Chapter 45
"Hey You! Get away from there!" Namiko turned suddenly as she heard a voice from the shadows, not sure where it was coming from. A smooth growling could be heard as she watched several wolves pull away from the underbrush- followed by a tall boy. She judged he was about her age, maybe a bit older- but he dressed strangely. Most of his garments were of a deep brown fur, and his eyes were the most striking blue, accented by his light brown locks that hung in bangs around his face and in a longer ponytail at the base of his neck.
Namiko backed away slowly, watching the large wolves carefully in fear. "I said stop!" Namiko stared at the large beasts- then back at the boy, outrage getting the better of her- as it usually did. "So what! I'm not gonna stand still while your dogs maul me to death!" The boy looked down at the wolves with a smirk- then waved his hand, making them turn and leave the clearing with little reluctance. "Now...tell me your name..." His eyes gave her a curious glance, almost analyzing her with his command.
"No." Namiko ran her fingers back through her hair with the simple answer, crossing in front of the boy to continue her venture into the woods. "No! You insolent demon- you can't just come onto my father's territory and refuse to identify yourself..." "Get off it- who do you think you are? I don't have to tell you anything!" The boy grabbed her arm violently as she walked away, causing Namiko to turn- smacking him across the face. His shock made him loosen his grip as he stared at the girl, suprise turning to anger.
Namiko herself was suprised by her actions, and she immediately panicked. She jerked her arm away and began to run into the forest blindly. Unfortunately, this boy was much faster than anyone she had ever met and he soon caught up to her, knocking her to the ground and binding her tightly. The large wolves returned on his command and he proceeded to look over her. "Where did you come from demon? Your clothing is...strange...I've never seen your kind before- are you some sort of nymph or sorceress from the northern regions?"
Namiko gave him a strange and angry stare. "What's wrong with you! I'm no nympth or demon or anything- I'm human! Now let me go- you have no right to tie me up! I haven't done anything!" The boy raised a brow, grabbing the ropes behind her back and forcing her to her feet. "Get up- I'll let my father deal with you..." He made a strange gesture and two of the wolves took off into the forest, then he directed his attention back- pushing Namiko slightly forward. "Come on girl- I'm taking you back to the village..."
"So...what- Is your father some sort of lord or something?" She huffed under her breath. "My father is Kouga- leader of the entire wolf-demon tribe...but you will meet him soon enough..." He continued to stare forward, leading Namiko rigidly. 'Wolf-demon tribe...is that some sort of gang or something? ...he couldn't really be..."
He led her down a pathway in silence. She took this time to study his features intently- also shooting him odd and angry glances for his rude behavior. His ears...they were pointed? That tail...it moved like it was real...but how? And those eyes- they were the most piercing and enchanting blue she had ever seen...along with his light brown hair that seemed to shine with a red tint. "What are you staring at?" The boy remarked stiffly. Namiko rolled her eyes, turning back to the path with the realization that she had been staring at him. 'How does this happen to me? I always get caught up in the most surreal situations...what am I thinking- can this actually be real? I mean, I've been taken hostage by a boy who talks to dogs...this has to be a dream..."
She sighed, still slightly struggling against her restraints. The boy was also looking her over from time to time- wondering about her. She seemed familiar somehow...but he wasn't sure where he had seen her before. Her scent was unusual- she said she was human, but she didn't smell like any human he had ever met. Something was different about her. He turned his head as he heard someone coming, stopping the girl abruptly- the two of them waiting there as he watched the forest anxiously. "What now? Why are we sto-" Her words trailed as she heard someone yelling from the forest.
"Ryouta!" The voice echoed through the trees fiercely. Namiko looked around for its origin, until finally a figure fell from the tree branches to the path before them. He stood tall in the shadows of the trees, his long silvery hair reflecting the speckles of sunlight that fell from the sky, clashing with his deep blue kimono. Namiko looked over his features intently- staring at him intensely for several moments in the silence, until the two boys began arguing.
