasha had first brought her back from her time several months ago. All she did was curl up on the futon they'd laid out for her and cry.
Putt, putt…
What could that idiot have said to her to make her regress this far? Sango asked herself angrily. She knew Inuyasha had come a long way since she'd known him, and he just might be ready to finally tell Kagome how he felt about her, but he could still be such a jerk at times that she just wanted to hit him! Okay, so lately he'd been pretty decent, but this was just too much! Making Kagome cry, then just leaving her out there on her own, and after all she'd been through in the last few months..!
Putt—
Sango slammed the whetstone down on the floor angrily, her hands shaking with the need to hurt a certain half-dog-demon. She needed to stop thinking about it and relax, she told herself. After all, the group had unanimously agreed to confront Inuyasha about it as soon as they could find him, so there was really no point in her staying up all night and wearing herself out worrying about it. With a heavy sigh, she rose and padded over to her futon, pausing only momentarily to pull the blanket back over Kagome and Shippou. The demon-huntress lay down, her eyes fixed on the last few remaining sparks in the fire pit. Her eyelids eventually grew too heavy to keep open, and she slowly let them drift closed.
The curtain door didn't so much as rustle as Inuyasha crept into the hut, stealthy and silent as only one with demon blood could be. He'd been sitting casually on the porch, seeming to simply be enjoying the warm night to any who may have looked, but in reality he'd been waiting for Sango to go to sleep. He could tell she was angry, and he knew it probably had something to do with Kagome and the 'talk' they'd had earlier. He could handle facing an angry woman once in a while, but an angry demon huntress was another matter entirely…
He'd come to a decision as he'd returned to the village. He knew what he had to do, and he was going to through with it, but first he wanted to apologize and say goodbye to Kagome. Inuyasha crawled along the floor, walking on his fingers and toes, placing each limb carefully and slowly so as to avoid any squeaky boards. At last he was beside her.
He considered waking her, but then decided against it, remembering something his mother had once told him: "It's easier to talk to someone you love when they're asleep, because you can tell them whatever you need to, and they'll listen, even if they don't realize it." His heart clenched momentarily at the memory of her soft voice, but he brushed it aside, concentrating on the matter at hand.
"Kagome…" he began in a bare whisper. He wasn't sure what to say… He'd stormed off, sure that his chance at a life with the woman he loved more than anything had just been completely shot to hell, and she didn't have any idea what it was about. What was he supposed to say to apologize for that? Well, might as well go with the good old-fashioned way… "I'm sorry," he whispered. The girl mumbled and curled onto her side, and Inuyasha couldn't help smiling as he gently tucked a stray lock of hair back behind her ear. Kami, he loved her… "I have to go now," he whispered, tracing her jaw line with a careful finger. "But I'll be back soon, I promise." Kagome shifted again, and he caressed her cheek, then turned and began silently making his way back to the door.
"Inuyasha..?"
The dog-demon froze at the small voice behind him. He turned around to find Kagome staring up at him with large eyes. He sighed and padded back over to her as she sat up. They sat in silence, until Kagome looked up at him again, speaking hesitantly, "A-are you leaving?"
He nodded.
"I'm sorry," she whimpered, looking back at the floor.
Inuyasha looked at her quickly. "No— Kagome, it has nothing to do with you!" he lied. It probably wouldn't help the situation at all for her to know his leaving was because of her…
She looked up at him unsurely. "So… So you're not mad at me?"
"No. I'm not." He shook his head.
"But I thought… 'cause you ran off earlier… I thought… I thought you hated me!" Kagome sniffled, and a tear escaped down her cheek before she could wipe it away.
Inuyasha gulped and reached out to catch the droplet with a claw halfway down her face. Even after caring for the girl for the past couple of months, he still couldn't stand seeing her cry. "I'm not mad at you, and I definitely don't hate you," he reassured her again. "I was just… surprised, I guess." Kagome nodded, not smiling, but no longer looking like her world was about to come to an end, either. "There are some people I need to talk to," he continued steadily. When Kagome started to sniffle again, he hurriedly added, "but I'll be back soon!"
The girl looked up at him, gave one last sniffle, and asked in a small voice, "Promise?"
"Yeah," Inuyasha sighed, "I promise."
Kagome gave him a weak smile. "Okay…"
Pause. "And while I'm gone," Inuyasha said, narrowing his eyes at her and leaning forward 'til their noses almost touched. "You better be happy. No more of this moping around and being depressed, ya got it?" Kagome nodded mutely, a full-fledged smile lighting up her face as she tried not to giggle. "Alright," Inuyasha said with mock-gruffness, hiding his own grin. They stared at each other, both suddenly aware of their close proximity. He quickly sat back on his haunches, blushing and looking around the hut for a moment. "I guess I should get going, then…"
"Yeah…" Kagome agreed half-heartedly. He said he'd come back, promised even… but… she still didn't want him to go…
"Um.. Kagome?"
