A/N - Oh dear mother of cheese. I think I lost like 20 readers with my
comment about not hating Kikyo at the end of chapter 7. ¬_¬ Goodness
gracious people, I'm not going to bring her back to life or anything!
^_^;; She died, and she's going to stay dead. And to any of you that
think that Inuyasha is going to be in love with Kikyo and not Kagome
through this entire story, I officially dub you extremely dense!!! Oh, I'd
like to thank all the lovely reviewers out there once again, because I got
2 or 3 reviews with constructive criticism. Despite what you may think, I
very much like constructive criticism. ^ ^ It helps me improve my
writing. So I took a lot of your advice and revamped the other chapters (I
think I'm going to go over them one more time though...) and tried to make
this one to the best of quality. It took longer...but that's okay. ^_^ So
please, if you find any more horrid spelling and grammar mistakes in this
chapter, tell me. And if my writing style is driving you crazy, tell me a
way to improve it (personally, I think my writing style sucks... ). And
I didn't leave a single author note in this chapter - the only ones there
are are before and after the chapter. ^-^ in other times, though, I may
put in one or two... XD Also, if there are any characters that you want put
me in here, (Besides Kouga and Sesshomaru...I plan on putting them in anyway.
^_^) just say so! I'll try to drop them in somewhere...so yeah. Oh... With
the constructive criticism, umm...please try to make sure it files under the
category 'constructive'. ^ ^;; And Venom...about their moving along so
slowly...erm... ^ ^ Well you see, Inuyasha is supposed to be really really
calloused, and kind of cold at first... always distancing himself from other
people who try to get close to him because... he's tired of all the pain... So
it's gotta take Kagome a while to crack his shell... but I think I might be
stretching it a little too much, eh? ^ ^; Well, I'd appreciate opinions
on that topic too! (Did I happen mention that all the encouragement that
you guys have been giving me is wonderful...? ^_^) Thank you!
With You
Chapter 10
Marco Polo
"Nice to see you again," the man smirked "Princess."
"Terashi!" a chill shot through Kagome's body - if he was here, that would mean that there were more of Naraku's men nearby...!! He wasn't the only one that Inuyasha hadn't killed! "What do you want!" she snapped at him, taking a step back and dropping her gifts.
He stepped towards her, shortening the distance between them. "I have a task to carry out." He stated plainly.
"What kind of a task?" she narrowed her eyes at him and took several more steps back.
Terashi shrugged and closed the space once again. "An important one."
Kagome looked at him more warily "Where's Kusaki? He's usually with you, isn't he?"
"Kusaki?" a sly smile slipped onto his unsettling expression "He's around..."
Alright...she was getting a little freaked out. What was with the tone in his voice and that weird aura that seemed to surround him...? She didn't think she should stay here much longer... "I think I should be on my way... you know, so you can do whatever you have to do. I'm sure you're a pretty busy person..." she trailed and brushed past him bravely, picking up the food and walking again. But as she walked, she heard footsteps echoing on the dirt behind her.
He was following her.
Now her panic level was steadily rising; did everything always have to go wrong?
She glanced back at him out of the corner of her eye and pretended to walk casually across to the side of the road, aiming for the edge of the village. "Damn..." she cursed "He's still following..." But he wasn't just matching her pace, he was surmounting it. Not to mention that he was only a yard or two behind her - she was ready to resort to extreme measures by now.
Kagome sped up to more of a jog in an effort to get a little farther away from him. And after noticing once again, that he wasn't just toning her pace, she was a little alarmed. Her only choice left was to run - as fast as she could, as far as she could. So she dropped her food, and did just that.
~~*~~
Inuyasha growled with impatience as he tramped back through the leaves to the spot where he'd told the girl to come back to. But was she there? No. What the fuck was taking her so long...?
He quickly shifted his attention to some movement he'd thought he'd spotted along the path she'd left on...but there wasn't anything there. Probably just the wind...
Since she'd gone, he'd gone a mile or so on several different courses looking for a sanitary creek to get water from (to have with his potatoes), and found it. He'd carved a small tree into five or ten logs, and lit a fire (for cooking his precious spuds on). And he'd done all that at a very leisurely pace, just to waste time, and she still hadn't came back yet!
He huffily hopped up into one of the lower branches in a nearby tree and lay down on the thick bough, slumping his back against the sturdy trunk. If she wasn't back within two minutes, he was going to go find her...
The wind had died down considerably in her absence, but the grey clouds still tenaciously held there places in the darkened sky. The leaves that had been whiling around in their own little tornadoes had calmed themselves, and now skipped about at a much slower pace. And for lack of something to do, he kept his eyes on one leaf in particular, and followed its path as it danced its way across the open farmland, stopping against the bottom of the tree he was resting in.
He sighed halfheartedly as he thought again of the journey ahead of him. It would be a long one...
First, he wanted to head north a little - just to retrieve a certain item that might prove useful. Then they'd have to head straight forward; to the east. And once they reached Lake Hiryuu, they'd have to take a detour through the Southern Kingdom. A sort of dreariness settled over him whenever he reflected of that part of the trip. The South was swarming with wolf demons. Inuyasha cringed as he remembered the sickening scent that they held... those creatures were sickening. Maybe he shouldn't have agreed to bring her back to the western lands...?
Speaking of the girl...her two minutes had been up for at least ten.
So he hopped down from his roost and stretched, glancing down the road to see if just maybe she'd be lucky enough to come back before he went out to get her. But no, she still wasn't there.
"She better have a good reason for not being back by now..." He grumbled. And judging by the scream he'd just heard, she did have a good one.
Inuyasha sprinted towards the source of her cry - unlike he'd expected, it was actually a little ways away from the village...and the closer he got, the more he heard. The more he heard, the more realized what was happening.
~~*~~
She panted as she strained herself to run farther; if she stopped now Terashi would catch her. She knew she could go for a while longer...
Kagome pushed her way under, over, and through the brush as she sped forward over the forest floor; having no real knowledge of where she was going. But she was so scatterbrained right then that she really didn't care where her feet led her - as long as she could keep her legs moving until she got there.