"Ryouta! You were suppose to meet up with us hours ago...Itsuko was worried when two of your wolves came running back to the village without you...where have you been?" Namiko looked back to her capture- apparently his name being Ryouta- noticing his anger and annoyance. "Oh give it a rest Kyoji...I got held up...look, I brought you a gift..." He smirked slightly as he gave Namiko a slight shove forward, making her stumble a few steps toward Kyoji.
The silver-haired boy gave her a defiant glance as he raised a brow. Namiko's deep black locks fell over her shoulders as she stood straight again- regaining her balance. "YOU JERK! WHA-" Her words fell into ragged breathes as Kyoji walked up, grabbing her face and looking her over intensely. "Where did you find this girl?" He questioned Ryouta from his thoughts. "She was wandering around the Goshimboku..." Namiko was silently looking over the boy as well- his ears...they were...furry little dog ears...they sat on the top of his head, and twitched ever moment or so...and his eyes- they were so similiar to her own...that light ember hue she was so famous for...
Finally she snapped out of her trance and jerked her face away from the boy's clawed fingers. "Great...my day only gets weirder...first I meet a boy who talks to dogs- now I meet a boy who IS a dog..." Kyoji looked at her blankly as she sighed. "Forget it...Listen- can you please just let me go...I haven't done anything- I just fell into that stupid well and hit my head too hard or something...besides that- I just really need to get back home..."
"The well- you mean the ancient bone-eater's well!" Kyoji questioned with intense interest, and both boys seemed highly concerned about this new information. Namiko looked at both of them with a timid confusion. "Yeah..." Kyoji turned his attention to Ryouta. "Don't look at me- she wouldn't tell me anything!" "That's cause you were a baka..." Namiko huffed under her breath, rolling her eyes.
Soon, the boys were taking her back down the path- neither saying much of anything. It hadn't been long before they came out of the forest and she could look down into the village. A small village that looked as if it were straight out of ancient times. They led her down through the meandering little huts, passing villagers who looked at her oddly and whispered amongst themselves. Namiko looked around self-consciously, her head lowered slightly until the two boys stopped her in front of a hut.
A young girl came from around a corner, seeing the two boys and running up to them in suprise, holding two makeshift weapons in her hands. "Kyoji! Ryouta! You're back..." She smiled, her silky dark locks falling behind her in a simple, shoulder-length cut. Namiko looked at her clothing- recognizing the black suit from a picture she had once found in her mother's things...it looked exactly like something one of her mother's old friends wore. Namiko was at least relieved to meet someone who seemed human.
"Itsuko...where is my father?" Itsuko looked at Kyoji strangely, then noticed the tied up Namiko. "er...He went with Shippo and Miroku...who's the girl?" Ryouta looked at Namiko, then back to Itsuko. "Don't worry about it- is Lady Sango around?" Itsuko seemed confused and a bit annyoed at his answer, but nodded. Kyoji smirked, then approached the hut, yelling inside arrogantly. "Hey Sango! We need you out here!"
An annoyed voice was heard from within as a figure stepped out, a beautiful woman about her mother's age in a simple kimono. "I swear Kyoji- you are more like your father everyday...would you please stop being- " Her thoughts left her as she caught sight of the young Namiko standing before her. Her mouth slightly agape in awe, staring over the school uniform, glancing over the eyes and the silver-ebony strands before finally coming to her senses with a slightly sobered glare and looking at Kyoji who seemed interested by her reaction. "Kyoji...where did you get this girl?"
Kyoji leaned against the hut casually, Namiko watching with interest as Itsuko took his arm and listened intently with a smile. "I didn't get her from anywhere- Ryouta found her in the forest...she claims to have fallen in the ancient well..." Sango looked back to the girl and Ryouta, who seemed a bit frustrated. "She won't even give us her name...and on top of that- she claims to be human...but that can't be true because she smells almost like you, Kyoji...like a hanyou..." Kyoji sighed. "Keh." Ryouta raised a brow. "besides-she's a liar...everyone knows that old well has been sealed for years..."
