This chapter is named after the song "Wandering Child" by Wild Rivers!
Chapter 2: Wandering Child
As they began their first day of traveling together, they were quiet until mid-afternoon when Kagome finally broke the silence.
"So, Inuyasha," she began, "tell me about yourself."
Inuyasha frowned at her. "Nothin' to tell."
Kagome laughed. "Oh, come on. What do I need to know about you? If we're going to travel together, we should know each other's...I don't know, pet peeves or whatever."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "That's stupid."
"Just humor me," Kagome countered. "Let me think of something simple I can ask...uh, how old are you?"
Inuyasha eyed her. "Sixty."
"Sixty?" Kagome repeated. "Wow! You barely look older than me. I'm twenty."
Inuyasha scoffed. "Youkai age differently. I stopped aging several years ago."
"When's your birthday?" she pressed.
"Summer," he replied curtly. "Now quit asking me questions. I already told you what you need to know about me. It's you that has all the mystery. And, hey, what happened to 'you keep your secrets and I'll keep mine?'"
Kagome winced. He's got me there, but it's not like I'm against telling him anything about myself.
"That doesn't mean we can't get to know each other a bit more," Kagome pointed out. "I just want to ask you about little things, you know? I'm talking about stuff like...what's your favorite color?"
Inuyasha looked at her, deadpanned. "My...favorite color?"
Kagome nodded. "Yeah. Mine is green."
The hanyo looked annoyed. "I don't have a favorite color. I don't have a favorite anything."
Kagome laughed. "Well, maybe you'll find one along the way."
"Are you always this irritating?" Inuyasha asked. "You're so...chipper."
And he's grouchy.
"Hey, remember the rule?" Kagome asked. "You're not allowed to be mean to me. And if I irritate you so much, why would you want to travel with me?"
Inuyasha didn't answer her for a moment.
Finally, he spoke.
"I've got nothing else to do, remember?"
Kagome hummed. "Fair enough."
"Do you have a destination in mind?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome shook her head.
"No," she admitted. "I just kind of wander and lie low."
Inuyasha nodded. "Okay...then would you be alright if we went to see a swordsmith? I need to, uh, get my sword sharpened."
Kagome shrugged. "Sure. I think the nearest one is a town over. We could stop there."
"No," Inuyasha replied quickly. "I need to see a...special swordsmith. A youkai swordsmith."
Oh, that makes sense, Kagome mused. I hope he's not offended that I assumed he'd be okay with a human one.
"That's fine," she replied. "Whatever you're most comfortable with. Where is the swordsmith located?"
Inuyasha mumbled an answer that Kagome didn't quite hear.
"What was that?" she asked.
"Sakurajima volcano," he muttered.
Kagome's eyes widened. He wants to go all the way there? That's insane!
"Sakurajima volcano? That's two weeks away!"
Inuyasha frowned. "No, it's not! It's only one."
Kagome shook her head. "Maybe for a youkai who can run fast and doesn't need to stop much, but I'm a human."
Inuyasha growled. "Then I guess we've got a two-week-long journey ahead of us." He paused. "How did you know how far away it is? Have you been there before?"
"I've been near there," Kagome replied. "I've walked the whole country, just about."
Inuyasha scoffed. "Keh, then why are you complaining? What's a little extra walking?"
Kagome rolled her eyes. "I'm not complaining. We can go to Sakurajima. It's fine."
Inuyasha nodded. "Great. I already have a route planned." He paused to grab a map out of his bag.
They took a few minutes to look over it before setting out again.
Kagome laughed. "So I just realized that you totally lied."
Inuyasha froze and looked at her with dread in his eyes.
"What?"
Kagome smiled. "You do have a mission. To get to the swordsmith, right? You've already got your route planned and everything. You could've told me. It's not like it's something you would've had to hide."
Inuyasha seemed to relax. "Oh. Right. My bad."
She eyed him, wondering what that odd reaction was about, but she didn't say anything else.
The walk was silent until nightfall; the only time they spoke was when Kagome offered him food from her bag.
Eventually, once it started getting rather late, Kagome asked if they could stop for the night.
Inuyasha groaned. "You want to stop already?"
Kagome glared at him. "I'm a human and it's getting late. Humans need sleep. Plus, it's starting to get a little chilly. I can build us a fire."
Inuyasha was obviously fuming, but he agreed.
"Fine. I'll go get some firewood."
"I can go get it," Kagome protested. Inuyasha waved her off and walked away.
Kagome frowned at him as he went further into the forest.
He seems to be in a perpetual bad mood, she realized. Maybe traveling with him isn't such a good idea…
When he returned, Kagome voiced that concern.
"What do you mean it's not a good idea?" Inuyasha asked. "Are you already tired of me?"
Kagome huffed. "No, but you certainly already seem tired of me."
Inuyasha looked taken aback. "I wasn't…I'm sorry. Just let me continue traveling with you. Please."
It was the most sincerity she'd ever heard in his voice, so she nodded.
"Okay," she replied. "I have some more food in my bag. Are you hungry?"
