Chapter Seven: The Unlikely Pair

Well, I've finally written a longer chapter! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter…I hope that you have as much fun reading it!

Note: No, Asherah is not a Japanese name…there were Japanese names that I was thinking of using, but this just seemed to fit better. It was originally the name of an ancient goddess.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Inu-Yasha characters.

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The moon and stars were shining brightly in the sky by the time they had finished binding her hands and feet.

Kagome had been abducted by a group of seven men, and now she was being pushed, pulled, and shoved to a "Lady Asherah," all the while with arrows and spear tips aimed directly at her back.

She was not especially happy with the way things had worked themselves out.

"Move along, demon," ordered one of the men, prodding her with the side of his spear.

Kagome shot him a withering look. "You are aware that it is rather hard for me to go any faster since you tied my legs together, aren't you?"

"Don't listen to anything it says! It spouts lies!"

Kagome gazed at her bound limbs dejectedly. The men had left the bonds around her ankles just long enough for her to take small steps. It's hardly necessary, she sighed. It's not like I could run away anyway…and why do I feel like I am experiencing déjà-vu? After a moment of thought it came to her. She chuckled softly. It's just like when I first came down the well to feudal era. I was standing near the old God tree when the men from the village came and took me away…that was the first time I ever saw Inu-Yasha.

Kagome was starting to feel just the tiniest bit worried. Inu-Yasha had always come to save her in the past when she had been in difficult situations, but this time, there was no Inu-Yasha to save her. Apparently he had gotten back to his own time. She was alone.

They were nearing their destination. Up ahead Kagome could see the flickering lights of the lanterns that hung to the side of each door. It was a fairly large village from what she could see, but it also looked as though it had seen better days. As Kagome drew nearer, she saw noticeable gaps in some of the roofs, and several of the huts had been knocked down completely.

A trickle of cold sweat ran down her neck as Kagome surveyed the damage. This had happened recently, judging by the scraps of wood that were strewn about her feet, and if the men had been looking for a demon…well, it seemed they'd found what they had been looking for. Except that I'm not a demon, she thought desperately.

"Excuse me," Kagome said. "What happened here? It really looks—" She gasped and broke off as one of the men jabbed her a little too hard with the point of his spear. A line of blood soaked through her shirt, and she clenched her teeth in pain.

"Shut up! How dare you talk about our village after what you did," he growled at her.

She did not respond, and he continued. "If you try anything I will kill you right—"

"What is going on?" The soft voice halted the man's threats, and he turned towards it and bowed.

"Lady Asherah! This creature—"

"Is a human girl, and one of considerable power if I am not mistaken," the voice finished for him.

"Please forgive me my lady, I meant no disrespect," the man pleaded, dropping to his knees before a piece of cloth that served as the door to her hut.

A delicate hand appeared at the edge of the material, and gently pulled the fabric aside to reveal whom it belonged to.

If Kagome had not been in so much pain, she would have been impressed. The woman before her was middle-aged and wore clothes similar to those of the priestess Kikyo. She had long raven hair that had been tied back in a horsetail, with only a few black wisps escaping to lie on either side of her pale face. In truth, only the crude cast that protected her injured arm marred her beauty.

"I know this already, Jiro. I believe that you thought that she was the demon? She is not a demon, nor did she destroy our village. Help her inside. She is bleeding," the woman commanded.

The man named Jiro stood and untied the strips of cloth that fastened her limbs before carefully putting a steadying arm around Kagome, a look of regret in his eyes.

"I'm alright," she forced a smile. "Don't worry about it."

He nodded and led her slowly to the hut. Once they had reached the doorway Jiro pulled away. Lady Asherah held up the cloth with her uninjured hand and moved to the side to allow Kagome entrance.

"Thank you for bringing her here," the Lady smiled at the men. "Don't go back to the well tonight. You need some sleep."

The men nodded gratefully, and bowed deeply to her before turning away.

Lady Asherah let the cloth fall back into place with a sigh.

"They mean well, those men. I am sorry, under normal circumstances they would never have done this," she told Kagome. "Please, you are hurt, sit down."

Kagome winced as she sat, and Lady Asherah walked to the far corner of the room, where she began to search through the many herbs and medicines that she had stored there.

This allowed Kagome a moment to look about the room. To one side was a row of simple beds, to another was a modest table. Around the table were four carved wooden chairs that looked as though they had been well used. The only other furniture in the room was the set of cushioned seats at the center, one of which she was sitting on. It was an austere arrangement, but Kagome found it to her liking. It made her feel welcome, somehow.

Lady Asherah returned in a trice with an herb paste and some bandages. "I am afraid that I will be unable to assist you with this cast on my arm," she apologized. "Do you think that you can manage on your own?"

