Author's Note: I don't know if I made it clear but I really don't mind flames or insults or the like…it helps make my story better by removing errors. I must say that I'm flattered by the lack of flamers, so I really don't know why I'm complaining. And thank you to everyone who has reviewed. Anyways, I hope this chapter and the last don't see too different from the rest of the story. Truth be told, I using my first version of my story and working it into my second version, so I hope it matches…:looks over story: it seems to, but you never know.
Disclaimer: Look in my profile if it really matters that much to you.
Previously on Miko Soul and Demon Heart: Some training, gaining possession of the Shikon Jewel, a fight, a delayed meeting, and a note from the Taiyoukai of the West.
"Shippo, you going have to keep up if we want to get to palace before another major attack happens." Kagome stopped suddenly, waiting for her kistune friend to catch up.
He was lagging behind, and yawning in the rising sun, "Sorry, Kagome, but you know I'm not a morning person. I don't function properly when a certain youkai drags me away from a very pleasant dream."
Kagome smiled wickedly, "Was the dream about Kirara and you?"
Shippo's face turned redder than his hair, which caused Kagome to start laughing. Shippo threw angry glares at Kagome before bounding off. It has been five days since Shippo and Kagome left. They had just recently crossed the border between the Western and Eastern realms. Sometimes they walked and other times they were running at their fastest pace. It has also been almost two weeks since the Higurashi's messengers were few first sent out.
At first the two great lords just wanted to send another messenger to the inu youkai, but Shippo and Kagome convinced them that it would be faster for them to go. Of course both just wanted to travel by themselves since they were always being escorted around and this gave them the chance to go off on their own. Also neither of the young demons have been to the Western realm so this gave them the chance to sight see.
Kagome finished laughing and was running to catch up with Shippo. While running in the general direction of where the Western palace lie, Kagome was judging how long they had left until they arrived.
'We spent a day in the Western territory. It took us five days to reach our border. But then again we don't know where this guy's palace is, so we need to find it first. All right considering that, if we keep up this pace we should be there about—'
Shippo all of a sudden stopped, causing Kagome to run into him. "Shippo?"
But Kagome knew why he had stopped, not only was the site horrific so was the smell. Kagome was too wrapped up in her calculations that she didn't even notice the smell. But now it hit her sensitive nose at full force, and she had to dull her youkai senses in order to keep from passing out.
They had stumbled upon a fighting ground, a fresh fighting ground by the smell and look of it. The field was littered with bodies of youkais, dead or dying. The area looked as if nothing had survived, or if anything did, it was too exhausted or to mangled to look alive. The fighting took place in an open meadow, surround by trees on one side. On the far end of the field was a small river which was also bordered by tree, but the water looked like it wasn't even touched by the battle.
Shippo slowly entered the battlefield. Kagome slowly followed suit. Before she even stepped onto the battleground something moved by one of the many mounds of flesh. She looked a little closer, and discovered that a young youkai was still alive. But to her dismay, the demon was so badly distorted that she couldn't even tell what kind of creature it was.
She however did hear the two words come out of its mouth, "Please… kill… please"
Kagome looked sadly over the dying being. She knew that it going to have a slow death, probably infection or bleeding to death. And the creature was far to maimed to recover, so whispered a silent apology and wishing that it has a better after life, she slit the youkai's throat killing it instantly.
She gave a silent prayer to the departed one and went to catch up with Shippo, who had been looking over the rest of the field to see if there were any survivors. He called out, "Kagome! Come here!" she was there in an instant. Shippo was standing over four bodies.
One was a wolf youkai, with brown hair in a pony tail, he had several severe wounds on his legs and back. Two were inu youakais, one with white hair and the other with silver, the might have been related. The younger of the two had a broken arm and some cuts on the head and stomach. The older one had minor cuts over his body, but on his side there was a large gash. The last one was a…ningen? With black hair in a short ponytail and he had the most bruises of them all.
"Do you smell that Kagome?" Shippo asked quietly.
He bent down and began to check for pulses. She let her youkai senses intensify and she concentrated on the smells. A putrid smell came to her nose, and realized that these demons and human were poisoned, and not just a few drops but their veins must have flowing with poison to have a smell like that radiating from them.
Shippo stood up, "They're alive but barely, I think the older inu was poisoned the most but the ningen has the most open wounds."
He turned to her, "What should we do? Kill them out right or try to save them. Either way is going to be hard."
Kagome looked at the four unconscious bodies, "We have to help them. It's not our place to decide whether they die or not."
Shippo nodded in agreement. So slowly, one by one they moved the injured fighters to the forest near the river. They laid out four blankets and tried to start a fire though it was mid afternoon. They got out all the supplies they would need from the bags they had been carrying.
"Shippo, I need you to clean and wrap their wounds while I try to find some herbs for the poison. But just clean and wrap them, don't try anything else."
