Disclaimer: Do not own Inuyasha!
A/N: Okay, so here's chapter 4. Not much more to say, but to enjoy!
Chapter 4
The Tetsusaiga had just repelled her touch. It had never, to her knowledge, ever repelled a human before. It was supposed to be the protector of humans, the sword that could slay a thousand demons with a single swing, and yet, it had repelled her. What did this mean exactly? Did it have some kind of connection with Inuyasha's visions? Kagome didn't know and it scared her to realize that the Tetsusaiga, a sword that possessed incredible power, was turning on them.
"I'm back," came a voice from the entrance of the cave.
Kagome whipped her head around to see Yukanshu staring at her worriedly. It was then that she remembered that she had sent Yukanshu to wet a towel for her. Upon seeing his worried expression, Kagome put on the best smile she could, although she had trouble hiding her trembling hands.
"Lady Kagome, is everything alright?" he asked taking a few steps forward and handing her the towel.
"Y-Yes, I'm fine," she said as calmly as she could, "Thank you," she said, taking the towel from him and placing it atop Inuyasha's forehead.
"Are you sure?" he asked, taking a seat next to her, "You look like you've seen a ghost."
'You couldn't have been closer to the truth,' she thought, "I'm fine, just a little shaken up about what's been going on lately."
"Ah, I see what you mean," he replied, not really believing what she had told him, but nodded his head nonetheless.
The Tetsusaiga still fresh in her mind, Kagome called Yukanshu over to test her theory.
"Can you do me a favor and place the Tetsusaiga aside so that he's more comfortable?" she asked, getting a nod from Yukanshu as a response.
Kagome watched carefully as Yukanshu calmly picked the sword up and moved it aside. Her jaw dropped as she stared at the sword. The Tetsusaiga should have repelled him, that's what should've happened, that's what it was supposed to do, but it didn't. Yukanshu took his place back on the floor with not a single scratch.
"Well," started Yukanshu, unsure of what to do, "I will be outside keeping watch if you need me," he finished, knowing that Kagome wanted to be alone.
Kagome hardly heard him as he shuffled out of the cave. For once, her main concern wasn't Inuyasha, but it was that of the Tetsusaiga. Finally realizing that Yukanshu had gone, Kagome decided to take in some fresh air. She thought it might be able to clear her head and organize her thoughts. Getting up, she stared at Inuyasha, so peaceful, yet something plagued his mind. Would he tell her once he awoke? Kagome shook her head in confusion, proceeding out of the cave.
Taking in a deep breath, she noticed that Yukanshu was nowhere in sight. She wondered where he had gone, but quickly shrugged it off, knowing that he would be able to take care of himself. Stepping back into the cave, her thoughts drifted, once again, to the Tetsusaiga. The sword had never once shocked her, so why would it do so now? Why, all of a sudden, did it turn on her?
Questions plagued Kagome's mind for a good ten minutes until she heard a commotion outside the cave.
"Stay away from here!" Kagome heard Yukanshu shout menacingly.
From outside the cave, Kagome heard a low, but familiar sounding growl and then heard the sound of a young man's voice.
"We're only looking for our friends, we mean you no harm," came a voice. Kagome's ears perked up as she heard the voice. Recognizing the voice immediately, she rushed to the entrance of the cave to see if her assumptions had been correct. Upon exiting the cave, she was met with Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Kirara, Kaede, and Myoga.
"Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Kaede!" exclaimed Kagome, rushing up to them, "It's alright Yukanshu. These are our friends."
"Kagome?" said Miroku and Sango simultaneously, obviously in shock.
"Kagome!" shouted Shippo, jumping into her open arms.
"Shippo!" Kagome smiled back, catching the young demon in her arms, "I'm glad you all found us."
"Kagome, we were so worried about you," nodded Myoga, jumping atop Kirara's head.
"Yes, no harm done?" asked Kaede.
Kagome shook her head in response, "Nope, we're fine for now."
Searching the area, Myoga noticed that something, or, rather someone, was missing.
"Where is Master Inuyasha?" he asked, scanning the area.
Kagome dropped her head and sighed. She then proceeded to tell them about what had happened back in the forest and then what led them to the cave. She, however, left out the details regarding the Tetsusaiga. They had enough riding on their belts as it was; she felt no need to add to the strain.