The sun had set and the darkness of night had crept over the horizon, not assisting her as much as she would have liked as she stumbled through the woods. Shadows were covering the ground beneath her, so she didn't know when a pitfall or a stray root would trip her up; hence why she was straining to see. Apparently the moon was hiding behind the clouds. And was her mind playing tricks on her, or was that a clearing ahead of her...?
Kagome brightened a little as she neared the edge of the forest. Running out there would be easier, but it would also be easier for him to see her. Even though the latter downed her mood a bit, she was pretty confident in her speed.
With renewed strength she dashed out of the forest at top velocity. But the slight smile on her face dropped, being replaced with a shocked expression as she stopped upon entering the clearing.
There were several men there...and if she had a guess, she'd say there were there for her.
She turned sharply and sprinted to the right, but one of the men seized her arm and threw her to the ground in the middle of their circle. "You wanted to know what my task was?" Terashi sneered as he caught up with the group. "It was to get you."
She narrowed her eyes at him "Jerk." No matter how nervous she was right then, she was still more angry than anything.
He rolled his shoulders and glanced down at her with a tainted smirk "They told me to bring you back alive...and that they didn't care what condition you were in."
Kagome was getting a little suspicious as to what their motives really were...
One of them stepped towards her and crossed his arms in front of him "So, do you wanna play with us girl?"
Ahh...so that's what they wanted.
Despite how that was what they wanted, it wasn't what she wanted at all. "Stay away from me you perverts!" she screeched and scrambled to her feet.
The men grinned sickeningly and moved closer "This princess brat is a feisty one, ain't she boss?"
Terashi walked over to Kagome until he was only about a foot away from her. "Guess so." He smirked as he grabbed a fistful of the lower half of her dress and started to pull it upwards.
"Don't touch me!!" she shrieked and slapped his hand away; giving his face a hard hit with her other fist. She stumbled backwards cautiously and made sure not to get to close to the other men.
"You bitch!" he growled and rubbed the tender side of his face. "Get her...!!"
And at the order of their superior, they ran forward and grabbed Kagome, pulling at her dress and effortlessly wrestling her to the ground. "Take your hands off me!! Back off...!!" she screamed and squirmed frantically against their solid grips.
"Leave her alone!"
All eyes were fixed on the new figure in the clearing as he stepped up behind Terashi. "Tell them to let go of her Terashi!" he commanded and held the sword to the man's neck.
"Kusaki!!" the older of the two hollered "What the hell do you think you're doing?! This is me! The man who saved your life! Your friend - Terashi!!"
Terashi...
~~Flash~~
"You! You're a trespasser on Lord Naraku's private grounds! The punishment for that is death!" the officer declared and raised his blade. But just as it was about to crash down on the young man...
"Stop."
He spun around to face the person who prohibited him from performing his duty. "Captain Terashi, sir!" he saluted quickly once identifying his higher-ranking officer.
The taller man looked down at the fifteen year old boy, an expression of interest crossing his face. "This kid...he could be of good use to us - being the swordsman that he is."
"This boy...? A swordsman, sir?"
Terashi nodded and pointed to the teenager "Look at his eyes - those aren't the eyes of a peasant boy. We could use him...make him a guard or a soldier; he'll do just fine." He turned back to the other man "You're dismissed, officer."
The official saluted at his leave, and walked off to make his rounds. "So kid..." Terashi turned to him with an amiable grin "What's your name?"
"Inashi Rankeru, sir." He answered and stood a little straighter.
"That's a good name you have. But..." he clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction and rubbed his chin with his fingertips. "It's not the name of a swordsman. So from now on, you're Kusaki. That fits you a little better too." The smile returned to his face as he turned and waved for his new companion to follow. "Let's go, Kusaki! You'll be working with me from now on, so I have to get you a good sword and show you the ropes. Several new prisoners came in today, and I have to deal with them...hope you're a quick learner!"
Kusaki returned his smile and trailed obediently after his newfound friend.
~~Flash~~
"It's not true...this man...he isn't him!!" "That's a lie!" Kusaki shouted furiously.
"What do you mean 'a lie'?!"
"I mean that you are not Terashi! The Terashi I knew wasn't like this!" Kusaki bellowed "The Terashi that I knew was never like you! He wouldn't even dream of doing what you do!! Cheating your subordinates in any bet that's made, taking the prisoner's rations for yourself, and harming all these innocent girls." he glanced over at Kagome and back "You're not him!!"
"You better put your sword away, you righteous bastard." He warned "Or Naraku might hear of your actions."
"Tell them to let go of her first!" Kusaki brought the blade closer to his neckline. "Do it now!"
"Ungrateful asshole... Why are you being so fucking protective?"
"I don't know what you're talking about..." He muttered; a little embarrassed.
"Oh, I get it." Terashi scoffed "You're in love with the little prin-"
"Shut up, Terashi!" Oh no...he was getting a little flustered now... "Tell them to let go of her already...!!"
"If I say it, I'll send a report to Naraku on your behavior!" he threatened. "And he won't be happy that the girl got away."
"I don't care."
"...Fine." Terashi glowered, turning to the men "Let her go."
They stood up swiftly, leaving Kagome in a frazzled mess as she moved into a sitting position, staring absorbedly at Kusaki all the while.
"Now promise me that you won't touch her again, and that you won't take her back to Naraku - you and all of them."
"Promise..." he ground through his clenched jaw.
Kusaki raised the sword away from his former companion and sheathed it smoothly. "Go back to the castle, Terashi. And when you send Naraku that message, make sure that you tell him that I think he's a filthy bastard."
Terashi turned to leave, but cast one last glance at Kusaki, who was now going over to the princess, as he called him men. "Maybe...I really am a different person from who I used to be...?" He shook his head as his earlier obstinacy returned to him, and he went back along the road he came - never to bother a certain sixteen year old girl again.
Kusaki bowed respectfully upon reaching Kagome, and extended his hand to pull her up as he greeted her. "Beloved princess, my sincerest apologies and sympathies for all that you have endured this past month. Pray let me be your guide on your journey to your home to compensate for your suffering."