"You BAKA! Don't call me a liar!" Namiko was outraged, but soon cut off by another voice. "What she says is true..." Sango's voice spoke up. "Mother?" Itsuko looked at her mother strangely. "Her name is Namiko...and she use to live in this village with her mother...a very long time ago..." Sango smiled softly at the girl, approaching her cautiously. Namiko furrowed her brow, confused by the woman's words. "You...but...how do you know my name?" Namiko backed away slightly, but Sango threw her arms around her, unable to contain her happiness. "Welcome home Namiko..." Everyone was confused, especially Namiko...she didn't know what to say...here was a woman who knew her and her mother- perhaps she knew who her father was, and where she could find him. 'This woman- she must be one of my mother's friends...I knew I recognized her from those pictures...'
Namiko was soon escorted into Sango's hut, where she was then untied and fed a good meal. No one spoke much, but it wasn't long before Kyoji and Ryouta gave a nod to Sango, and she then excused herself from the hut. Namiko's eyes followed her as she left, watching the door a few moments until she heard a loud commotion outside. "Sango?" She got up quickly and left, against the wishes of the others who followed her in objection.
She pulled back the curtain to find Sango with a group of men, one of them arguing with a grave look. "Lady...Sango...?" Everyone turned with a suprised look, staring at Namiko strangely. Namiko crossed her arms, confused and self-conscious about all the eyes digging into her. 'That man with long silver hair...he must be Kyoji's father...and that one...must be Ryouta's father, Kouga...but...' She took a step back, bumping into someone slightly- she looked up to see Kyoji standing over her. He looked down stoicly- then looked over to the group of elders.
Namiko wasn't sure what was happening, but for some reason she had been exiled to another hut. Everyone had been talking amongst themselves until finally Kyoji and the others dispursed from the village and Sango kindly sent Namiko to get some rest inside a small empty hut with Itsuko. She talked politely with the girl, whom she learned was about around the same age as she, but they didn't speak much before Itsuko left to do chores. Namiko then layed down on a small bed in the corner, curling up with her thoughts for what seemed like years, letting several moments pass before sighing and rising to her feet. She pushed several strands of her hair behind her ear, then looked up and went to the door, pulling back the curtain slowly and looking out. It was already dark...she had been here too long...her mother must be worried by now. As she descended her eyes, she caught sight of an old set of arrows in the corner. She smiled, reaching down and picking up the quiver with and examining eye.
Her mother had begun teaching her archery when she was a small child- a sport she loved. The arrows looked so ancient and refined- obviously hand made. She smiled, noticing the long bow that also stood in the corner. The strong wood felt smooth in her hands and the string reflected the moonlight gracefully. It was beautiful...a magnificent piece of equipment. Namiko sighed, putting the bow and quiver across her shoulder conclusively. She pulled back the curtain again and stepped out of the small hut & into the dark village.
"Where do you think you're going?" Namiko was startled by a voice from behind her. She turned to find Kyoji staring at her from atop the hut roof where he was sitting casually. "What do you care?" Namiko looked at him inquisitively. "I don't...but if you think you're going back into the forest- forget it...my father and the others would kill me if they found out I let you wander off." Namiko rolled her eyes, uninterested in Kyoji's concerns. "Your father, eh?" Namiko remembered the man who kept looking at her strangely, refusing to make eye contact.
"So is Lady Sango your mother?" Kyoji laughed slightly. "No way- she is married to that houshi Miroku...she's Itsuko and Nomaru's mother...not mine..." "Oh...so where is your mother?" Namiko watched as Kyoji's face turned blank and his voice became stoic. "I don't know...I think she died when I was a child..." Namiko bit her lower lip slightly, regretting her curiousity. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to-" "Keh. Don't worry about it...she disappeared before I can even remember..." Namiko sighed. "Parents seem to do that...my father left my mother and I after I was born..."
