Me: AHHHHHH!!!!! Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU! Nothing but nice reviews so-far! EEEYAHHH!!! Sorry Kino, dearest….hehehe
Kino: (wallowing in self-pity) Why? Why, is all I ask? Why do they like this friggin' fic!!!???
Me: They love Kagome and Inu together! And to all of you out there, a reviewer named Mike is a girl, NOT a guy. Just to let you know. And for everyone's info. I HATE, LOATH, DISPISE KIKYO WITH ALL I HAVE IN MY SOUL!!!!…..She's a BIZNITCH, tryin' to take Inu from Kagome every chance she gets!!! DAMN HO!!!.
Kino: (twitch) My ears…My poor, sensitive ears…Wait, what was I rambling about?…Oh yeah, You back-stabbing TRAITORS! She tortures me! She steals the remote!
Me: NO! Don't believe him! He's the one with the claws and teeth! And they hurt!
Kino: Wimp. I only threaten you…besides, you have a key to the damn pantry, which holds my GOLDFISH!!! (eyes turn red, and smoke comes out of his head)
Me: (twirling the key) Calm down…You know? You actually got some apologizes, and if I recall, an offer of Goldfish if you be nice.
Kino:……Really?
Me: Yup…(silence…for once.) Anyways…Thank you my faithful reviewers! You really make me happy!
We will begin to see some of Kino's past in this chapter.
Now, enough of my meaningless rambling. ON WITH THE FIC!
Disclaimer: You know the drill.
Kagome woke abruptly, from a sound sleep. She had been, in her dream, like a spectator at a soccer game; unnoticed by the players. She had seen Kino in his human-form, lying face down in a puddle of, likely, his own blood, as the rain came down.
'N-no…' he had coked out, 'I wo-won't let my Kaisha become a v-victim of your evil…' Kino stood, with great difficulty, and took a defensive stance. His wounds had healed, but his white robes were soiled with mud, water, and blood. 'Stay away from her, or face my wrath.' he had said.
A shadow was seen, which had gone unnoticed by the dreaming Kagome. The Shadow became, what may have been a man. He was wrapped in bandages, and was hunched and ragged. He smirked, and laughed evilly at Kino. 'I will separate them, Spirit. InuYasha will not stand in my way, and neither will you.' he said, coldly. 'Kikyo will be mine…If she will not come quietly I will kill her, and she will kill him…She will think he betrayed her, and likewise for InuYasha.'
'Shut up. Stay away from her, or I will kill you…I think I will now, just because you are telling me this…why did you?'
'Your charge over Kikyo is over. She is no longer your Kaisha.' the man had said.
'Baka…Why the hell would you think that?'
'You will see.' the man started to disappear.
'Naraku!' growled Kino. Before he could chase after him, a floating, blue ball of flame blocked his path.
'Not now, Arashi!' he said, and tried to move around it, but the blue fire followed the Spirit's move, and stopped him again.
'Hogosha Kino!' As the blue flame spoke in a commanding, female voice. 'Sumi-masen, but you are no longer Kikyo's Mamoru.'
(A/N Mamoru means 'protect' so pretend it means 'protector'…K? Gomen)
'What! But a man named Naraku wants to---
'It has all been told to us from Him.' the flame had said. 'We will do nothing. This has been known to happen for centuries…Sumi-masen.' The blue flame disappeared, and left Kino starring into the dark forest…
And that was all Kagome saw. She knew it had all happened; she felt it.It made some sense…why wouldn't Kino have been Kikyo's Hogosha, if he was her own now?
She was lost in her musings when she became aware of something holding her by the waist. Kagome looked down, and blushed; InuYasha had his arms wrapped around her, and his head rested between her shoulder and neck. He was breathing deeply, and looked very kawaii. He was also very heavy.
She sighed in frustration and tried to move him. However, he had her waist in a vice-grip; but not so much that it was uncomfortable. How to get up?
An answer came to her so swiftly, that she was sure a light bulb 'poofed' above her head. She lifted her clawed hands to his ears, and rubbed them softly in a circular motion.
A low growl erupted form InuYasha's chest and up to his throat; Kagome realized it was a purr. She knew she was smiling like an idiot, but she didn't care.
Apparently it felt very nice to have your inu-ears rubbed, because the hanyou, subconsciously, returned the favor. He turned Kagome and himself onto their sides, and he began to rub her back lightly with his claws. Kagome, with a start, realized she didn't want to move. Even in his sleep, InuYasha could alter her thinking.
She made a face, dangerously close to a pout, and then allowed a determined look to take over her features. Just as InuYasha loosened his grip a bit more, she leapt up, and was about to shout, "HA!" but she stifled it, as she realized he was still asleep.