Wow. Why had she asked Inuyasha to bring her home again...? She could just give him that last gold piece and send him off if she wanted; this guy would help for free! He was a lot more polite than Inuyasha too...
"No!" she halted her flow of thought. Kagome couldn't believe she'd even considered that... This guy was nice and all, but... he didn't need her; Inuyasha did.
Or wait...from what she'd caught of the situation, this guy had just quit whatever job he had and left whatever home he had... all just to save her. He could travel with her and Inuyasha if he wanted to... extra company was always good.
And Kusaki...somehow, she felt some sort of a connection with him. There was a feeling floating around inside her that had something to do with this boy... But that wasn't possible - she'd never seen him in her life!
Or had she...? Kagome had to ask... "Have I met you somewhere before...?" she inquired politely as he took her small hands in his strong, nimble grasp and helped her to her feet. "You look very familiar to me."
His long black hair was tied loosely at the back of his neck, and the few wisps that had escaped where floating lightly on the breeze. "You have." He confirmed plainly "Ten years ago was the first time I saw you; collecting dandelions for your mother in the castle courtyards. Four years ago, as you were lying asleep in your bed, was the last time I was to see you. Until a few weeks ago, that is."
"Wait...so you're telling me that you've lived at the castle for six years?" she asked, totally nonplussed.
A distraught half-smile crossed his expression as he released her hands and reached behind his neck and into his robe. "Maybe this will help you to remember..." he said as he pulled his long ponytail in front of him and brought a dagger out of his cloak. And what he did next baffled Kagome even more than she already was.
Kusaki took the small blade and whipped it through his hair - cutting the dark locks from him and letting them blow away in the night breeze. He ruffled what was left of the black mesh and moved his arm back to his side, a brighter smile now lighting up his face. "Do you remember me now, Kagome?"
Her breath caught in her throat, and her body felt frozen. Kagome couldn't believe herself...she'd forgotten; completely forgotten. She'd known something was familiar about him at first...but it hadn't clicked. His voice, hair, height, and demeanor having all changed, recognizing him wasn't as easy as pie. But when he'd cut his mane short just now, it had fallen into place just like it used to. That had sparked something in her. The thing that really made her remember, though...was the smile. There wasn't anyone in the whole world who smiled like him.
Suddenly, all her nerves released, and her body moved on its own. "Inashi!" she squealed as she snatched his wrist and dragged him to a nearby log. "It's been four years...?" she wondered aloud as they sat down "You've changed quite a lot."
"So have you..." he said softly as he brought his hand tenderly to her cheek. He seemed just a little timid though... "You really grew up without me, didn't you?"
Kagome felt flushed and she scooted away a little. He was being so...
"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled as he exploded out of the trees nearby. He stopped at the strange sight before him - quickly narrowing his eyes at Inashi and making a beeline for him; throwing a punch at his face that flung him to the ground. "What do you think you're doing, asshole?!" Inuyasha barked at the injured party.
Inashi jumped to his feet and drew his sword, but Kagome was quick to stop the violence. "Wait, Inuyasha!" she shouted, running over to him and grabbing his raised arm. "Inashi is an old friend of mine - he wasn't hurting me or anything!"
"A friend? Fiend, more like; the guy looked like he was gonna molest you!" he assumed disagreeably.
"He wouldn't do something like that!" she chastised. Inashi sheathed his sword once again; quite flattered that priestess was leaping to his defense. "He just saved me you jerk..." her words slowed to a stop as she replayed Inuyasha's entrance in her mind. No...he didn't... "Did you...call me 'Kagome'?"
"So?" Inuyasha snapped after a pause, yanking his limb out of her grasp "What of it?!"
He did!
"It's just..." she prodded a pebble with her sandal "You never really use my name... It's always 'stupid girl' or 'idiot'... but" she smiled up at him "I'm glad you're trying to be nice!"
"I'm not 'trying to be nice'!" he growled.
She grinned; Inuyasha will be Inuyasha. "Whatever you say!" Kagome whistled; turning and walking over to Inashi. "Are you okay?" she smiled sympathetically "He hit you pretty hard."
"I'm fine..." he answered appreciatively and smiled back at her. "So...is that man your guide?" he pointed through the dark to a perplexed Inuyasha.
Still as perceptive as ever. "He is; but I wouldn't mind having two guides!" Kagome piped cheerfully. "And if you came with us, you could come back to the castle again! I bet Souta misses you too-"
"I can't." he interrupted somberly.
"But Inashi, why not?!" she frowned.
"You know...four years ago..." Kagome listened attentively "I didn't go of my own leave like they told you I did. I was exiled."
She was getting confused... "But that was a mistake, wasn't it? You couldn't have done anything against the law..."
"But I did, Kagome."
"Huh?" she blinked; now she was downright disorientated.
"I did break the law." He looked away from her questioning gaze "I was a spy...for Naraku."
Kagome visibly winced; it felt like someone had stabbed her. Her heartbeat was pounding so loudly in her head that she could barely hear herself think. One of the few people that she'd grown up with and seen everyday... her most beloved childhood friend... the boy she'd grown to love like her own brother...he'd been lying to her all along...?
No... it couldn't be true. There was something wrong with that picture. "Were you doing it of your own free will...?" she asked him weakly.
And the second the words had come out of her mouth, the boy brightened. "She's giving me another chance...!!" "I wasn't." he assured her honestly. "Naraku...he told us that my father had owed him a great debt." Inashi clenched his fists in anger. "And though my mother and I hadn't known it at the time, he'd lied to us; we'd owed him nothing. Naraku had needed spies, so he killed my father and tricked us into working for him. A few times actually, I'd deliberately supplied him with false information. And each time, under Naraku's orders, mother and I would be beaten. I never wanted to do any of the work...but I had no choice." He faced her apologetically. "I'm terribly sorry..."
"It's okay..." she looked back to him through the thick night air, smiling as best as she could. "You can still come home... I'm sure I could convince mother that it wasn't your fault; she'll understand..."
They were silent for a moment, until Inashi unexpectedly picked Kagome up and spun around; laughing merrily all the while. He set the beaming princess back on her feet as he expressed his simple gratitude. "Thank you, Kagome."
