Part 10
It was very uncomfortable for her. The silence. The forest was pleasantly nice, but she just couldn't stand the silence. And walking next to her most hated "enemies" as well as a serene Matsuru made things even worse for her.
Before she left, she had changed into a commoner's dress, as it was somewhat of a medieval time. Kagome left the breeches and shirt on underneath it, just in case they were ambushed. She had left her sword and weaponry at the castle, for it would be suspicious in the village if she was seen with one. And dresses were so goddamned fitted to be able to hide anything.
She stared at Matsuru's back, almost with sad, childish eyes, as if she were just scolded. It must have felt her discomfort because the horse, which she was holding the reigns to, nudged her gently. Kagome looked at it with a loving eye and petted it gently, almost reassuring that she was going to be alright.
The silence continued on throughout the journey until she had seen the forest's end. Almost instantly, as she stepped out of the shaded covering of the forest, she felt warmth on her head. There seemed to be some kind of dividing line between the forest and the open plain to the town.
As she stepped out into the open area, though, she couldn't help but feel a shiver rise up her spine. She stopped and looked behind her curiously, but it was just the empty road she had just treaded upon, so turned forward and began walking the path.
It was long before they all entered the town. It was all hustle and bustle. People left and right, wearing the most fashionable clothes that they could buy. Kagome couldn't help but notice that it was colorful and had a variety of stores, booths, and items. But, she knew better. This was all just a layer of happiness and wealth on the surface, when buried beneath hunger and sickness lurked.
Kagome tried her best to ignore all the crowds and shopkeepers that stuffed items in her face, but they just kept on appearing. She couldn't help when people just completely walked in front of her, separating her and the four men. She noticed that they didn't seem to mind the crowd.
They had stopped at shop after shop, collecting items such as medicinal herbs, weaponry, food preservers, etc. All the things they needed for a long journey. And, since she had the horse, all the items were handed to Kagome, who strapped it tightly to the horse's back. As more and more weight was added onto the horse, she couldn't help but start apologizing toit. She was well in tuned with animals more than she was with humans, and she knew the pain that they went through as humans worked them day after day, in the fields, on travels, or pulling wagons.
By the end of the shopping, the horses's packs were nearly full and they retired from the still busy streets, as it was only noon. Kagome was lightly sticky with sweat from the heat of the crowds and the sun. As she stepped into the open air of the road leading to the forest, she couldn't help but stretch out the cramped muscles from being so blocked in.
She took a deep breath in and exhaled out, deciding not to speak a word or complaint. The men still hadn't talked to her, only amongst themselves. And for some reason, Matsuru's doing she figured, she couldn't make out a word they said no matter how hard she tried to listen.
When she entered the forest, the closeness brought back the feeling of the town. For some reason or another it felt as if the forest was compacted even closer. Must have been the shift in space-difference. she thought to herself. To her, even the slightest shift of spaciousness, wether it be a decrease or increase, she felt it. The more room she had, the more space she could move about.
Another thing that bothered her was the fact that the sun had heated the forest and her light sweat grew ever so little, but not to the point where it soaked her shirt. Kagome noticed that the men already had small spots of liquid staining their shirts. She couldn't help but feel a little triumphant in having none at all. Looks like I've had more years to tough it out alone than they did. she thought smugly to herself.
The walk seemed to go on longer than she thought it would have been. Her breathing soon became slightly labored and she couldn't help but stop for a short while and take a break. Kagome looked towards the men who had also stopped. She figured they must have had the same problem.
She sat down and began to take deep breathes. But, as she inhaled her first, it didn't satisfy the fill of her lungs. She took another, and it still didn't fill. Her third was her last try, but she still couldn't. Her breathes began to become shorter, but she kept it at slow paces.
Something was wrong. The air around her was not sufficient enough for her body to use. She sniffed around her, but she couldn't smell a trace of anything. As she sniffed harder, though, a light, bitter smell caught her nose. She tried to pinpoint the smell, but it proved useless. It was all around them. It encased them in a grasp that was unbreakable.
"Matsuru...," she said, in a warning, yet questioning voice, "what's that smell?"
"Ramu," was his plain answer.
She could tell that he was having a hard time breathing also, but if she could handle it, so could they. Her ears picked up the slight ringing of metal against sheath in the trees. Instantly, her guard was up, preening through ever swish of brush and movement of cloth for some sound of warning.
But as she keened her ears in harder, she noticed the stillness of the forest. It was way too quite out there for her liking. Usually she would here the slightest rustle of an animal, but she heard absolutely nothing. Now, she was sure that something was not right. Someone was out there. Watching. Waiting.
It only took a little while till a tingling spread throughout the back of her neck and a shrill cry broke the silence. But, as she was about to turn around to meet her attacker, it's cry was abruptly cut short.
Kagome looked on in slight annoyance as a sword protruded from her attacker's abdomen, blood soaking through. The lifeless body was forced free from the sword, revealing the murderer. It was none other than Sesshomaru.
Slowly she stood.
"I can take care of myself, you know," she told him, almost childishly.
He only smirked in reply. Before she could put in any word, more cries broke out as many armed men jumped from the forest. Instantly, she was in battle mode. Men attacked from left and right, but she hacked them down easily. They were nothing but looters. No skills. No tactics. Just sloppy looters.
Blood splattered her face. One slashed at her with a dagger from her left, and she blocked. But as she blocked another came from behind her. Kagome made a move to block it, but for some reason her defense was slow. The attacker made a clean slash down her back. Although it had not been deep, it still hurt like hell.