"Hm?" She looked up at him, and Inuyasha summoned all his courage, leaned forward, and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.
The next instant he was up and out the door like a shot, the curtain billowing up as he rushed past. Kagome stared after him, her mouth hanging open slightly, before she slowly touched her lips with one shaky hand. He'd kissed her… Inuyasha had kissed her… She lay back down on the futon, staring at the ceiling in wonder, the thought echoing through her head like a mantra as she continued to trace her lips.
…He kissed me…
***
Inuyasha didn't stop running 'til he was past the fence at the edge of town. He skidded around to a stop and looked back at the silent village, relieved that no angry mob had followed him or that he wasn't struck by lightning after what he just did. He tilted his head back, grinning up at the stars. He'd wanted to do that for a long time, to kiss her. He let out a long, contented – okay, smug – sigh, but then felt a prick on his cheek, pulling him back to the present. He smacked the flea youkai away absently and watched as Myouga re-inflated himself in his palm.
"So, where are you off to in such a hurry, my Lord?" the old demon asked, hopping up to the dog-demon's shoulder, completely unfazed that he had once again nearly been banished to the second dimension.
Looking back at the village one more time, Inuyasha turned and began walking at a steady pace. His mouth curved into a slightly grim smile. "West. I need to have a little chat with old Higurashi-san…" The stars mirrored his smirk as he dropped to all fours and broke into a run.
Two reflective points of light, looking very much like tiny twin stars, watched the dog-demon from the safety of the thick forest underbrush. Meisai grinned and looked toward the village. With the inu-youkai gone, this would almost be too easy…
***
The sun rose and another day began in a small, almost insignificant village in Musashi's domain…
"Ne, Kagome-chan," Sango began, watching her friend from across the fire in Kaede's main room.
"Nani?"
"Are you… sure you're okay?"
Kagome nodded and continued eating her breakfast.
"I mean, you're not worried about Inuyasha just disappearing like this?"
"No." The future girl shook her head and set down her chopsticks. Think happy, she reminded herself and looked up into her friends' faces. "Inuyasha and I talked about it last night. He just needs to go talk to some people, and then he'll be right back," she said, smiling reassuringly at them.
Sango and Miroku exchanged glances, but said nothing more on the matter.
***
"It's almost disturbing," Miroku said quietly, leaning against the side of the house to watch Kagome playing with Shippou.
"What is?" Kaede asked, not looking up from the herbs she and Sango were preparing.
"Kagome… She's like a child…"
The old miko glanced up at him. "Though she has often shown wisdom and power beyond her years, you must not forget that Kagome is in reality barely more than a child."
"That's not what I meant," Miroku replied, shaking his head. "Did you hear her at the morning meal? She has complete trust in Inuyasha and that he will return to her."
"What, you think he won't?" Sango asked, looking up at the monk.
"No, it's just…" Miroku's eyes wandered back to the girl in question. "She was so upset after their fight yesterday, but now it's like nothing happened. She's not even worried that Inuyasha just up and left in the middle of the night."
"Well, they did talk before he went," Sango said, also turning to watch the two youngest members of their group.
"Hm. I wonder, what was the cause of their argument?" Kaede said, thinking aloud.
"Indeed… Perhaps only time will tell," Miroku agreed gravely.
"Excuse me…"
The three adults on the porch looked up to see a scrawny young woman wearing a tattered kimono wobble towards them. "Have you… any water… you can spare..?" she asked, licking parched lips.
"Of course. This way," Kaede climbed slowly to her feet, looking the woman up and down in surprise, and leading her over to the barrel of water caught from the early autumn rains. "Here, drink as much you like," she said, watching as the younger woman practically dove at the barrel, cupping her hands full of water and slurping it up greedily.
"A-arigatou…" she said weakly after a few minutes of drinking, leaning forward with her hands still on the rim of the barrel.
"Iya, it is no trouble," Kaede soothed, looking the girl over with concerned eyes. "Come, child, come inside… We'll get you some food and some clean clothes to wear. Come along," she gently guided the woman back around to the porch and into the hut, the others coming to trail behind them.