For the next couple of minutes, everyone remained quiet, not sure quite what to make out of any of it. After finishing, Kagome waited for a response, but got nothing but silence.
"Well, where is he now?" asked Shippo, curiously, breaking the awkward silence.
"He's in the cave sleeping with a fever," replied Kagome.
"Oh, will he be okay?" he asked.
"I'm sure he'll be just fine," she replied, "This is Inuyasha we're talking about here. He's been in worse messes than this. He'll pull through," she said reassuringly, trying not to think of what she was hiding from them.
Kaede, however, saw straight through Kagome's facade, but said nothing.
"Please, accept my apologies for my earlier hostilities. I did not know you had connections with Lady Kagome," bowed Yukanshu before the group.
"Oh, that's right, you haven't met yet," noticed Kagome, directing her attention towards Yukanshu, "These are our friends, Miroku, Kaede, Sango, Shippo, Kirara, and Myoga," she said, pointing to each one of them.
"Pleased to make your acquaintances," he nodded, acknowledging each one of them, "I am Yukanshu, the general of the lion tribe."
"Yukanshu helped us out after we landed in the forest," started Kagome, "He knew Inuyasha's father and mother during the great war."
'Hmmm…I don't remember the master ever encountering this demon,' thought Myoga as he scratched the bottom of his chin.
"I see, well then, you must be very strong," marveled Sango.
"You give an old demon too much credit my dear Sango. I was merely fighting for the sole purpose of attaining my revenge for the person who killed my beloved brother," he sighed.
"Well, since we have the introductions out of the way, perhaps we should think about setting up camp for the night," suggested Miroku, noticing that the sun had started to drift beyond the horizon.
"That would be a very wise decision," nodded Kaede as she headed into the cave, everyone following her lead.
The first thing they noticed was Inuyasha's unconscious form, lying on the ground of the cave, Kagome's towel covering his forehead.
"He's been out ever since the incident then?" asked Myoga, jumping from Kirara's head to Inuyasha's shoulder.
"Yeah, he should be okay though," Kagome said, smiling lightly at them.
"Yes, but we should keep a close watch on him, just in case," advised Miroku as he studied Inuyasha's form.
'Something strange is going on here, indeed,' thought Miroku, remembering his conversation with Kaede and Myoga, 'Does this have something to do with what Kaede and Myoga said earlier?'
'Inuyasha could sense the presence of his parents.'
Miroku clearly remembered Kaede saying this during their conversation a night ago. Were Inuyasha's parents the one's to blame for his visions, but if so, why was Kikyo in them? There was something that just wasn't making sense here. A piece of the puzzle, make that, many pieces of the puzzle were still left missing.
'Did Kagome tell us the truth, or is their more to this story?' he thought as he examined Kagome's worried face. Only time would tell.
"We should start thinking about dinner," exclaimed Shippo, holding his growling stomach, "I'm starved!"
"All right, I'll go down to the river and see if I can catch anything," said Miroku.
"I'll come along too!" piped Shippo as he jumped onto Miroku's shoulder.
"Anyone else want to come?" Miroku asked.
"I shall be out gathering herbs in the forest. Will you all be able to take care of yourselves for the time being?" asked Yukanshu.
"I think we'll be just fine Yukanshu. Thanks for the concern," smiled Kagome.
"It is my pleasure, Lady Kagome," he smiled as he exited to the cave.
As soon as he left, silence filled the cave once more. It was just Sango, Kaede, Kagome, Kirara, and Myoga now. Every one of them were either too tired or too surprised to speak. None of them had ever encountered something like this before, these strange visions that plagued Inuyasha's mind. Would he tell them what happened once he awoke?
Kagome sat next to Inuyasha, lifted his head onto her lap and began to dab his forehead with the damp cloth. She and smiled while doing so, catching Sango's attention.
Sango, seeing this, could do nothing else but smile. She had seen how Kagome and Inuyasha's relationship had grown since the time they had started their hunt for Naraku. Through good and bad, they would always be there for each other, and it was that bond that, in Sango's opinion, would get them through anything.
Although it did not seem to be the time or place, Sango started to think of Kagome's future with them. What would ever happen if the Shikon Jewel had been completed? Would Kagome go back to her own time for good, would Inuyasha make his final decision to become a full demon, and what would happen to those two if that happened? Sango abruptly shook the thoughts out of her mind and started to think of the task at hand. Inuyasha's visions…what was truly causing them? Was it Naraku's doing or was it an unknown foe? She didn't know and just thinking about it made her even more frustrated then before.