Furious at herself and her attackers, she gripped the hilt of her attacker and stabbed him with his own sword. Using the same sword, she slashed it in an arc motion and took down the men surrounding her.
Kagome looked towards Sesshomaru, who, as she suspected, had no trouble at all. Almost calmly he killed one after another. She looked towards Matsuru, who chanted spell after spell, destroying the men from the inside, out. As the numbers dwindled, and the rest retreated, Kagome couldn't help but look on at the sight. The narrow road was now covered in blood and bodies. It puzzled her how these looters got to be such a large number, but it was a minor problem.
The Ramu was cleared from the air now, and she could take deep breaths. She looked towards the men, who congregated, checking for wounds and such. She walked over, but never made it to them as her foot touched the first body in her way.
She knelt down calmly, and closed her eyes. She calmed the passion of the battle within her, yet slowly calling upon the fire. Just as before, a flame ignited within her open palms and she placed it upon the body.
Kagome began to chant a prayer as, behind closed eyes, she saw the flames dancing. Body after body, she cremated, praying all the same. Miroku and Matsuru had joined her, and before she knew it, the "battle field" was clear of the bodies.
She kept it in her best interest to hide the wound from the group by taking care to mask the smell and hide the wound. She wasn't sure of the extent of her healing powers now that the jewel had been removed from her, so she used little. Kagome suspected it had only been a small cut, so she didn't mind it much.
Without a word of exchange, they continued on as before. Everything was just as quite as ever. It was open road once they had made it out of the forest, and she savored every bit of fresh air that she could get.
They had not stopped anywhere for lunch, so they set a small "picnic" on the side of the road. The shawl on her back that hid her wound had seemed to get heavier and heavier with every step, and Kagome was relieved to finally sit down. A slight waveof nausea swept through her, but she pushed it aside.
They ate cheese and bread, and drank some water. The silence still continued. Kagome practically needed it to go away. She needed something to "break the ice" so to speak.
She shifted uncomfortably and feltsomething hard rub against her thigh. As she dug into her pocket, she felt a smooth orb, and remembered. The jewel. She thought about, and hated the fact that she would loose some leverage, but it was only a little. What the heck.
Kagome slowly drew the orb from her pocket, and began rolling it around in her hand. How would she put this? 'The Shikon no Tama just burst out of my side one night in your castle.' No. Way too simple. But, she didn't have to think long, as her hand movements caught Matsuru's attention.
"What is that you're playing with, Kag? You didn't steal it, did you," Matsuru asked suspiciously.
Well, she had their attention at least, however unprepared she was for it.
"Well...what does it look like," she retorted as she held it out to him.
She nearly laughed as she saw his expression. His shock was apparent, his eyes wide and mouth open. He reached to grab it, but she pulled it out of his reach.
"It's mine to keep. I won't have it taken away," she answered his questioning face.
"How did you get that," Miroku asked, a little too suspiciously for her liking.
Kagome looked down at the jewel, figuring how to word it, and for just a moment, the world seemed to be spinning. She shook it off, and it faded away. She recovered herself and answered, "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."
"Try me," answered that oh-so chilling voice.
The spinning started again, and she shook it off just the same. Her vision was getting worse and worse to the point where she couldn't focus anymore. The spinning didn't go away this time. It continued to grow worse and worse...
Matsuru looked questioningly at Kagome, her long pause strange. For a moment he thought he had seen her body slacken as if she were seasick, but the next it seemed as if she were normal.
"Kagome, are you okay," he pressed.
Her strange silence continued. What was wrong with her? Now her body was slackened considerably. Matsuru placed a hand on her shoulder, and he shook her lightly. Her face was hidden by the shawl, and he couldn't see it very clearly.
"I'm fine," Kagome answered, unconvincingly.
"What's up with her," Inuyasha asked.
"Not sure. Kag. Kagome," Matsuru said, but she didn't answer.
He made to remove her shawl, but as he did so her body fell in against Sesshomaru. He made a motion to push her away, put he had caught a glimpse of her face. It was pale. Matsuru became alarmed. What was wrong with her? That's when he smelled it. The blood.
He felt liquid slightly on his leg, soaking into the material. He gently flipped Kagome over, and peeled away the shawl. A bloody gash could bee seen, as the blood was soaked through her clothing.
"What the hell," Inuyasha said alarmingly, as he jumped to his feet and immediately went to the horse to collect some herbs and bandages.
"Must have been from the battle," Sesshomaru inquired, ripping his shirt accordingly.
He poured some of the water from the skin sack onto the cloth and began to dab at the wound. But, as he began to get to the end of the gash, near her side, he noticed a different colored-type of skin there. He stopped dabbing and began to peel away the material covering it.
"What are you doing," Matsuru questioned, as he prepared the herbs.
His question was soon answered as he saw the skin revealed to him and the rest.
It was scale-like and shimmering in the reflection of the sun. It seemed to hold the colors of the rainbow within it, so there wasn't just one color to describe it. Its texture was course, yet smooth, like the texture of a snake or...
Matsuru only looked on in realization as he continued once again to prepare the herbs. Sesshomaru caught this and asked, "Another secret hidden from us?"
Masturu only continued to mash up the herbs and spread them over the wound. He took Kagome's limp body from Sesshomaru and began to bandage it.
Sesshomaru looked on in silence, thinking that he had gotten his answer, but as he began to put everything away, Matsuru spoke.
"Kagome is a secret within herself..."
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