"Sango," Kaede looked at the exterminator as she helped the girl to sit down by the fire pit. "Bring Kagome here; ask her if it's alright to lend this poor girl one of her robes." Sango nodded and disappeared outside again. Kaede knelt by the fire, picking up a bowl and beginning to fill it with the ever-cooking stew. "Have you a name, child?"
She nodded, gingerly taking the steaming bowl and chopsticks offered to her, "I am called Miyamoto Meisai." Kaede nodded and glanced up when Sango and Kagome came back in, Shippou clinging to the young miko's shoulder.
"Eh, Kaede-sama…" Kagome began, her gaze shifting from the older woman to Meisai and her tattered clothes. "Uh, hai. Of course she can wear some of my clothes."
"Thank you, Kagome-chan. Could you show her where they are?"
Kagome nodded and smiled down at the other girl. "Come on," she said. Meisai nodded and slowly climbed to her feet to follow her into one of the back rooms. It seemed to be a sort of laundry center, with several empty wash basins stacked up and a basket or two of clean clothes to be folded. Kagome bent and pawed through some of the clothes, looking for something suitable for the other woman.
"Are you her apprentice?" Meisai asked innocently, walking up beside Kagome.
"Hm?"
"The old miko out there. Is she training you to be a priestess?"
Kagome straightened, holding up a blue and green yukata. "Not really. I mean I suppose I could be her apprentice, but I'm not really that interested in becoming a priestess…" She handed the yukata and sash to the other girl.
"Oh? Then what do you want to do?" she asked as Kagome made her way back to the door of the room.
Kagome paused in the doorway. "I'm… not really sure. I guess I wouldn't mind getting married in the future, y'know, have a family," she said with a small smile, remembering Inuyasha's kiss last night. She shrugged then. "But right now, I really just don't know."
She nodded, her eyes holding something thoughtful that Kagome couldn't quite make out, but she just shrugged to herself and turned back to the doorway. "I'll let you get dressed now," she said, closing the door behind her.
Meisai let out a long breath, letting her guise slip a fraction so that her tail shimmered into view, coming to curl comfortingly around her legs. Two miko, a priest, a demon-exterminator, and another fox… this was taking more effort than she'd thought…
***
"So, tell us, what brought you to our village in such a poor state?" Kaede asked Meisai when she was once again seated by the fire, now dressed in the robe Kagome had lent her.
The woman sighed and set down her bowl and chopsticks, preparing to tell her tale. "It began a month or so ago, I suppose," she intoned, closing her eyes as if to remember. "My lord father was a nobleman. We were traveling to our daimyo's palace to offer me to be a wife for the young master. However, while we were on the road, our party was over-taken by brigands. They ambushed us. They killed all the guards, stole our horses and carriages. A few managed to run and escape, myself included. To my knowledge, I am the only remaining survivor of my house."
Only Shippou noticed how Kagome stared at the floor, her eyes saddened. He rubbed her arm with his tiny paw, trying to comfort her.
"What of your household?" Miroku asked, frowning. "Had you no place to return to?"
The girl's face darkened for just a moment, her eyes narrowing ever-so-slightly. Damn, I hadn't thought of that.. "My lord father had taken our entire household to accompany us on our journey, hoping to appear great and rich before our daimyo, and leaving only a precious few remaining to protect our home," she replied, speaking slowly as if remembering pained her. "However, when they heard of our demise, the servants fled. I returned there, but without protection, the house had been ransacked, all possessions of any value stolen and anything else destroyed beyond repair."
"And so you fell to wandering, and found your way here," Kaede concluded, nodding sagely as she stirred the fire, making the wood crackle and shoot off a large cloud of embers.
"Hai…" She looked at the floor, her bowl and chopsticks held limply.
"Well, you may stay here as long as you like," the old miko continued, reaching to offer her a refill of stew, which was gratefully accepted. She smiled dryly then, "We already have an odd assortment living here, as you can see," her gaze trailed over the taiji-ya, houshi, kitsune child, and miko, "I'm sure one more addition will be no trouble."
Meisai looked down at her food in front of her on the floor. "Thank you so much," she sniffled as a few tears formed in her eyes.
***
He skidded to a stop at the crest of a hill, the mist beginning to swirl around him. He gazed down into the valley. It was just as he remembered it, steep, grassy hills, everything obscured by the perpetual fog, casting the entire area into a twilight-like glow…
…like at sunset.
Squaring his shoulders, Inuyasha continued down into the mists, to a place he had not seen in ages.
The castle seemed to materialize out of the fog near the bottom of the valley. It was a huge, sprawling estate, worthy of an emperor. Inuyasha tried to suppress the growl that rose up in his throat. He'd hated these people all his life as he grew up, and now was no different.