"Everything will turn out okay." She smiled forgivingly "But first, I think we need to get you and Inuyasha on better terms..." She twisted to face her first companion, but found instead that he wasn't anywhere in sight. "Inuyasha...?" Kagome listened anxiously "Inuyasha?!"
He wasn't answering...so that either meant that he couldn't hear her because he'd gone too far away, or that he was hiding from her.
And considering how dark it was outside, she'd have quite a time locating him.
Kagome tottered back into the forest a ways, Inashi trailing behind her, and gazed into the dark woods. "Hey! Inuyasha! Where are you?!" and after repeating her statement several times over, she decided to pose a threat. "If you don't come back here within five minutes I'll say 'the word'!"
Five minutes later...
He still hadn't come back. "Goodness..." Kagome groaned and tapped her forehead with her palm. "We should probably just go get him, huh Inashi?"
"How?" he frowned - the simpleton that he was.
How was she going to find him? She was going to play a little game of 'Sit Nangh". She'd say 'sit', and Inuyasha would say 'nangh'. So she'd just follow the 'nanghs' until she found him...
"Sit...?" she said as quietly as possible - just incase he was close by.
Nope - louder. "Sit." She commanded in her normal volume.
Nothing yet... "Sit!" she shouted - but yet again, was given no response.
Well, he brought this upon himself... "Inuyasha, sit!!"
And again, Kagome's glass-shattering scream echoed through the forest and sent a flock of birds to flight.
But along with the twittering of the flabbergasted sparrows, the distant sound of 'Nangh!!' could be heard.
Yep. That was definitely Inuyasha.
Kagome waved for a bewildered Inashi to follow her and headed towards Inuyasha's shouts. "Sit... sit..." she panted the last few quietly as they reached an infuriated Inuyasha...with logs on top of him?
"Inuyasha..." she raised an eyebrow "What were you doing?"
"I was playing fetch with myself." He pulled himself to his feet and shot her an exasperatingly irritated look. "What does it look like I was doing!?"
Well... given that there was a woodchip hanging out of the side of his mouth and he had a small log in his hand, it did look like he'd been playing fetch with himself... "Uhh...."
"I was getting wood for a fire you moron!" he barked snippily, gesturing to the efficiently cut blocks of wood around him. "Now what the fuck was all that for!?"
"Eh heh heh..." Kagome sputtered guiltily. She was starting to think that game hadn't been the best of ideas... she wouldn't have done it if she'd known he had been setting up camp! "Sorry, umm... you see, I thought that you were going to leave me all by myself out here, and I couldn't think of any other way to find you."
Inashi stared at her flatly "And what am I? Chopped liver?"
"What?! Just because that depraved idea of yours was the first thing that came to mind, you slammed my face in the dirt how many times?!" Inuyasha shouted heatedly and stomped up to Kagome.
"Sorry, sorry." She repented glibly "I wouldn't have done it if I'd known you were actually being helpful... And speaking of, let's finish making that fire you started on..." she padded over to the logs and placed them in the center of the small campground, her voice fading as well as did all other sounds for Inuyasha.
"Wait a second... I'm always helpful!!" "Hey, Kagome! What did you mean I was 'actually being helpful'?! I'm a lot more helpful than you give me credit for, wench!"
"Right, Inuyasha. I'm sure you are." She retorted with a saucy smirk.
The bickering between the two of them went on as Inashi, the only one of them that was being productive, chortled at the childishness of it all. Kagome and Inashi eventually went to sleep (with much protest from Inuyasha who didn't want any other people coming with them) while the third member of the group sat awake to keep watch.
And so ended another chaotic day.
A/N - So...much...smiling. -_-;; I actually liked the title for this chapter though. XD 'Marco Polo' = 'Sit Nangh'. ^^ I know I know...it's really corny; but I liked it! And you know, all of this stuff is like a waste - I should really just get to the big plot points, shouldn't I... And did I mention I can't wait 'til the end of this story? I'm not saying I don't like writing it, because I do! ^ ^ But I already have the end figured out...and I love it. I want to write the end NOW. X_X And you know what else is bothering me? How often I start sentences with 'Speaking of..." and "Not to mention..." and "But still...". It's a dreadful bother... ¬_¬ Am I the only one who noticed how that chapter was partially an effect of way to much Fushigi Yugi...? ^^; And I know that chapter had way too much about Inashi in it... About him saving Kagome and not Inuyasha...umm...Well I thought that I was making Inuyasha the 'hero' way too often. ^ ^; it was starting to get kinda cheesy.... One more thing - There are three more paragraphs of author notes below this, and two of them are little descriptions about Terashi and Inashi, and the other one is a little bit of history on a certain lake that just might happen to come up in the storyline later.... *cough cough* But you don't really need to read them. Originally, those were shoved into random parts of this chapter, but with a little advice from a certain reviewer *wink* I decided to throw them at the end where you don't really have to read them. (I'd recommend it though! ^ ^;;)
Okay! Remember from the beginning of this chapter where Inuyasha mentioned Lake Hiryuu? Since it's a tidbit important in later storyline, I figured I should explain it now. ^__^ Hiryuu is the Japanese word for 'flying dragon' - why did I name it 'The Lake of the Flying Dragon'? Firstly, dragons used to roam freely over the northern realm {Note: The northern realm is the large area of land that contains a northern, eastern, southern, and western kingdom. It's where pretty much this entire story is placed.} but they mysteriously disappeared some three or four hundred years ago. All but one giant winged dragon, who remained there, terrorizing any village he could. He was an evil dragon, one that all the people feared and hated. So on one cold winter evening, the four kingdoms rallied together to bring it down - and that was just what they did. The dragon fell dead into the large lake in the center of the four kingdoms, hence its name 'Lake Hiryuu'. But then again, according to a great number of the people, that story is just a legend. *'Oohs' and 'aahs' and 'now I get its'* Yeah...I totally went into 'storyteller mode' there.... ^.^;;
Here's a teeny tiny little picture of Terashi. Tall, dark, and not so handsome. Dark brown hair, and taller than the average person...and he's like 30 years old. He isn't what he used to be... he's very cold now. Uncaring I guess... and if you put him in Kingdom Hearts, he'd probably be Ansim's twin - Just not half as nice looking.