Namiko sighed tiredly before looking into the deep shadows of the forest curiously- sensing something strange- something that almost pained her. "What's wrong?" She snapped out of her trance-like stare after a moment and looked back up at Kyoji, holding her hand up over the precious necklace that was hidden beneath her uniform. "Oh...its nothing- just..." Kyoji stood up, placing a hand on the hilt of the sword that was strapped by his side. "Kyoji?" "Stay here..." He barked, taking off in large and suprising leaps as Namiko watched him disappear into the forest.
"Stay here? ...yeah right..." Namiko's interest peaked as she went back toward the hut where a dim fire glowed from inside and low voices could be heard discussing something heatedly. She heard her name several times, as well as Kyoji's, but she couldn't hear much of what was actually being said. Finally, she came close- but a commotion inside caused her to hide behind the hut as everyone flooded out. Inuyasha, with his rough tone spoke to Sango, but she only heard pieces. "Get Namiko...take care of her Sango- he's already caught the scent...I'm going to help Kyoji..." Namiko backed up as she saw Sango running for the hut, though she turned and ran for the forest before she saw the obvious outcome. This was her only chance- she had to get home...as nice as these people were- as much as they could tell her- she had to get home...and this may be the only chance she would get...
She ran into the forest- headed for the well, as if she knew which direction to go instinctively. After running about half of the way, she slowed. She gripped the precious weapon still hanging on her shoulder as she neared the well. Namiko sighed, the new faces running through her mind as the well came into view. 'Kyoji...it felt- as though I knew you...' She placed a smooth palm over her half-jewel, starting toward the well with a solemn glare.
A deep, chilling laugh echoed from the forest walls behind Namiko, stopping her where she stood. A twinge of nostalgia ran up her spine. "Well...if it isn't the young daughter of that wretched miko and her hanyou..." The sily voice creeped from the shadows of the night- giving Namiko the coldest feeling in her heart. She turned quickly, watching an unusual man step from the darkness- his eyes burning holes through her very skin. "What? Don't you recognize me child? Come now...I've awaited your arrival for quite sometime...I knew your parents couldn't hide you forever." He smiled, a most vicious and corrupted smirk that bent his lips. Just as he took a step toward Namiko, Inuyasha burst from the trees, falling between the two figures.
"Namiko- are you alright!" Namiko nodded slightly- watching intently as the silver-haired man protected her with a rather large sword. His voice seemed to calm her fears- easing her, but what was it about these men- all these people that made her remember things she was so unfamiliar with? In the next moment, Kyoji joined the group- also wielding a large sword. He stood next to Namiko calmly in a fighting stance.
"Well, well...two halves of the puzzle unite..." The man laughed slightly as Lady Sango and Miroku entered the clearing. "Shut up Naraku! You have no quarrel with them- your fight is with me!" The man laughed harder, his eyes staring into Namiko deeply. "My Inuyasha...Kagome did raise her well-didn't she? Or is that miko of your already dead?" Inuyasha growled, Namiko looked among the others with a questioning glare. "Well Inuyasha...you have a fine daughter nontheless...unfortunately- the family reunion will have to be cut short!"
Naraku lunged forward, battling with Inuyasha and the others for several moments as Namiko looked on, standing by Kyoji- who also seemed a bit confused, but never lost his focus. Naraku conformed his body horrifically, knocking each opponent down- one by one. Finally, he found his target- taking an extension of his arm and grabbing for Namiko. Kyoji acted quickly, Naraku only managing to push them both to the ground. They both slid across the ground for a moment, Namiko necklace bouncing up slightly- catching Naraku's attention immediately.
Naraku smirked, but Kyoji took his distraction and tore his limb from him. "Leave her alone!" Naraku was angered slightly. "Very protective of your sister- aren't you! No matter- I will have both your jewels!" Kyoji was stunned for a moment- but Inuyasha stepped in. "Insolent!" Naraku backed away as Inuyasha began slicing off his limbs- enough to make Naraku retreat, as usual. He vowed his return, but the gang had other things on their mind.