Inuyasha shrugged and set the firewood down before starting a fire.
As he got the fire going, Kagome pulled some bread out of her bag and handed a piece to Inuyasha.
Before he started to eat, he pulled his hood down for the first time.
Kagome gasped.
Ears!
Inuyasha jumped at her gasp. "What is it?"
Kagome's eyes locked on the little dog ears sitting atop the wild mess of silver hair that flowed down his back.
"You have such cute ears!" she exclaimed.
Inuyasha grimaced. "They're not cute."
"Can I touch them?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No, woman!"
Inuyasha growled and threw his hood back up, hiding his ears from sight.
"Don't hide them," Kagome begged. "I promise I won't ask to touch them. Besides, they must get uncomfortable under there. They're all tucked into a hood."
Inuyasha hesitated before frowning at her. "You swear you won't ask to touch?"
Kagome nodded. "I swear."
Inuyasha huffed and pulled the hood off again.
Kagome smiled as his ears twitched a bit, obviously getting used to their newfound freedom from the hood.
When Inuyasha frowned at her admiration, she looked away and nibbled on her bread.
As they ate silently, she snuck another peak at him. It was the first time she actually got to see more than his face.
His eyes looked more golden in the light of the fire, and his mane of silver hair was practically glowing. His unruly bangs hung in his face, and Kagome wondered how long it had been since he'd run a comb through his long locks. His hair wasn't messy, per say...just wild.
His other features were strong as well. Sharp eyebrows, straight nose, defined jaw...
Inuyasha...was handsome.
He might be the most handsome guy-er, half -guy, I've ever seen.
Inuyasha caught her looking.
"What did I say about-"
And the grumpiest...
"I wasn't looking at your ears!" Kagome cut in. "I promise."
"What were you looking at then?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously.
Kagome shrugged. "This is the first time I've seen you without your hood up. I was just...seeing what you look like without it."
Inuyasha looked away from her.
"I look like a youkai," he admitted disdainfully. "So...I hide my appearance as often as I can. It's easier to get by."
Kagome frowned. "Well, you don't have to hide your appearance around me. I won't ever judge you or think less of you just because you're a youkai. I'm not that kind of person."
Inuyasha looked at her then, and she thought she saw a small flash of guilt run through his eyes, but it was gone just as quickly.
"I'm still hungry," he announced as he stood up. "I'm gonna go find us some real food. Maybe a deer or something."
Kagome nodded. "Okay, thank you." Inuyasha didn't respond before heading deeper into the forest.
When he was gone, Kagome sighed.
What have I gotten myself into?
She hoped she'd made the right decision in teaming up with him.
Her next task was to perform a purification ritual for the jewel, but with Inuyasha now traveling with her, she wasn't sure how willing he'd be to stop so she could do it. She would also need to do it in secret to keep him from finding out about it...
I'll just have to ask him if we can make a quick stop tomorrow, I guess. I get the feeling that he won't be pleased with that idea, though…
In an attempt to calm her nerves, she rummaged around in her bag until she found her roll of yarn and knitting needles. That always helped to calm her down.
When Inuyasha returned, he looked at her like she was crazy.
"What are you doing?"
She didn't look up from her task. "Knitting. It helps me relax."
Inuyasha scoffed. "You look like an old lady," he said as he started preparing the deer he'd caught. Rolling her eyes, Kagome decided to wait until they'd started eating the meat to ask him about stopping.
When the meat was cooked, Inuyasha gave some to her after she put her knitting stuff away.
After a moment of mustering up her courage, she took a deep breath.
"So, uh, Inuyasha," she began, "do you think we could make a quick stop tomorrow?"
Inuyasha gaped at her with a handful of meat halfway to his mouth. "What? Already?"
Kagome shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah...please. I have to do something. Maybe we could stop near, like, a waterfall or something?"
"There's a river nearby," he replied. "Can't you just use that?"
Kagome shook her head. "I need a waterfall."
For a moment, Inuyasha looked like he was going to argue.
Then he calmed.
"Fine," he replied curtly. "But what could you possibly need to do at a waterfall?"
"Um…it has to do with what people are trying to get from me."
"Which means you can't tell me?"
"Uh, right..."
Inuyasha scoffed. "Keh. Whatever. We can stop at the first waterfall we see tomorrow. How long will it take?"
Kagome thought for a moment. "It usually only takes about twenty minutes, so it won't put us out too much. I'm sorry. I wouldn't ask unless it were really important."
Inuyasha looked at her for a quiet moment before he finally nodded.
"Alright," he replied as he started eating. "But it's gonna be a one-time stop. We can't keep taking random breaks."
Kagome breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay. Thanks."
The jewel is like a target on my back. I don't want to have more people come after me, let alone put Inuyasha in danger. He's grumpy and seems to always be annoyed, but we're still traveling together. It wouldn't be right to put him in danger.
They fell into silence as they continued their meal. Kagome was too worried to chat, but Inuyasha didn't seem to mind the quiet.
"You said there was a river nearby?" Kagome asked after they finished eating. At Inuyasha's nod, Kagome stood up.