Kagome nodded and began to carefully peel her shirt away from the cut. This procedure made her wound reopen and it bled until she spread the balm across it. "Thank you," she said when she was done. "May I ask you a question Lady Asherah?"

"Yes, but please do not bother with such formalities. We are sisters."

This comment puzzled Kagome, but she proceeded with her question. "Asherah, are you a priestess?"

A faint smile came to the woman's lips as Kagome voiced her question. "I am," was her reply. "And who are you?

"I'm Kagome."

They sat in silence for a while before Kagome asked, "What happened to this village?"

A look of anguish crossed Asherah's face. "Many years ago I battled a wicked demon that had attacked this village…the village was smaller then, but he was still able to cause considerable damage. When I had drained him of his power I…well, I took pity on him. I was young and ignorant. Instead of destroying him, I tied his soul to the land. This made it impossible for him to leave the swamp that he was connected to. I did not see him again until last month when I traveled that way on my journey to a neighboring village that had been struck by disease. He was nearly dead," her eyes clouded over at the memory.

"He said to me…he said that in death he would do what he was unable to do in life…he said that his soul would stay in this world and haunt those with sacred powers until the end of time. On my return from the village, I came across his bones, floating in the bog. Since it had been his dying wish that his soul remain on Earth, I brought them back here. I thought that I could perform a burial rite to free his soul, but I did not wish to bring the bones into the village…so I left them in a dry well where I knew I could find them," her eyes shone with unshed tears at the next part of her tale.

"I don't know what happened, but yesterday he came to village. He destroyed many homes in his search for me, and twelve people were killed. However, he did not kill me. I tried to fight him, but he said that as I had once bound him to the cruel world, so he would do the same to me. Never would he kill me, he said, but instead he would destroy what I love. He said he'd come back." At this her shoulders slumped, and she brushed the wetness from her deep green eyes.

Kagome sat ridged in her chair. "I am so sorry," she whispered. "It's my fault."

At these words, Asherah's eyes swiveled up to rest on Kagome's ashen face. "How," she asked sharply.

"My grandfather," she said, stricken. "He spread water from the bog around the well. He wanted to bring me home, but he must have reanimated the bones…"

"Tell me the whole story," Asherah demanded.

And Kagome did.

Half an hour later, when Asherah was satisfied that she had heard everything important, Kagome finally concluded her story. "…And you know the rest. I arrived in this time, was captured by your men, and then I came here to you."

Asherah closed her eyes and inclined her head slightly. "I believe you…and I now understand." Her eyes flicked open to scan Kagome's face. "But I must ask you if you do."

Kagome was nonplussed. "What do you mean?"

"What the demon told me before was no lie. He said that he would cause havoc for those with sacred powers," she explained. "The substance that your grandfather used had become saturated with this malevolent wish, and so you will be unable to return to the feudal era that you have known until such a time as you no longer wish to return."

Kagome was aghast at this proclamation. "I can never go back?"

"You may only return when you do not want to do so, or when the demon's soul has been purified."

"Where can I find the demon," Kagome asked, determination hardening her features.

Lady Asherah was surprised. She had not expected to see such conviction in the girl. Kagome's tenacity was inspiring.

"I know not where the demon now resides, perhaps you should travel to the bog. It lies beyond the mountains. I have a map. Wait a moment." Asherah stood and went back to her medical supplies. Once there, she pulled a small piece of parchment out from underneath the sundry of jars. When she returned to Kagome's side, she handed over the map, and Kagome unfolded it.

"You see," Asherah mused, tracing the path that she had taken with one white finger. "You simply go through…yes that's right, and then along there."

"Okay," Kagome said. "I'm ready."

Asherah's eyes widened, and she laughed. "Wait until the dawn at least, Sister! Surely it would be best to rest a night to allow time for the balm to heal your wound."

"You're probably right," Kagome replied. "Would you mind?"

The Lady did not, and so Kagome set herself up in one of the small beds. Asherah lay down on the bed to her right, and was asleep within minutes. Kagome, however, was kept awake by her thoughts.

There were so many signs, she now realized. Those people… the people with the strange clothes were a product of the ointment! I was depressed, and so the demon's soul tried to make me feel even worse by surrounding me with happiness.

What about Inu-Yasha, though? She could not understand why he had made it back to his own time, when she could not. Maybe…I was so preoccupied with the future that the demon decided to prevent me from returning, but Inu-Yasha…Inu-Yasha was thinking about both the past and the future. Kikyo and me. I guess the fact that he was able to return means that he has been thinking a lot more about her…

With this last thought dancing in her mind, Kagome at last fell into a fitful sleep.

