AW: Hey! Finally got the fourth chapter up! YAY! Hope you guys like the story as much as I enjoy typing it! Sorry about the long wait!
Chapter Four
Mysterious night
A swift wind always seemed to precede all her troubles but not this time. Today the weather was mild, slightly overcast, and not in the least bit unpleasant. Yesterday's too, the day Sessho-Maru was discovered by Inu-Yasha watching her bathe; there was not a cloud in the sky, only a warm breeze to accompany her bath. None of the usual signs that there was trouble brewing, that she would be receiving elaborate gifts this afternoon, and Inu-Yasha's very disturbing news this evening.
"It's a Mate Stone," Inu-Yasha snorted in his most condescending tone. "There are always two, one for each mate. Geeze, can you be more stupid?" He let out another exasperated sigh, as though it was such a strain to add to the conversation.
"Really..." Again Kaede carefully examined the necklace Kagome had received. In the hours since its discovery the stone's color had deepened and turned more indigo in color than its previous blue. "Can you tell us more, please?"
Inu-Yasha glared at the old woman and then rolled his eyes. This is so pointless. Like I'm gonna know why some crazy demon is sending this old witch... "Who'd send you a Mate Stone anyway? It's a demon token, obviously, and far too complicated for you to understand. Besides, I mean, look at you..." Maybe it wasn't sent to her... He glanced around the fire at the various other faces gathered. Kagome and Sango were re-reading the piece of paper from before which they had not offered to show him... yet. The kitsune cub, which he had thoroughly pounded once he'd caught the little beast, was snoozing comfortably in Kagome's lap probably dreaming of green fields with daises and shit. Miroku was the only member who sat attending Inu-Yasha's every word. The hentai priest looked beside himself with curiosity and Inu-Yasha imagined he could hear the man buzzing in his seat with anticipation.
"The Mate Stone, as you call it, is not mine. It was sent to Kagome this afternoon in that sack Shippo and you found by the river," Kaede explained slowly.
Inu-Yasha tried to control the way his spine straightened in concern; the way his features became introspective and tense. He tried not to let them see how that bit of information affected him. He held out his hand to receive the necklace from Kaede. His jerky movements and the slight shaking of his hand betrayed the frustration and anger he felt. He weighed the stone carefully, as though estimating its worth, and then fixed Kagome in a direct stare.
"Did you try it on?"
Kagome jumped in her socks at the harsh, barely controlled tone of his voice. "N... no. Why?" Did he plant the package for Shippo to find? Is he asking me...?
"Good! Finally showing some basic common sense," he muttered and turned his attention back to Kaede, missing the look of hate that flashed into Kagome's eyes. "Mate Stones have powerful magic attached to them which causes the two separate stones to seek each other out to be reunited."
"To be 'mated'," Kaede assumed.
Inu-Yasha nodded and looked at Kagome as he spoke. "The stone affects its owner to become obsessed with finding the other stone and once done, the two are inseparable."
He saw her swallow hard.
"Amazing!" exclaimed Miroku. "Where could one acquire such a stone set," he asked, a devilish glint sparkling in his eyes.
"YOU CAN'T, PERVERT!!! Its demon magic so I don't even know if it will work on humans." He gazed at Kagome again. "The only way to tell is if you tried it on."
She shivered visibly and goose bumps peppered her skin, causing Inu-Yasha to smile slightly. "Was there anything else with the stone?"
Kagome nodded and got up to retrieve the sack, which had been left in the other room. She came to stand before it, looking at the physical object that represented her fear, her uncertainty. Inu-Yasha had said she was showing common sense, but what if she hadn't, what if she HAD tried it on. She'd be gone, searching for another jewel besides the Shikon no Tama. Would I have forgotten everything... everyone? Inu-Yasha... She hefted the sack over a shoulder and returned to the group.
With Kagome gone for the moment, Inu-Yasha was able to release his death grip on the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him. He could afford to show a little more concern because she was not here to notice. Why did she keep this from me!!! His fist tightened until the necklace he held bit into the skin of his palm. Fucking demon magic! Why can't it just leave us alone... leave her alone. Thank the gods she didn't...