An annoyed look crossed his face as he felt around for her. Kagome stood, silently, with her hands over her mouth, hoping he wouldn't wake.
To say she was relieved as InuYasha found the pillow and brought to himself in a hug, would have been the understatement of the year. She dropped her hands, and sighed in relief. Then she thought something. 'Why am I relieved? And why didn't I want him to wake?' She dismissed it as something to tell Sango later.
Kagome backed to the shouji, and slid it open silently. She stepped out into the empty hall, and closed the door behind her. Voices came to her left, and she followed them to an open shouji. She looked in, and saw it was a spacious shokudo with tatami floors, beautiful husuma walls, and fine furnishings. With a low teburu (table) and plump kush-shons set around it, the shokudo looked inviting.
On the kush-shons sat Kino, Nami, Kaede, Sango, and Miroku. Two others sat with them as well; both were garbed in the same fashion as Kino and Nami.
One of the strange women seated at the teburu, obviously important, was seated beside Kino. She looked up and Kagome felt like the green eyes, boring into her own, were searching her soul and mind.
The woman had knee long, light blue hair which was tied at the half-way mark. She had a late-twenties face, but her soul-piercing eyes held an aged, knowledged aura. On her cheeks and forehead were tear-drop shaped tattoos. She wore strange, white robes, not so unlike Kino's and Nami's. The haori had a loose neck and huge sleeves, which hide her hands and arms completely. She wore a white hakama (like the thing Kikyo and Kaede wear…A.K.A.- pants) and over the hakama, was a skirt, with slits up the front, back and sides for free movement. At her waist was a loose, black sash, holding it all in place.
The woman smiled at Kagome, and said, "There you are." On cue, everyone looked up at the miko. Sango jumped up and quickly walked to her.
"I'm so relieved, Kagome-chan! How are you?"
"Much better, Sango-chan." answered Kagome with a reassuring smile.
"We were worried about you. Kino-sama said he left InuYasha with you, which---
"Ah, InuYasha is so lucky---BAM!
"Lecherous hentai!" shouted Sango, as Miroku lay on the floor, twitching. She huffed and turned back to Kagome. "He left him with you which was very stupid," a growl came from Kino, "because you were still recovering."
"Oh, I didn't mind." answered the miko.
"So ye are faring well?" asked Kaede.
"Yes. Arigoto for helping."
"It was not I, but Nami, the healer of this 'Temple'. She sits on my right."
Kagome looked over at the Spirit Healer, who was watching her with great interest. Nami wore the same clothing as the strange woman, though her uniform had of a gray hakama instead of a white one, and her sash was gray as well. She wore her blue hair in a neat bun and she had lightning shaped tattoos on her forehead and cheeks. She also had gray wolf ears atop her head.
"Nice to meet you Kaisha Kagome." said Nami.
"Mm," the miko nodded her head. She fumbled with her sleeves and put her hands together while bowing respectfully. "Arigato, Spirit Nami."
The healer laughed and said, "None of those formalities in my House. Come. Sit and eat."
Kagome looked down at the teburu. She hadn't even noticed the food; it smelled as good as it looked. "Arigato." she breathed and sat on an empty kush-shon. Set on the teburu was pan, mochi, and ocha. She was served food by Nami, herself, and was urged to eat. The Spirit reminded Kagome of her mother.
"So," started Kino, "We have it---
"Oh let the girl eat, Kino!" exclaimed Nami. "She must be famished."
Kino sighed and countered by saying, "Eating and hearing are two different things, Nami, and Kagome can handle them both. Can't you, Kagome?" Kino looked to his young Kaisha, but she didn't want to start a fight, so she kept quiet, and substituted it by taking a bite of her pan.
"There! That proves it. She'll be fine Nami. Stop being such a Mother hen." said Kino in a cocky voice.
"Don't you dare take that tone with me, Kino." growled Nami, as she stepped over to him. "Respect your elders."
"Didn't know you were that old---AHH!" he cried out, then jumped up and away from Nami's hand.
"You are so lucky." The Spirit healer returned to her seat in a dark mood.
"Whatever you say, Oka-san." mumbled Kino, sarcastically, as he returned to his seat.
"What was that?"
"Nothing, Nami." he said. Kino straightened his haori, and looked back at Kagome. "Before I was interrupted, I was saying that we have you situation figured out. My Superiors, Arashi," he nodded to the strange woman, or Spirit, Kagome had seen before. Kagome said, "Nice to meet you, Spirit Arashi-Sama."
Arashi nodded politely, but seriously.
"And this is Taiyo." Kino cocked his head to his right, where a young Spirit sat.