Just because, I want to give you a mental picture of what Inashi looks like, his personality, and all that jazz. {Note in a note: I made him up and he's mine! So don't touch him! ^_^} He's...18 or something. He's a very...pretty guy. His straight black hair is an inch or two lower than his shoulders, and he's got grey eyes. His temper doesn't show itself very often, and he's actually rather shy. A very calm and honest person as well. He's a very loyal person, and for his loyalty to dissipate is extremely abnormal. Strength...? He can wield a sword very skillfully, but he's not the strongest person out there. The end. ^ ^
~Eternal White~
P.S. -- I'm so sorry for taking an eternity to update. ^ ^;;;; I promise the next won't take so long! And you can lob a few flames at me for working on my Inuyasha music video instead of this chapter if you want... .
With You
Chapter 10
Marco Polo
"Nice to see you again," the man smirked "Princess."
"Terashi!" a chill shot through Kagome's body - if he was here, that would mean that there were more of Naraku's men nearby...!! He wasn't the only one that Inuyasha hadn't killed! "What do you want!" she snapped at him, taking a step back and dropping her gifts.
He stepped towards her, shortening the distance between them. "I have a task to carry out." He stated plainly.
"What kind of a task?" she narrowed her eyes at him and took several more steps back.
Terashi shrugged and closed the space once again. "An important one."
Kagome looked at him more warily "Where's Kusaki? He's usually with you, isn't he?"
"Kusaki?" a sly smile slipped onto his unsettling expression "He's around..."
Alright...she was getting a little freaked out. What was with the tone in his voice and that weird aura that seemed to surround him...? She didn't think she should stay here much longer... "I think I should be on my way... you know, so you can do whatever you have to do. I'm sure you're a pretty busy person..." she trailed and brushed past him bravely, picking up the food and walking again. But as she walked, she heard footsteps echoing on the dirt behind her.
He was following her.
Now her panic level was steadily rising; did everything always have to go wrong?
She glanced back at him out of the corner of her eye and pretended to walk casually across to the side of the road, aiming for the edge of the village. "Damn..." she cursed "He's still following..." But he wasn't just matching her pace, he was surmounting it. Not to mention that he was only a yard or two behind her - she was ready to resort to extreme measures by now.
Kagome sped up to more of a jog in an effort to get a little farther away from him. And after noticing once again, that he wasn't just toning her pace, she was a little alarmed. Her only choice left was to run - as fast as she could, as far as she could. So she dropped her food, and did just that.
~~*~~
Inuyasha growled with impatience as he tramped back through the leaves to the spot where he'd told the girl to come back to. But was she there? No. What the fuck was taking her so long...?
He quickly shifted his attention to some movement he'd thought he'd spotted along the path she'd left on...but there wasn't anything there. Probably just the wind...
Since she'd gone, he'd gone a mile or so on several different courses looking for a sanitary creek to get water from (to have with his potatoes), and found it. He'd carved a small tree into five or ten logs, and lit a fire (for cooking his precious spuds on). And he'd done all that at a very leisurely pace, just to waste time, and she still hadn't came back yet!
He huffily hopped up into one of the lower branches in a nearby tree and lay down on the thick bough, slumping his back against the sturdy trunk. If she wasn't back within two minutes, he was going to go find her...
The wind had died down considerably in her absence, but the grey clouds still tenaciously held there places in the darkened sky. The leaves that had been whiling around in their own little tornadoes had calmed themselves, and now skipped about at a much slower pace. And for lack of something to do, he kept his eyes on one leaf in particular, and followed its path as it danced its way across the open farmland, stopping against the bottom of the tree he was resting in.
He sighed halfheartedly as he thought again of the journey ahead of him. It would be a long one...
First, he wanted to head north a little - just to retrieve a certain item that might prove useful. Then they'd have to head straight forward; to the east. And once they reached Lake Hiryuu, they'd have to take a detour through the Southern Kingdom. A sort of dreariness settled over him whenever he reflected of that part of the trip. The South was swarming with wolf demons. Inuyasha cringed as he remembered the sickening scent that they held... those creatures were sickening. Maybe he shouldn't have agreed to bring her back to the western lands...?
Speaking of the girl...her two minutes had been up for at least ten.
So he hopped down from his roost and stretched, glancing down the road to see if just maybe she'd be lucky enough to come back before he went out to get her. But no, she still wasn't there.
"She better have a good reason for not being back by now..." He grumbled. And judging by the scream he'd just heard, she did have a good one.
Inuyasha sprinted towards the source of her cry - unlike he'd expected, it was actually a little ways away from the village...and the closer he got, the more he heard. The more he heard, the more realized what was happening.
~~*~~
She panted as she strained herself to run farther; if she stopped now Terashi would catch her. She knew she could go for a while longer...
Kagome pushed her way under, over, and through the brush as she sped forward over the forest floor; having no real knowledge of where she was going. But she was so scatterbrained right then that she really didn't care where her feet led her - as long as she could keep her legs moving until she got there.
The sun had set and the darkness of night had crept over the horizon, not assisting her as much as she would have liked as she stumbled through the woods. Shadows were covering the ground beneath her, so she didn't know when a pitfall or a stray root would trip her up; hence why she was straining to see. Apparently the moon was hiding behind the clouds. And was her mind playing tricks on her, or was that a clearing ahead of her...?
Kagome brightened a little as she neared the edge of the forest. Running out there would be easier, but it would also be easier for him to see her. Even though the latter downed her mood a bit, she was pretty confident in her speed.
With renewed strength she dashed out of the forest at top velocity. But the slight smile on her face dropped, being replaced with a shocked expression as she stopped upon entering the clearing.
There were several men there...and if she had a guess, she'd say there were there for her.
She turned sharply and sprinted to the right, but one of the men seized her arm and threw her to the ground in the middle of their circle. "You wanted to know what my task was?" Terashi sneered as he caught up with the group. "It was to get you."