He was looking again at the stone set in gold. The yellow metal appeared burnt in places where it was smeared with his blood. He'd once seen such a stone set before, and both pieces of that Mate Stone were just as spectacular as this one. Kagome had actually had more than just common sense for not wearing the necklace, she was lucky as well. If it was sent to her then it is most likely that there were other spells, ones meant to entice her to try on the necklace. He watched her return to the room and places the sack Shippo had found between them. She was close enough for him to reach out and....
Kagome almost jumped when she felt his hand on her arm. Her nerves were so tight she felt ready to snap. Inu-Yasha came to his knees beside her. "I would have no way to help you had you already tried this on," he whispered.
She looked over her shoulder at him and the necklace in his hand. She had to admit that now there was an attraction, a pull that made her want to hold the stone again. But one look at Inu-Yasha, his anger and love carefully hidden though not well enough, was enough to keep her from even thinking of the stone...
"Its magic would have infected you," he continued more to himself than her. "Drawn you away to its mate, to another..."
"NO!" she replied in a fierce whisper. Across the room Kaede and Sango were reading the note back to Miroku. All three looked up causing Kagome and Inu-Yasha to blush, and scoot away from one another.
"Here's the sack." Kagome began in an effort to bring the focus away from her and Inu-Yasha. "Everything's in there except that necklace and the Jewel shard."
He looked at her sideways. "Jewel shard?"
"Yes," Sango intervened. "There was a shard of the Shikon no Tama in with the necklace. Kagome and Kaede couldn't sense it because of the Mate Stone's magic."
The half-demon contemplated this, his brow drawing together in a confused frown.
"I wonder..." He grabbed the sack and began to tug on the drawstring.
The canvas material seemed to shimmer in his hands. A noise like flint stones cracking together was followed by a bright flash and Inu-Yasha's grunt as he shoved the sack off his lap. The potent aroma of burnt dog hair hung in the air for a moment before Kaede rose and pulled back the bamboo curtain on a near-by window.
"What happened?" Kagome mused.
"Demon wards," Miroku stated from across the fire. "The sack has been blessed to protect its contents from demons."
"It's probably got a lock spell on it too, so Kagome is the only one to open it." Inu-Yasha was inspecting the burn on his hand as it began to heal itself. "You'll have to open it for us," he said, glaring at Kagome.
She nodded hesitantly and warily began to open the sack. Once its contents were laid bare, she sat back, the kitsune cub resuming his spot on her lap as before.
Her scent was nervous and afraid, which Inu-Yasha found perfectly acceptable, as he inspected each of the items in the sack. This doesn't make any sense, he thought. This stuff is meant for a man. But why would someone send Kagome men's clothes?
"What about the note?" Shippo asked. Kagome looked down into two bright green eyes. Until now Shippo had remained silent, presumably recovering from the beating Inu-Yasha had given him, but now the kitsune cub was wide awake though resting snugly on Kagome's lap. He had been paying scant attention to the events happening around him until the sack had given off a bright flash and the pungent scent of Inu-Yasha on the BBQ had completely ruined his nap. "There was that note along with the sack remember? You read it to us."
"Let me see it," Inu-Yasha demanded.
That earned him a rather disapproving glare as Sango handed the folded piece of paper to Kagome, who passed it on to Inu-Yasha. Kagome went back to staring at the fire while Inu-Yasha looked over the note. She had translated the message into Japanese and written it on the margin so that everyone else knew what it said. It had just been too exhausting a day, and before she knew it Kagome felt herself nodding off where she sat. I just need to lie down and get some sleep is all. Right there on the floor, or is it a mattress...? That pillow looks so soft... She reached for what she thought was a hallucination and was only mildly shocked to feel the silky, plush softness as she brought her head to rest on it. The rest of her body seemed to follow suit easy enough. If only that annoying shouting outside would quit, then she could rest.