She had the same robes as Arashi, though her hakama was dark blue, and her loose sash was light. Her dark blue hair was also in a strange fashion. The unruly bangs covered much of her young, violet eyes. At the back of each her black wolf-ears, her long hair was tied, and she allowed the pig-tails to hang over her shoulders, and down, to rest on her lap. On her forehead was a crescent moon tattoo, and on her cheeks were thin diamond-shapes.
Kagome smiled at her and said, "Nice to meet you, Spirit Taiyo."
She expected this Spirit to be as serious as the other Superior, but Taiyo was not. She smiled and said, "Likewise, Kagome-chan."
"Kaisha Kagome?" said Arashi seriously, brushing off formalities. "As you can see you have…changed. You understand why?" the miko shook her head, and Arashi continued. "When Hogosha Kino, grabbed your arm, you remember ripping it away from him, correct? …Well, some of his blood got into yours, and you now had Spirit Hogosha blood in you. Thus turning part of you into our species."
Kagome thought on this. "Why were you bleeding in the first place?" She finally asked Kino, thinking it was for some heroic reason.
"I bit my tongue while I was finding you. Tripped on a rock."
"Oh. That was graceful." said Taiyo, rolling her eyes.
"I like to think it was." retorted Kino.
"So…His blood got into mine? That still doesn't explain why I am a hanyou."
"You aren't a hanyou." corrected Arashi.
"But I can hear, see, and smell better than ever. And I look like one, too."
"You have taken on Spirit traits. The ears will grow more to look like ours, thus giving you better hearing than most demons, and your nose will automatically smell important scents needed to help you. Your brain will register those immediately, and your sight is greater still. You will be able to see in the dark with a nearly normal eye. There is more, but I want you to get a hold on those first." said Arashi.
"So, I'm more a Spirit miko, now?" asked Kagome.
"Yes. But the details are a little fuzzy. For now, we eat. Then we will give you a set out our robes and teach you a few things to help your new Spirit side. I'm not sure if you will ever be human again. But now, eat." Arashi stopped the rest of the conversation on the subject by sipping her tea.
They were interrupted in the middle of breakfast when InuYasha burst into the shokudo. "Where is Ka…" he looked over at Kagome, who was blushing, and he stopped his yelling. He winded down immediately, and stuck his hands into his sleeves. "Oh." he said calmly.
Kino, who had been suppressing his laughter, (with great difficulty; which was obvious because he was turning red) let it out. "Hahaha! Smooth, half-breed. You acted like---
"Kino." said Taiyo sharply. "Cut it out."
"Alright, Tai…Oh, I needed that." said the Spirit, gaining control, though he chuckled to himself self quietly more often than not.
"Anyway." started Taiyo, cutting into the awkward silence.
"InuYasha." said Arashi.
"Yeah?" the bedraggled hanyou, who had sat beside Kagome, looked up at the Saisho Spirit and grimaced. "Great. You must be one of those Superior things Spirit-baka has to run to when he can't handle stuff on his own."
"Hmm." smiled the Saisho. "I am Arashi. And this is Taiyo…" The Spirit was quiet for a moment, and her green eyes clouded over. They quickly cleared and she continued. "I'm not sure if you know, but Kaisha Kagome does not have demon blood in her veins, so stop worrying about that."
InuYasha looked surprised for a split-second, then said in a grumpy tone, "Whatever." This only made Arashi smile more.
"Eat." she said. "This is going to be a busy day. I will tell you about Kagome's situation…"
Me: EEEEEEE!!!! I'm just so happy! You all like my Fic!
Kino: What is UP with all of these damn details. And especially Arashi and Taiyo! And what the hell was up with that Naraku thing at the beginning?
Me: Get over it. It's going to stay like this until I get five reviewers or more who say they want it changed.
Kino:……SAY YOU WANT IT CHANGED!!!SAY YOU WANT IT----
Taiyo: SHUT UP!!! I think she's doing a nice job.
Me: Really?
Taiyo: Yup. You made me pretty!
Kino: That's what you think…nehe! .
Taiyo: grrrr… YOU BAKA!!! (chases after Kino with a stick.)
Me: WOW!!! Look at her go! I wish I could do that.
Readers: Hello. You are the Authoress. Dur.
Me: Eh? Oh! (makes a thinking face and a piece of pizza appears in hand) EHEEE!!!! (Basically inhales it) YUMMY!!!
Readers/Kino/Taiyo: -- (sweatdrop)
Me: Oh well. Tell me if you like my fours characters so far! Gomen!
Japanese trans.
Saisho- first
Sumi-masen- I am sorry
Hogosha- Guardian
Kush-shon- cushion
Arigato- thank you
Teburu- table
Shokudo- dinning room
Kawaii- cute
Jap. Names
Nami- Waves
Arashi- Storm
Taiyo- Sun
Oka-san- Mother