Sept. 25, 2004 A/N: so sorry that it took me this long to update… but it took me a little while to figure out how to end this chapter… so? What do you think? Like it? Hate it? Please let me know! Also, I didn't get much feed back on Friendly Persuasion Chap. 30 ::pouts & sniffles:: I'm done…. Oh, I suppose I forgot my disclaimer on the first chap, so here it is: all Inu-Yasha characters belong to Takahashi, Rumiko-sama. Any names you don't recognize from the series are most likely mine. :) Thank you!
Chapter Two:
Designated Targets
Kagome couldn't move. Tora's comment had startled her. She was so stunned that she had no time to notice that Tora had lifted her over his shoulder and jumped into the well. Only when he jumped out did she notice the birds singing.
"Put me down, Tora!" Kagome hissed, not even bothering to yell at him. Yelling was strictly reserved for Inu-Yasha.
"No." Tora replied, bounding over the grass towards Kaede's hut.
About to argue with him some more, Kagome thought she saw a flash of red to her right. When the red-clothed figure landed in front of them, Tora stopped, putting Kagome down on her own two feet.
"What took you so long?"
"Thanks for saying hello..." Kagome thought, sighing inwardly at the way the hanyou treated her, "I had to get a few more things packed. Wouldn't want to come here unprepared."
Tora looked from Inu-Yasha to Kagome, his infamous 'matchmaker mode' engaged. He was about to say something, but was stopped when Inu-Yasha looked at him with a glare.
"Why does she smell like you?"
"Pardon?" Tora asked, knowing what he meant, yet completely clueless at the same time.
"Don't play dumb with me!" Inu-Yasha growled, not at all liking the way Tora's scent clung to Kagome as his own probably never would, "Your scent is all over her, Tora, and I wanna know why!"
"Oh, I can explain that," Tora said with a smile, "I had to 'save' Kagome from her pesky friends and we hugged for a little while. That's all it was, Inu-Yasha, just a hug."
"If it was 'just a hug', how come your scent is everywhere on her?"
Tora shrugged as he grinned, "Don't you remember? I'm a jovial pervert, my scent clings to all the pretty girls. I have no control over it, honest!"
Inu-Yasha growled again, and inwardly smiled as he thought of what the former Kaji might have done if she'd been here, "Heh, she'd probably hit him over the head with a tree branch or something."
Just thinking about the former Kaji, who had been named as such because of the fire she wielded, made Inu-Yasha's heart sink. Kaji had been like an older sister to them all, playing pranks, giving advice, and just being one of them. Then the curse that had been placed upon her five hundred years before had been broken. Kaji had been freed of her fully human body.
And then she'd left them.
Inu-Yasha and the others had waited a few days on the cliff for Venita, Kaji's demon form's name, to return to them; however, no such luck would befall them. Instead, they all headed back to Kaede's village, Kagura included, since she could not think of anywhere better to go. She had at first been distant from them, scowling and leaving whenever she'd gotten the chance. Now, though, Kagura even participated in helping around the village, honing the new abilities of wind given to her by the bracelet that Kaji had given up, starting a chain of events that threatened Kaji's life if she did not mate with a wind entity within seven days of the removal of the bracelet.
Even Lunia, the moon goddess from the Inside, had decided to stay with them in the village for a while. Sometimes she would be able to know Venita's health, and would report it to the rest of them, but she could tell no more than she was fine. Instead, she would tell the stories of Venita's life, or a tale native only to the Inside, which was always fun to listen to, even Inu-Yasha had to admit.
Kagome's sweet voice broke into his thoughts, "Inu-Yasha?"
"Hm?"
"What are you thinking about?"
Inu-Yasha looked away, "Nothin'."
"Oh."
"Can't they think of anything better to say?" Tora thought as his 'matchmaker mode' began going into overdrive, "I wish Venita-sama were here. That way we could plot together, and I'd probably not be stuck on the idea of telling them loving each other deeply is the only way to kill Naraku because he hates love. Inu-Yasha would kill me once he realized I'd tricked him, and Kagome....."
Tora tried to not dwell on the subject. Kagome would suddenly adopt Venita-sama's way of thinking, and poor Tora would rather be ripped to shreds with blades of grass than be on the wrong end of Kagome's anger.
Finally Kaede's hut came into view, Shippo playing out front with Kirara. Upon seeing Inu-Yasha, Kagome, and Tora behind them, the young kit began rushing up the hill to greet them. He plowed into Tora first, snuggling up against his shoulder, and then bounced over to Kagome's arms. Shippo smiled at Inu-Yasha, who cast him an annoyed look, and then turned back to Kagome.
"I'm so glad you came back, Kagome! We were afraid you'd never come back! Didn't you miss us?"
Kagome put a smile on her face, "Of course I missed you, Shippo-chan. Here, I even brought you something."
Digging through her bag, Kagome began looking for the piece of chocolate she'd packed just for Shippo, "I can't find it! But I know I put it in here!"
Tora put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a square of chocolate, "I got it, Kagome-san. You had almost left it behind on the counter, but I got it. Here you go, Shippo-chan."
Kagome smiled at Tora, watching as Shippo snatched the chocolate with barely-heard words of thanks. As Shippo stuffed his face with the square, Miroku and Sango came out to greet them as well.
"Welcome back, Kagome." Sango said, keeping one eye trained on Miroku's hand as though it were a poisonous spider.
Meanwhile, in the trees nearby...
Two eyes aged with wisdom watched the group, mainly focusing on Inu-Yasha and Kagome, "I must make it my number one priority to get those two together, and I shall use Tora to help me."
The figure behind a large tree moved from their place to head off in the direction of a different village, hopefully to find help to initiate their plan.
A/N: must explain this because I feel like it: the "their" in the last sentence is only one person, whom is going to enlist the help of Tora-kun… thought I should point that out…