She narrowed her eyes at him "Jerk." No matter how nervous she was right then, she was still more angry than anything.
He rolled his shoulders and glanced down at her with a tainted smirk "They told me to bring you back alive...and that they didn't care what condition you were in."
Kagome was getting a little suspicious as to what their motives really were...
One of them stepped towards her and crossed his arms in front of him "So, do you wanna play with us girl?"
Ahh...so that's what they wanted.
Despite how that was what they wanted, it wasn't what she wanted at all. "Stay away from me you perverts!" she screeched and scrambled to her feet.
The men grinned sickeningly and moved closer "This princess brat is a feisty one, ain't she boss?"
Terashi walked over to Kagome until he was only about a foot away from her. "Guess so." He smirked as he grabbed a fistful of the lower half of her dress and started to pull it upwards.
"Don't touch me!!" she shrieked and slapped his hand away; giving his face a hard hit with her other fist. She stumbled backwards cautiously and made sure not to get to close to the other men.
"You bitch!" he growled and rubbed the tender side of his face. "Get her...!!"
And at the order of their superior, they ran forward and grabbed Kagome, pulling at her dress and effortlessly wrestling her to the ground. "Take your hands off me!! Back off...!!" she screamed and squirmed frantically against their solid grips.
"Leave her alone!"
All eyes were fixed on the new figure in the clearing as he stepped up behind Terashi. "Tell them to let go of her Terashi!" he commanded and held the sword to the man's neck.
"Kusaki!!" the older of the two hollered "What the hell do you think you're doing?! This is me! The man who saved your life! Your friend - Terashi!!"
Terashi...
~~Flash~~
"You! You're a trespasser on Lord Naraku's private grounds! The punishment for that is death!" the officer declared and raised his blade. But just as it was about to crash down on the young man...
"Stop."
He spun around to face the person who prohibited him from performing his duty. "Captain Terashi, sir!" he saluted quickly once identifying his higher-ranking officer.
The taller man looked down at the fifteen year old boy, an expression of interest crossing his face. "This kid...he could be of good use to us - being the swordsman that he is."
"This boy...? A swordsman, sir?"
Terashi nodded and pointed to the teenager "Look at his eyes - those aren't the eyes of a peasant boy. We could use him...make him a guard or a soldier; he'll do just fine." He turned back to the other man "You're dismissed, officer."
The official saluted at his leave, and walked off to make his rounds. "So kid..." Terashi turned to him with an amiable grin "What's your name?"
"Inashi Rankeru, sir." He answered and stood a little straighter.
"That's a good name you have. But..." he clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction and rubbed his chin with his fingertips. "It's not the name of a swordsman. So from now on, you're Kusaki. That fits you a little better too." The smile returned to his face as he turned and waved for his new companion to follow. "Let's go, Kusaki! You'll be working with me from now on, so I have to get you a good sword and show you the ropes. Several new prisoners came in today, and I have to deal with them...hope you're a quick learner!"
Kusaki returned his smile and trailed obediently after his newfound friend.
~~Flash~~
"It's not true...this man...he isn't him!!" "That's a lie!" Kusaki shouted furiously.
"What do you mean 'a lie'?!"
"I mean that you are not Terashi! The Terashi I knew wasn't like this!" Kusaki bellowed "The Terashi that I knew was never like you! He wouldn't even dream of doing what you do!! Cheating your subordinates in any bet that's made, taking the prisoner's rations for yourself, and harming all these innocent girls." he glanced over at Kagome and back "You're not him!!"
"You better put your sword away, you righteous bastard." He warned "Or Naraku might hear of your actions."
"Tell them to let go of her first!" Kusaki brought the blade closer to his neckline. "Do it now!"
"Ungrateful asshole... Why are you being so fucking protective?"
"I don't know what you're talking about..." He muttered; a little embarrassed.
"Oh, I get it." Terashi scoffed "You're in love with the little prin-"
"Shut up, Terashi!" Oh no...he was getting a little flustered now... "Tell them to let go of her already...!!"
"If I say it, I'll send a report to Naraku on your behavior!" he threatened. "And he won't be happy that the girl got away."
"I don't care."
"...Fine." Terashi glowered, turning to the men "Let her go."
They stood up swiftly, leaving Kagome in a frazzled mess as she moved into a sitting position, staring absorbedly at Kusaki all the while.
"Now promise me that you won't touch her again, and that you won't take her back to Naraku - you and all of them."
"Promise..." he ground through his clenched jaw.
Kusaki raised the sword away from his former companion and sheathed it smoothly. "Go back to the castle, Terashi. And when you send Naraku that message, make sure that you tell him that I think he's a filthy bastard."
Terashi turned to leave, but cast one last glance at Kusaki, who was now going over to the princess, as he called him men. "Maybe...I really am a different person from who I used to be...?" He shook his head as his earlier obstinacy returned to him, and he went back along the road he came - never to bother a certain sixteen year old girl again.
Kusaki bowed respectfully upon reaching Kagome, and extended his hand to pull her up as he greeted her. "Beloved princess, my sincerest apologies and sympathies for all that you have endured this past month. Pray let me be your guide on your journey to your home to compensate for your suffering."
Wow. Why had she asked Inuyasha to bring her home again...? She could just give him that last gold piece and send him off if she wanted; this guy would help for free! He was a lot more polite than Inuyasha too...
"No!" she halted her flow of thought. Kagome couldn't believe she'd even considered that... This guy was nice and all, but... he didn't need her; Inuyasha did.
Or wait...from what she'd caught of the situation, this guy had just quit whatever job he had and left whatever home he had... all just to save her. He could travel with her and Inuyasha if he wanted to... extra company was always good.
And Kusaki...somehow, she felt some sort of a connection with him. There was a feeling floating around inside her that had something to do with this boy... But that wasn't possible - she'd never seen him in her life!
Or had she...? Kagome had to ask... "Have I met you somewhere before...?" she inquired politely as he took her small hands in his strong, nimble grasp and helped her to her feet. "You look very familiar to me."