The guards at the main gate immediately snapped to attention when they saw him coming, their hands tensing on the spears they held, no doubt readying themselves to use those spears against him. Inuyasha sneered and continued toward them at a light jog.
"Ho there, demon! What business have you at the home of the great Higurashi?!" one of the sentries boomed.
"Keh," Inuyasha snorted as he slowed to a stop. He was about to reply when Myouga hopped out of his mane of hair and spoke up.
"Allow me, my lord." He turned to the humans, his voice taking on an uncharacteristic authority. "Inform your master that the Lord Inuyasha of the Shiro-Inu clan has arrived and demands an audience with the Lord Higurashi!"
The guards exchanged nervous glances, before one of them dropped his spear and took off running into the compound, seeming to suddenly take up heraldry. The other looked at Inuyasha, "I-if you'll come this way, m'lord…"
Inuyasha blinked, then smirked, and followed the guard inside.
***
"My lord! My lord!"
Higurashi looked up from his council only moments before the doors burst open and a guard ran in, panting. "My lord!" the man gasped, dropping to one knee before him.
"What is it?" he demanded, handing the documents he'd been studying off to an advisor.
"Coming – now – Shiro-Inu..!" the guard panted. A collective gasp spread through the court and a wave of murmurs rose to an almost deafening level.
"Silence!" Higurashi bellowed, rising to his feet. The crowd immediately fell quiet. "What is this news of a Shiro-Inu coming here?" he glared down at the guard, who seemed to have caught his breath by now.
"I was on sentry duty at the main gate," the man explained, "when a man with long white hair and canine ears came to the gate. His servant said that he was Lord Inuyasha of the Shiro-Inu, and he demands an audience, my Lord!"
Higurashi sucked in a sharp breath. "Inuyasha..? Here?!"
"Glad to see you remember me, bastard," a voice called from the general vicinity of the doors at the far end of the room.
** ** ** ** **
Well, I was gonna put more into this chapter, but that actually seems like a pretty good place to stop, plus if I do more on this it is gonna be BUTT long, not to mention the fact that I haven't updated in, like, a billion years, so y'all better appreciate this ^_^ Next time, Inuyasha 'discusses' the situation with Lord Higurashi, but now, I'm kinda doubting that he'll make it back to the village by next chapter.. o.O this thing is growing before my eyes…
Also, this same subject keeps coming up: how did Inuyasha get a ring, and how does he know that rings symbolize marriage? Yes, yes, I KNOW they didn't have diamond rings in feudal Japan, and I KNOW they didn't use rings for marriage! Jeez, people, do you really think I'd leave a plot hole THAT big??
…Okay, so maybe I would, but not that particular one!! Let me just say that it ISN'T a hole, there is a logical explanation to this, but since HOW he got the ring doesn't add much to the plot (or I guess I could tweak it so it did, if that'll make you people happy), I haven't really included it in the fic.. yet.. Hm, maybe I should write a side-story/prequel about Inuyasha's adventures trying to find a suitable way to ask Kagome to stay with him.... Feel free to leave a note in a review or email/IM me about this if you have any questions or comments. ^_^
Please review!!
Glossary:
arigatou – thank you
-chan – name suffix to show endearment or a close relationship; also used for children even without a close relationship
daimyo – ruler, governor; above magistrate, but below Shogun
hai - yes
hentai – pervert, perverted
houshi – low-ranking/wandering Buddhist priest
inu - dog
iya – no
kami – traditional nature-spirit/god (like the snake dude and the goddess in Books 10 & 11); also 'kami-sama' meaning 'God'
katana – traditional Japanese sword; Tetsusaiga, Tenseiga, and the sword that Sango uses are all katana
kimono – traditional Japanese garb; more intricate and formal than a yukata often with many layers (like what Inuyasha's mother wears)
kitsune – fox; used to mean 'fox-demon,' like Shippou-chan
miko – Shinto priestess/Shrine maiden (like Kikyou, Kaede, and even Kagome)
Miyamoto – I don't have a translation for this name, but I just wanted to say that it comes from one of my favorite manga, Usagi Yojimbo! ^__^ and Meisai needed a last name to make her story believable, so… *shrug*
nani – what?
-sama – name suffix used to show great respect or a distant relationship
-san – name suffix to show respect or a formal relationship
taiji-ya – this actually just means 'exterminator,' but Sango and her village specifically exterminated youkai, so it's usually translated as 'demon-exterminator'
youkai – demon
yukata – a light-weight robe, usually made out of cotton with some kind of simple pattern on it (like what Sango wears)