Kirara, sensing her master's dismay, found her place on Sango's lap and began to purr loudly. Sango smiled and began to scratch the small demon behind the ears, still thinking of the situation they were currently found in.
"Kagome," whispered Sango.
Kagome looked up to see Sango's concerned face.
"What is it, Sango?" asked Kagome.
"Are you all right?" Sango asked, not really prepared for what she really wanted to convey, "I mean…with Inuyasha and everything that's been going on."
Kagome smiled at her friend's concern and sighed. It was at that moment that Kirara, Kaede, and Myoga left the cave, although neither of them seemed to notice. All three of them felt that Kagome needed to confide in another female, other than Kaede, and left the cave simultaneously.
Kagome shook her head as tears began to fall down her delicate face. Upon seeing this, Sango got up from her spot on the ground and hugged Kagome tightly, whispering comforting words to her. Kagome was at a loss for words, never in her life had she felt so scared and confused, but, all the while, she was glad she had Sango to tell her worries to.
"I don't know what's going to happen this time around. Before, we had always been so confident in our abilities as a team, but now…everything seems so different," cried Kagome as she took refuge on Sango's shoulder, "I'm afraid."
Sango sighed and lightly rubbed Kagome's back, sincerely feeling what her friend was going through. So many things were happening at once; they had to worry about Inuyasha and his visions as well as Naraku. Although it seemed as if they had beaten Naraku, Sango knew in her heart that he was still alive, roaming the countryside. It seemed as if their frustrations were multiplying and that soon they would all come crashing down atop them, but Sango would not let that happen. They had to find a way…they just had to.
"Everything will be okay, Kagome," soothed Sango, trying to believe her own words.
Kagome just nodded and pulled away from Sango, wiping the tears away from her face. She stared at Inuyasha's blank face and thought about what he was dreaming about. He seemed so serene when he was sleeping, but she knew all of that would change once he awoke.
"Inuyasha will be fine," said Sango, sensing Kagome's fears, "Remember, he's half-demon, he'll be just fine."
Kagome could do nothing more than nod at her friend's response.
"We're back," announced Miroku, holding a string of delectable looking fish in his hand.
"We did really well!" smiled Shippo, bounding into the cave along with Kaede, Kirara, and Myoga.
Miroku set the fish aside and noticed that Inuyasha was right where they had left him.
"He still hasn't awoken yet?" he asked.
Kagome shook her head solemnly and sighed, "Nope, maybe he'll feel better in the morning."
"Let us hope that is true," smiled Miroku, gathering the wood that Kagome had provided, "Where is Yukanshu? He hasn't returned yet?"
Both Sango and Kagome shook their heads in response.
"Hmm…it doesn't take this long to gather herbs," mused Miroku getting up out of his position, "I think I'll go look for him."
Miroku walked out of the cave and instructed Shippo to start the fire for dinner and then assured everybody that he would be back soon. With that said, he briskly walked out of the cave and into the forest in search of Yukanshu. He could hear the rushing water of the nearby river and took this time to relax his muscles a bit. All this commotion had taken a toll on all of them and it felt nice to relax every once in a while. As he approached the river, however, he heard light whispers of several people…make that two people. As he neared the area from which the voices were coming, he quickened his pace. For a moment, he came within hearing range.
"It is all going according to plan," came a low male voice.
"Good, I will report back to you in a few days time, don't mess up," said a second female voice, "Naraku will be very upset if you…"
"Hold on," came the male voice, "I sense something."
Miroku's heart started to pound, if he made a break for it now, he would surely get caught, but if he stayed where he was, there was no telling what would happen. Suddenly, there was complete silence. All that could be heard was the river and the rustling of the nearby bushes. Miroku turned his head in the direction of where the voices had originally been coming from but saw nothing. He began to relax a bit and soon regretted letting his guard down. Unable to move, Miroku found himself on his side, blood dripping from the side of his head. Much to his dismay, he had been attacked from his side, powerless to do anything. As his vision began to blur, he saw the two shadowy figures that had ambushed him. Incapable of making a distinction between the two, he slipped into a state of unconsciousness.
A/N: Well, there's Chapter 4! Sorry if it was kind of boring, but it'll pick up, I promise! Thanks for the reviews!