His long black hair was tied loosely at the back of his neck, and the few wisps that had escaped where floating lightly on the breeze. "You have." He confirmed plainly "Ten years ago was the first time I saw you; collecting dandelions for your mother in the castle courtyards. Four years ago, as you were lying asleep in your bed, was the last time I was to see you. Until a few weeks ago, that is."
"Wait...so you're telling me that you've lived at the castle for six years?" she asked, totally nonplussed.
A distraught half-smile crossed his expression as he released her hands and reached behind his neck and into his robe. "Maybe this will help you to remember..." he said as he pulled his long ponytail in front of him and brought a dagger out of his cloak. And what he did next baffled Kagome even more than she already was.
Kusaki took the small blade and whipped it through his hair - cutting the dark locks from him and letting them blow away in the night breeze. He ruffled what was left of the black mesh and moved his arm back to his side, a brighter smile now lighting up his face. "Do you remember me now, Kagome?"
Her breath caught in her throat, and her body felt frozen. Kagome couldn't believe herself...she'd forgotten; completely forgotten. She'd known something was familiar about him at first...but it hadn't clicked. His voice, hair, height, and demeanor having all changed, recognizing him wasn't as easy as pie. But when he'd cut his mane short just now, it had fallen into place just like it used to. That had sparked something in her. The thing that really made her remember, though...was the smile. There wasn't anyone in the whole world who smiled like him.
Suddenly, all her nerves released, and her body moved on its own. "Inashi!" she squealed as she snatched his wrist and dragged him to a nearby log. "It's been four years...?" she wondered aloud as they sat down "You've changed quite a lot."
"So have you..." he said softly as he brought his hand tenderly to her cheek. He seemed just a little timid though... "You really grew up without me, didn't you?"
Kagome felt flushed and she scooted away a little. He was being so...
"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled as he exploded out of the trees nearby. He stopped at the strange sight before him - quickly narrowing his eyes at Inashi and making a beeline for him; throwing a punch at his face that flung him to the ground. "What do you think you're doing, asshole?!" Inuyasha barked at the injured party.
Inashi jumped to his feet and drew his sword, but Kagome was quick to stop the violence. "Wait, Inuyasha!" she shouted, running over to him and grabbing his raised arm. "Inashi is an old friend of mine - he wasn't hurting me or anything!"
"A friend? Fiend, more like; the guy looked like he was gonna molest you!" he assumed disagreeably.
"He wouldn't do something like that!" she chastised. Inashi sheathed his sword once again; quite flattered that priestess was leaping to his defense. "He just saved me you jerk..." her words slowed to a stop as she replayed Inuyasha's entrance in her mind. No...he didn't... "Did you...call me 'Kagome'?"
"So?" Inuyasha snapped after a pause, yanking his limb out of her grasp "What of it?!"
He did!
"It's just..." she prodded a pebble with her sandal "You never really use my name... It's always 'stupid girl' or 'idiot'... but" she smiled up at him "I'm glad you're trying to be nice!"
"I'm not 'trying to be nice'!" he growled.
She grinned; Inuyasha will be Inuyasha. "Whatever you say!" Kagome whistled; turning and walking over to Inashi. "Are you okay?" she smiled sympathetically "He hit you pretty hard."
"I'm fine..." he answered appreciatively and smiled back at her. "So...is that man your guide?" he pointed through the dark to a perplexed Inuyasha.
Still as perceptive as ever. "He is; but I wouldn't mind having two guides!" Kagome piped cheerfully. "And if you came with us, you could come back to the castle again! I bet Souta misses you too-"
"I can't." he interrupted somberly.
"But Inashi, why not?!" she frowned.
"You know...four years ago..." Kagome listened attentively "I didn't go of my own leave like they told you I did. I was exiled."
She was getting confused... "But that was a mistake, wasn't it? You couldn't have done anything against the law..."
"But I did, Kagome."
"Huh?" she blinked; now she was downright disorientated.
"I did break the law." He looked away from her questioning gaze "I was a spy...for Naraku."
Kagome visibly winced; it felt like someone had stabbed her. Her heartbeat was pounding so loudly in her head that she could barely hear herself think. One of the few people that she'd grown up with and seen everyday... her most beloved childhood friend... the boy she'd grown to love like her own brother...he'd been lying to her all along...?
No... it couldn't be true. There was something wrong with that picture. "Were you doing it of your own free will...?" she asked him weakly.
And the second the words had come out of her mouth, the boy brightened. "She's giving me another chance...!!" "I wasn't." he assured her honestly. "Naraku...he told us that my father had owed him a great debt." Inashi clenched his fists in anger. "And though my mother and I hadn't known it at the time, he'd lied to us; we'd owed him nothing. Naraku had needed spies, so he killed my father and tricked us into working for him. A few times actually, I'd deliberately supplied him with false information. And each time, under Naraku's orders, mother and I would be beaten. I never wanted to do any of the work...but I had no choice." He faced her apologetically. "I'm terribly sorry..."
"It's okay..." she looked back to him through the thick night air, smiling as best as she could. "You can still come home... I'm sure I could convince mother that it wasn't your fault; she'll understand..."
They were silent for a moment, until Inashi unexpectedly picked Kagome up and spun around; laughing merrily all the while. He set the beaming princess back on her feet as he expressed his simple gratitude. "Thank you, Kagome."
"Everything will turn out okay." She smiled forgivingly "But first, I think we need to get you and Inuyasha on better terms..." She twisted to face her first companion, but found instead that he wasn't anywhere in sight. "Inuyasha...?" Kagome listened anxiously "Inuyasha?!"
He wasn't answering...so that either meant that he couldn't hear her because he'd gone too far away, or that he was hiding from her.
And considering how dark it was outside, she'd have quite a time locating him.
Kagome tottered back into the forest a ways, Inashi trailing behind her, and gazed into the dark woods. "Hey! Inuyasha! Where are you?!" and after repeating her statement several times over, she decided to pose a threat. "If you don't come back here within five minutes I'll say 'the word'!"
Five minutes later...
He still hadn't come back. "Goodness..." Kagome groaned and tapped her forehead with her palm. "We should probably just go get him, huh Inashi?"
"How?" he frowned - the simpleton that he was.