………………

The sky was filled with the gray light that proceeded the dawn, and the grass was covered in tiny droplets of dew. It had been a cold night; not that this had bothered Sesshomaru.

Although he could have been there in an instant, Sesshomaru had walked the entire distance to the village. He had not wished to speed the inevitable, and he had enjoyed the walk.

Unfortunately, his time alone was drawing to a close. He was standing at the outskirts of the village, and it smelled just like the well had. The sooner he could grab a human and leave, the better.

Sesshomaru marched up to the first cloth door, and proceeded to tear it away. Inside the hut were two children. As he was not about to carry some whining brat around with him for a week or more, he turned on his heel, and headed for the next house.

He could already tell that it was going to be a long morning.

………………

Kagome awoke with her senses screaming. There was a demon nearby!

Lady Asherah was already up, and was reaching for the javelin that rested by the door.

"Wait Asherah! I'll come with you, you can't fight with one arm injured!"

"Kagome, I do not wish to see you hurt. If you stay here then you will be protected by the shield spells I placed on this house. The demon will not be able to even sense your presence unless you venture out," the Lady hurriedly explained.

"I am not staying here," Kagome said stubbornly. "Do you have a bow and arrows?"

Another surprise. "Yes," Asherah said. "It is attached to the underside of the table, along with a dagger. The arrows are with my medical supplies."

Kagome hastily sought out the necessary items, and followed Asherah out the door. Together, they swiftly reached the cause of the commotion. The people of the village had formed a great mob, and were trying to pull a single man back to safety.

"Argh," Jiro screamed, as he was pulled first one way, and then another. It had never been his dream to become a human tug-a-war rope.

"Give…him…back," Jiro's older brother panted, his hands firmly clasping Jiro's arm.

"Let go, human, or he'll be torn apart," the demon snapped.

"Everybody move aside," Kagome shouted. The villagers moved, leaving a gap about a meter wide, and between the people Kagome could see…

"Sesshomaru!"

Sesshomaru looked up and loosened his grip in astonishment at what he saw. The girl from the well stood before him; bow in hand, with her arrow pointing straight at him, and a look of bewilderment on her face.

All eyes were now on either Kagome or Sesshomaru.

"Kagome," he said blankly. She had done this to him twice now, how was it that he hadn't known that she was there?

"You know this demon," Asherah cried out incredulously. Kagome had neglected to mention him the night before.

"We hardly know each other," Sesshomaru said coldly, releasing his hold on Jiro.

"What are you doing Sesshomaru! Cold and stoic you may be, but I didn't think that you would sink so low as to actually kidnapping people!"

"'Hardly know each other' at all," Asherah repeated in disbelief.

"For your information, girl, I am not doing this just because I feel like it. I don't wish to hear judgment from you anyway, seeing as we have only met once before, and at that time I helped you."

"What are you talking about! I've seen you loads of times—oh," Kagome said. "Never mind. What do you mean you aren't doing this because you feel like it? You've never taken orders from anybody, why start now?" Kagome was having a little trouble remembering that this was only the second time that Sesshomaru had ever seen her.

No one listening to them could believe their ears. The human girl was arguing with the ferocious demon. And she wasn't dead yet.

"At least you can tell that much about me, human. You are right—I don't take orders from anyone. I am doing this to prove to my father that I am able to take care of myself." He immediately regretted these words. They sounded childish.

"How does kidnapping someone prove that you can protect—wait, did you say your father? You mean…he's not…"

"I am to watch a human for a certain amount of time. First however, I must take the human back to the castle—"

"The what?"

"—for the approval of my training master."

"You have a training master? And he's back at the castle?"

"Yes…" Sesshomaru fervently hoped that all humans weren't as slow as the one he was currently engaged with in conversation.

Kagome gazed at him, open-mouthed. Then a brilliant idea dawned on her.

"Did you say that you would be protecting a human for the duration of your test," she asked innocently.

"What is it to you?"

"Oh, I was just wondering."

"Then yes, I will be." This was definitely the most demeaning moment of his life.

"Then I volunteer," was Kagome's reply.

Both of his delicate eyebrows shot upwards in surprise; he had not expected any human to actually ask for his protection.

"Very well," he replied. "Let us leave."

"You'll have to hold on for just a minute—I need to get my things."

"I said that we are leaving now, human."

"And I said that I need to get my things first. By the way, my name isn't 'human,' it's Kagome."

She left to fetch her backpack, leaving Sesshomaru to wonder exactly when he had lost control of the situation.

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I hope that you enjoyed it!

Now for reviews…

Kagura134- Here's the update!

Golden-Eyed-Girl- I finally wrote a longer chapter! Hope you liked it!

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