"KAGOME!!!" Inu-Yasha was standing now, screaming at the slowing fading form of girl and kitsune cub that once sat beside him. The note had been easy enough to read, since Kagome had written down what it said, but he had known the instant he'd finished what he'd done.
"KAGOME!!!" One of the others cried.
"YOU HAVE TO WAKE-UP!!!" Miroku's distinctively high-pitched panicked voice.
"DAMMIT, BITCH, WAKE UP!!"
"SHIPPO! SHIPPO, WAKE-UP!!" Kaede was on her hands and knees shouting into the cub's barely visible ear.
This was getting them nowhere fast. "There has to be a way to reverse the spell," Inu-Yasha growled. "HERE!" He pulled Kaede to her feet and shoved the note into her hand before taking her spot beside the almost transparent forms on the floor. Without a moment's hesitation, Inu-Yasha reached down as though he would pick Kagome up in his arms; as though he would hold her close to embrace. Instead the images became like smoke and his action merely caused the two forms to dissipate and disappear completely.
No... Kagome...
It was close to dawn every morning when Kaede usually awoke. She had never had a problem doing so; it was just a natural event. There had been mornings in the past that had been easier to awaken to though. There had been nights when she'd slept better. The normal sounds of life welcoming the day came to her as she dressed and tidied the bedroom. Birds were singing and a slight breeze made the chimes outside her hut tingle. She shivered then, the breeze having made its way into the room some how. Looking around, Kaede noticed the cloth hanging that separated the front room from her bedroom rippled as the colder air came through the crack at the bottom. I must have left the window shade open.
She shook her head at her own loss of memory and went into the next room. Sango and Miroku were still sleeping; their silent forms bundled against the chill in the room. Kaede did not even have to check to see if the window was open because the cause of the problem was immediately obvious.
Inu-Yasha was sitting in the open doorway watching the sky lighten. He had heard the old woman awaken and knew she was watching him. Probably trying to figure out what he was doing. Crying, he thought.
Kaede walked past Inu-Yasha. Outside she made her way to a water barrel to wash her hands and face. Removing the eye patch, she stopped for a moment to regard the horribly disfigured face that looked back at her from the water's mirror-like surface. That is a face of experience, a face of loss. She dipped her hands in and began to wash-up.
He watched her dry and then turns to face him, adjusting the patch. Tell her what happened, a little voice in his head chimed. Tell her so she can help you fix it, so Kagome and Shippo will come back, so you won't be so helpless... He looked into the witch's one good eye. She already knows so TELL HER!!!!
"Umm, I have to tell you about last night."
Kaede knew what was coming and sat attentively, patiently for the boy to continue.
"The sack wasn't for Kagome... it was for me. Kagome was only the lure, I think, so that I'd get curious and activate the spell." He stopped and looked beyond Kaede to where the forest was coming alive. Even from this distance he could feel its awakening and see it welcome the new day. I wonder how Kagome is welcoming this day... "When I read the note, the translation, the spell went off. I guess what was written had to be read by something part demon..."
"No, I don't think that was it," Kaede interrupted. "What you read and what Kagome read the first time she translated it were two different things. When she read it to us yesterday it just sounded like the author couldn't write, but the instant you finished reading it last night, I knew there was magic. What she wrote down was different; perhaps a clearer translation." Kaede hoped what she said alleviated some of his guilt, since it was written all over his face.
Inu-Yasha nodded. "That bag is full of men's clothes," he continued. "That kimono plus the stone are worth enough koku to buy a princess..."
"And the Shikon shard makes the entire package even more valuable, especially to a demon," Kaede finished.
The morning was not over yet, Inu-Yasha reminded himself. For the first time in the last six hours he felt his confidence return. Let's see, who in the last month has begun to show an interest in Kagome. Some one, who would be able to find and acquire a Shikon shard, plus would have no qualms about giving it away. And who would have the means to put together a spell quickly, gather a treasure of gifts, and be in the area to plant it all for Kagome to find...
Kaede had to admit that devilish grins on hentai priests were annoying, but the look of the Devil on a demon's face was enough to turn her blood to ice.
So... how do you guys think it is?! Find out in the fifth chapter!