How was she going to find him? She was going to play a little game of 'Sit Nangh". She'd say 'sit', and Inuyasha would say 'nangh'. So she'd just follow the 'nanghs' until she found him...
"Sit...?" she said as quietly as possible - just incase he was close by.
Nope - louder. "Sit." She commanded in her normal volume.
Nothing yet... "Sit!" she shouted - but yet again, was given no response.
Well, he brought this upon himself... "Inuyasha, sit!!"
And again, Kagome's glass-shattering scream echoed through the forest and sent a flock of birds to flight.
But along with the twittering of the flabbergasted sparrows, the distant sound of 'Nangh!!' could be heard.
Yep. That was definitely Inuyasha.
Kagome waved for a bewildered Inashi to follow her and headed towards Inuyasha's shouts. "Sit... sit..." she panted the last few quietly as they reached an infuriated Inuyasha...with logs on top of him?
"Inuyasha..." she raised an eyebrow "What were you doing?"
"I was playing fetch with myself." He pulled himself to his feet and shot her an exasperatingly irritated look. "What does it look like I was doing!?"
Well... given that there was a woodchip hanging out of the side of his mouth and he had a small log in his hand, it did look like he'd been playing fetch with himself... "Uhh...."
"I was getting wood for a fire you moron!" he barked snippily, gesturing to the efficiently cut blocks of wood around him. "Now what the fuck was all that for!?"
"Eh heh heh..." Kagome sputtered guiltily. She was starting to think that game hadn't been the best of ideas... she wouldn't have done it if she'd known he had been setting up camp! "Sorry, umm... you see, I thought that you were going to leave me all by myself out here, and I couldn't think of any other way to find you."
Inashi stared at her flatly "And what am I? Chopped liver?"
"What?! Just because that depraved idea of yours was the first thing that came to mind, you slammed my face in the dirt how many times?!" Inuyasha shouted heatedly and stomped up to Kagome.
"Sorry, sorry." She repented glibly "I wouldn't have done it if I'd known you were actually being helpful... And speaking of, let's finish making that fire you started on..." she padded over to the logs and placed them in the center of the small campground, her voice fading as well as did all other sounds for Inuyasha.
"Wait a second... I'm always helpful!!" "Hey, Kagome! What did you mean I was 'actually being helpful'?! I'm a lot more helpful than you give me credit for, wench!"
"Right, Inuyasha. I'm sure you are." She retorted with a saucy smirk.
The bickering between the two of them went on as Inashi, the only one of them that was being productive, chortled at the childishness of it all. Kagome and Inashi eventually went to sleep (with much protest from Inuyasha who didn't want any other people coming with them) while the third member of the group sat awake to keep watch.
And so ended another chaotic day.
A/N - So...much...smiling. -_-;; I actually liked the title for this chapter though. XD 'Marco Polo' = 'Sit Nangh'. ^^ I know I know...it's really corny; but I liked it! And you know, all of this stuff is like a waste - I should really just get to the big plot points, shouldn't I... And did I mention I can't wait 'til the end of this story? I'm not saying I don't like writing it, because I do! ^ ^ But I already have the end figured out...and I love it. I want to write the end NOW. X_X And you know what else is bothering me? How often I start sentences with 'Speaking of..." and "Not to mention..." and "But still...". It's a dreadful bother... ¬_¬ Am I the only one who noticed how that chapter was partially an effect of way to much Fushigi Yugi...? ^^; And I know that chapter had way too much about Inashi in it... About him saving Kagome and not Inuyasha...umm...Well I thought that I was making Inuyasha the 'hero' way too often. ^ ^; it was starting to get kinda cheesy.... One more thing - There are three more paragraphs of author notes below this, and two of them are little descriptions about Terashi and Inashi, and the other one is a little bit of history on a certain lake that just might happen to come up in the storyline later.... *cough cough* But you don't really need to read them. Originally, those were shoved into random parts of this chapter, but with a little advice from a certain reviewer *wink* I decided to throw them at the end where you don't really have to read them. (I'd recommend it though! ^ ^;;)
Okay! Remember from the beginning of this chapter where Inuyasha mentioned Lake Hiryuu? Since it's a tidbit important in later storyline, I figured I should explain it now. ^__^ Hiryuu is the Japanese word for 'flying dragon' - why did I name it 'The Lake of the Flying Dragon'? Firstly, dragons used to roam freely over the northern realm {Note: The northern realm is the large area of land that contains a northern, eastern, southern, and western kingdom. It's where pretty much this entire story is placed.} but they mysteriously disappeared some three or four hundred years ago. All but one giant winged dragon, who remained there, terrorizing any village he could. He was an evil dragon, one that all the people feared and hated. So on one cold winter evening, the four kingdoms rallied together to bring it down - and that was just what they did. The dragon fell dead into the large lake in the center of the four kingdoms, hence its name 'Lake Hiryuu'. But then again, according to a great number of the people, that story is just a legend. *'Oohs' and 'aahs' and 'now I get its'* Yeah...I totally went into 'storyteller mode' there.... ^.^;;
Here's a teeny tiny little picture of Terashi. Tall, dark, and not so handsome. Dark brown hair, and taller than the average person...and he's like 30 years old. He isn't what he used to be... he's very cold now. Uncaring I guess... and if you put him in Kingdom Hearts, he'd probably be Ansim's twin - Just not half as nice looking.
Just because, I want to give you a mental picture of what Inashi looks like, his personality, and all that jazz. {Note in a note: I made him up and he's mine! So don't touch him! ^_^} He's...18 or something. He's a very...pretty guy. His straight black hair is an inch or two lower than his shoulders, and he's got grey eyes. His temper doesn't show itself very often, and he's actually rather shy. A very calm and honest person as well. He's a very loyal person, and for his loyalty to dissipate is extremely abnormal. Strength...? He can wield a sword very skillfully, but he's not the strongest person out there. The end. ^ ^
~Eternal White~
P.S. -- I'm so sorry for taking an eternity to update. ^ ^;;;; I promise the next won't take so long! And you can lob a few flames at me for working on my Inuyasha music video instead of this chapter if you want... .