Shippo nodded and began his job, while Kagome went out to the forest and sniffed out herbs. She wasn't paying attention to the time but when she got back to their make-sift camp, Shippo was already done with wrapping all the wounds.
Kagome quickly checked over his work and then suggested that he go and find something to eat. He did as he told, as Kagome started to boil water so she could make her herb concoction. Shippo returned a little later with a freshly killed rabbit and started to prepare and cook it. Kagome was still trying to figure what types of medicines she should use, and also how much she should use.
Shippo handed her a bit of meat while she was still mulling over the medicine mixture, trying to remember all the things Lady Kaede had taught her. "Yes!" she exclaimed half way through the meal, finally making a mixture that should cure the poison.
"Quite unless you want to wake one of them up," Shippo silently scolded her. So she went about finishing her food and then the herb mixture.
Shippo took one whiff of the stuff and he face scrunched up, Kagome laughed, "It won't taste any better, so I hope it works or else we're going to have some very upset youkais on our tails."
Kagome went to the ningen who was dressed like a monk and held his head in the crook of her arm, and she silently nudged the medicine to his lips, which slowly opened and the mixture went easily down his throat. Shippo then rechecked his wounds and rewrapped them if they needed to be. The wolf took the herbs easily enough and so did the younger inu. Kagome carefully looked at the youkai; something about him reminded her of someone.
She carefully made her way to the older inu, which she guessed was the leader of the group. She looked over to Shippo, who was currently working on the wolf's back. If the other inu youkai reminded her of someone then this one did even more so. The thought was just out of her reach and it frustrated her to no end.
She gently placed the youkai's head in her lap and put the drink to his lips but unlike the others he didn't open his mouth to drink. So she pressed a little harder and still nothing. She sighed, and took her hand and parted his lips herself. Kagome then gently poured the concoction into his mouth. He wouldn't drink all of it and she only got half of the drink down.
'Stubborn pup, isn't he?' It was too dark to study his features closely, so she tried once again to get some more of the drink down but to no avail.
She brushed his bangs, and readjusted the wet cloth on his forehead that would help his slight temperature go down. She then laid his head back down on the blanket.
"We'll just have to try in the morning won't we?" she sighed and got up.
Shippo was already dozing off, so she decided to take the first watch and then wake him later so he could take the second. She rested herself by a near by tree and sat watching her fellow companion and her mysterious patients.
Kagome heard voices talking near the fire. She also smelt breakfast being cooked and her stomach let off a small growl. She wonder for a second why Shippo would be talking to himself.
It was three days since Shippo and Kagome first began to take care of the injured demons and monk, but they had showed no signs of waking up any time soon. Kagome took care of the poison while Shippo took care of the wounds, and Kagome usually took the first watch while forcing Shippo to take the second.
Kagome was about to drift off to sleep again when she realized that there were two different voices instead of one. Her eyes flew open and she scanned the campsite. The three wounded demons were still sound asleep, but Kagome saw Shippo engaged in a conversation with the ningen monk. Kagome blinked a bit, but slowly got up and walked over to the two.
Shippo looked up from his cooking, and stopped what he was saying and smiled, "Morning you, lazy neko. And here I was thinking that I wasn't the morning person."
Kagome was a bit relieved that Shippo hadn't used her name. They had both agreed that they would keep their identities a secret until they could figure out whether they were the presences of friends or foes.
She glared at the kistune, "You aren't a morning person but I'm the one who has been staying up all night." Shippo smiled and went about cooking. Kagome sat in front of the monk who currently held an amused look.
"How are you feeling? Better I hope."
The monk nodded his head, "I'm feeling fine, my lady. So is it true that you and your companion, who has not yet revealed his name, are the ones who have been taking care of us?" the monk waved his hand towards himself and the others.
Kagome shook her head, "Yes, we are the ones who have been treating you. And as for us not telling you are names, well, it's for your own safety as much as ours." The monk's eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Is that so? Well, my good lady, I'm Miroku, nothing but a wandering monk." He was going to stand and bow to he immediately hissed in pain and sat back down.
Kagome sighed, "I wouldn't try to move to much, sir monk, lest you want to reopen your fragile wounds." she paused for a second, looking at the monk, then the youkais and back, "Excuse me for asking, but are these demons your allies or enemies? We need to know so we can avoid any conflict."
Miroku smiled, "These are my friends, but in this group, avoiding conflicts is next to the impossible. But you'll see once they wake up. Speaking of which do you know when they will?"
"Sadly, I do not. In fact I though that you would be the last one to wake up though you had less poison than then others, you had a lot more wounds then them, and not to mention the fact that your ningen. No offense."
Miroku nodded, his head and smiled, "None taken my good lady."
Shippo interrupted their conversation in exchange for breakfast. Kagome told Miroku that he should eat enough to satisfy because he needed to take the herb potion and she didn't know how that would react with a full stomach.
So after breakfast, Shippo and Kagome went about tending their patients and telling Miroku to stay put whenever he tried to get up and help. Miroku told them very little about his companions saying that it was their choice on whether Kagome and Shippo should learn about them.