Kyoji stood over Namiko- staring into the jewel that layed loosely from her neck. She looked at him- noticing the jewel that hung from his neck as well. She finally came to her senses after a moment and jumped to her feet. "WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?" Her feet, unfortunately, gave way as she stood up too fast- falling into Kyoji, who caught her lightly. "Yes father- care to explain! What did Naraku mean by 'my sister'!" Kyoji looked fiercely at Inuyasha, who shethed his sword- staring at the two.
"Perhaps I can help you explain Inuyasha..." Inuyasha turned, his heart not believing his senses as his mate, his wife- stepped from the shadows in her simple, emerald green priestess attire. "Mother?" Namiko whispered slightly, breathing deeply as she regained her former strength- her vision becoming clear. "Kagome..." Inuyasha and Kagome ran to one another, embracing each other with a fierce passion, holding each other for several moments.
"MOTHER! How could you...How could you keep this from me!" The two reuniting lovers broke apart- Kagome looking over to her heartbroken daughter, then to her son. She smiled slightly, yet it was bittersweet. Inuyasha sighed. "We had no choice...we had to seperate the both of you...Naraku would stop at nothing to find you...I stayed behind with Kyoji to destroy Naraku- I was going to come for you and your mother as soon as he was defeated...but..."
"Are you joking? You're not serious- are you actually saying that this- Inu..yasha...is my father!" Kagome nodded as Inuyasha looked between the two of them. "And Kyoji...Kagome is your mother..." Kyoji looked between them as he crossed his arms. "Keh...figured that one out..." Namiko gripped at her necklace, as if trying to hold to her sanity. "And what about him...you just forgot to mention that I have a brother?" Kagome sighed, her daughter's heartbroken and confused stare questioning both of them. "I'm sorry we couldn't tell you...he's your twin brother..."
"I'm sorry? Thats all you can say?" Namiko clenched her fists. "I have to go...I just can't- I can't deal with this..." Namiko turned, running into the forest faster than she ever had. Kyoji turned as well. "I'm out of here, too..." Inuyasha took a step forward- ready to go after them when Kagome placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking her head. "Let them go...they'll come back to the village when they're ready..." She smiled slightly, turning to Sango with a smile.
Namiko sighed, she had found a spot high in a tree that suited her nicely. It was her favorite place- atop the Goshimboku. Her mother would often find her there- examining her jewel as if it held every answer she would ever need. "Wierd, huh?" Namiko was shocked to hear Kyoji's voice from behind her, apparently on the other side of the tree. Namiko laughed slightly at the understatement, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Ya think? I always fall through wells and run across long lost family members...just another day..." They both laughed slightly for a moment before silence fell over them.
Namiko stared up at the moon for several long moments. "Kyoji?" "yeah...what?" Namiko paused for a moment before continuing. "Well...I just...I knew...I knew you were here...I mean- I didn't know..I just...felt you...ever since I can remember...I always felt alone...like something was missing...I always felt like half...until I met you..." She smiled.
"Yea...well...I never thought of having a sister...but- it makes sense now I guess...Naraku was always making comments about a girl he had to find...I thought he was talking about my- our mother...I guess it was you..." He clenched his fists tightly. "I'll never let him have any sister of mine...that- that- " Namiko laughed, halting Kyoji's anger. "What's so funny?" She leaned back on the trunk of the tree with a smile. "Nothing...I was just thinking about you protecting me..." Kyoji raised a brow. "What's so funny about that?" She sighed. "I've just never had to have any protection..." Kyoji rolled his eyes. "Well now you do...Naraku is a fierce demon...he'll stop at nothing to get to us..." Namiko sighed tiredly. "Of course...so what now?" Kyoji sighed. "Not sure...but I'm not ready to go back..." Namiko smiled. "Agreed..."
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Hmm...well- I worked a long time on this chappy...really liked this world- it was fun. The new charries were great as well- very fun to shape. Anyways...hope you enjoyed the chapter, but don't lose sight of the big picture...Kagome still has to get back to Inuyasha! O well- R&R!
Here's your translations, as always...
matte- wait
Otousan- father
jinseikouro-path of one's life
Konomi-his name means "choice"