It seemed reasonable enough since Kagome and Shippo didn't even tell him their names. But Miroku gladly gave out any information on him, but again was vague when it came to mentioning the others. In turn the two conscious youkais gave him an ambiguous description of their past together, leaving out any clues that might lead to their identity.
Later that day, two others awoke and came out of their state of unconsciousness. Miroku was right in saying that conflict seemed impossible to avoid. The first one to wake was the younger inu. The three figures sat around the extinguished fire talking over little things, just small talk really. Shippo and Kagome held no threat what so ever, but the young dog demon seemed to think other wise.
The youkai was barely awake so no one noticed him when his eyes flew open and scanned the campsite. As soon as he saw Kagome and Shippo talking peacefully to Miroku, he stood up quickly which caused his head to spin and instead of staying up he fell back down again. Unfortunately, he fell with his still healing arm beneath him. He gave out a loud cry which startled the ningen, and caused the youkais to cover their sensitive ears in pain.
Kagome quickly regained her composure, and sprang up to help the injured. But as soon she had started to approach, he sat upright right and unsheathed his sword, pointing it directly at Kagome.
When she saw this she became annoyed and shouted, "Hey you! Who do you think you are! I was only trying to help and you go and draw a sword. Is there something messed up in that white head of yours?"
The white haired youkai wouldn't take that sitting down, so again he raised, except slower this time, "Excuse me! But who do you think you are? For all I know you could be one of the enemies that attacked us in the first place."
At this comment, Miroku spoke up, "No, they aren't the enemies. They have been treating both your wounds, mine, and the others." The boy looked around to the other two and sat back down, while sheathing his sword and holding his arm in pain.
"Ok, wench, who exactly are you?" The demon looked quite perturbed.
Kagome smiled her gracious smile, calmed down a bit and replied gently, "Are you the leader of this little group?"
The demon grew even more annoyed, "What does that have anything to do with who you are?"
She smiled while handing him her herbal mixture, "Do try to drink this. This will help the pain."
"Ho, wench. Just who do you think you are?" Kagome smiled at him again, which caused any annoyance to suddenly disappeared, much to his surprise. She pressed the drink to his mouth, his hand came up and grabbed the cup and drank the fluid down.
He then glared at the girl, "There you happy, girl. And don't you DARE think that we're finished, because—" he was interrupted a yet another new voice.
"Oh, shut your face for once, Inuyasha. Here I thought I could recover in peace and in the presence of this young beauty but no, I have to listen to you, mutt."
The young inu youkai, Inuyasha, turned to the wolf youkai who had interrupted him. "What was that Kouga? If you have something to say, say it to my face, wolf-boy."
'Well, at least I learned their names,' Kagome thought a little shocked by how these two reacted to each other even though they had both just woken up, and she was blushing a bit from the comment that the wolf made.
Miroku and Shippo were obviously just cracking up about the whole thing and she shot them both a warning glare, which didn't do anything except make them more amused. She sighed and stood between the two now standing , but still injured demons.
"Boys, Boys. Please, unless you want to reopen your wounds, I think you should sit down. Boys. Please clam down. Hello? HEY! I'm talking to you two!" That defiantly shut the youkais up, but it caused Miroku and Shippo to start laughing.
Sighing, frustrated, she walked over to Inuyasha and pushed him to the ground and told to him stay, unless he wanted to get his butt kicked. Kagome then told Miroku and Shippo that if they didn't stop laughing that they would also taste the ground. Out of the three only Shippo took the threat seriously, which was to be expected, since the others didn't know who she was.
She made her way to the still standing wolf demon, Kouga. "Please if you take a seat, and if you both stop this little quarrel, then you both will be better sooner and on your way."
Kouga sat down and Kagome sighing with relief followed suit. She looked curiously at the injured people, and then at the still unconscious inu that she was sitting next to. She looked towards her group who in turn where watching her cautiously.
She gave them all a brilliant smile, and said cheerfully, "Well, now that that is over, why don't you tell me about yourselves."
And that's how Kagome met Inuyasha who was hot-headed and Kouga who liked to provoke Inuyasha, discovered Miroku was a lecherous monk, and made three friends that would stand by her side for the rest of her life.
But she couldn't held but wonder who the mysterious older inu youkai, who she thought was the actual leader of the group, reminded her so much of. But she would learn soon enough because the mysterious stranger was slowly becoming aware of his surroundings, and was gradually coming out of the darkness that has claimed for the past few days.
Author's Note: If you don't know who the mysterious leader is…what are you doing here? Anyways, I tried to keep everyone in character, and hopefully I did. That statement I made about finishing the story before summer ending? Yeah, that's shot, and I won't make any more comments about when I'm finishing this. Knowing my luck, something will happen and all my ideas will be lost…but let's hope not. I could make excuses but I won't because I'm too ashamed.
Ryuu Madoshi