"Which way is it?" she asked. "I'd like to freshen up before I go to sleep."
Inuyasha nodded in the direction of the river.
"Thanks," Kagome said. "Do you want to come, too?"
Inuyasha shook his head. "I'll go down later." Kagome nodded. It made no difference to her, so she grabbed her bag and headed toward the river.
When she reached the river, she became grateful that Inuyasha hadn't accompanied her. She'd had to skip her usual bathing the previous day because of the rain, so she was eager for a quick dip in the water. She would've loved to be in a bathhouse, but the river would get the job done just fine as well.
Once she'd bathed and washed her body, she dipped her hair into the water and scrubbed at her scalp. She planned on using her usual hair oil once she'd combed her hair, so it didn't take her long to finish bathing.
After cleaning her teeth and dressing in fresh clothing, she made her way back to Inuyasha.
"I'm back," she announced. Inuyasha nodded from where he was still seated in front of the fire.
Kagome sat down in her previous spot before pulling her comb and hair oil out of her bag.
She began running the comb through her locks, wincing when she would hit a knot. When that was done, she gathered her hair to the side and began to apply her hair oil.
As she spread it throughout her hair, she glanced up to see Inuyasha watching her.
"What?" she asked as she went about her task.
Inuyasha looked away. "Nothing." Kagome frowned.
He sure is awkward.
She finished up quickly, running the comb through her hair a final time to spread the oil throughout all of the locks. She wiped her hands on the grass around her and wiped the comb with the hem of her dress before putting it back in her bag.
Once she was done, she felt much fresher and cleaner. She didn't miss Inuyasha's occasional glances.
"I've never watched a woman apply hair oil," Inuyasha admitted.
Kagome smiled. "Well, now you've seen it. Was it everything you'd dreamed it would be?"
Inuyasha rolled his eyes, but Kagome didn't miss his amused smirk.
Later on, when Kagome lay down and got settled to go to sleep, she rolled over to face Inuyasha.
He was sitting up, arms folded across his chest, as he surveyed the forest around him.
"Are you gonna sleep?" Kagome asked.
Inuyasha shook his head. "Probably don't need much sleep. I might head down to the river now. "
"Oh," Kagome replied. "Well...wake me up when you're ready to go tomorrow. It doesn't matter how early it is."
"Will you be alright here sleeping by yourself?" Inuyasha asked.
Kagome nodded and smiled. "You'd be surprised at how capable I am of taking care of myself."
Inuyasha hummed and stood up. "Alright. See you in the morning then."
Kagome settled herself under her blanket.
"Good night," she said. She caught a glimpse of what looked like a small sense of confliction in his eyes, but it was too quick for her to know if it was truly there.
"Good night," Inuyasha replied as he walked away.
Kagome closed her eyes and snuggled up under her blanket.
I have a feeling that everything is going to change now that I'm with him.
O.o.O.o.O
After a quick rinse and teeth cleaning in the river, Inuyasha shook himself off, changed into fresh clothes, and went back to where Kagome was.
She was asleep as he'd expected, her breathing even and her face smooth in slumber.
As soon as Inuyasha sat down, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep that night.
He was too distracted by Kagome.
What could she possibly need to do that requires us to stop so soon? he wondered. I wonder what she's hiding. She said it has to do with her 'secret power,' but what could it be? With that spiritual power she blasted at Kagura, maybe it's a miko thing.
Inuyasha finally lay down on his back and looked up at the sky, watching the stars as they surrounded the moon.
He knew they had a long journey ahead, even beyond when they reached the youkai swordsmith's cave.
He glanced at the sword on the ground next to him.
Maybe this youkai swordsmith can do something about Tessaiga, he realized. None of the royal swordsmiths could ever figure it out. Piece of crap...I would never be able to fight with it. It's too rusty and dull. Who knows why Father gave it to me or why he didn't bother to explain it to me.
He looked over at the bow and arrows next to Kagome.
If she's a miko, she probably uses those to channel her power. A miko and a youkai teaming up...who would've guessed?
A wave of guilt started gnawing at him, though. He didn't know what Naraku wanted from her, but if she already knew Kagura as well as Inuyasha she suspected she must have from the familiarity of their interaction, Inuyasha was willing to bet Naraku wanted whatever she had really badly. Inuyasha was willing to bet that Naraku had tried to come for it way more than a few times.
Inuyasha almost wished he could tell Kagome that he was after Naraku. It might've been nice to have that in common with someone, to vent about what Naraku had done to his family.
After all, Naraku had completely destroyed Inuyasha's life in many different ways.
Looking at Kagome again, he wondered if that's what had happened to her.
She's so chipper and nice. It makes me wonder if it's even possible for her to feel sadness, unless she's just good at hiding it.
As much as he didn't want to admit it, she intrigued him. Her nonchalant manner of trying to get to know him, the way she so unabashedly called him out on his bad moods after barely even a day of traveling together...it was mind-boggling.
Who is she really? he wondered. He turned his head to face away from her, trying to shake her out of his thoughts.
Instead, he tried to focus on his plan.
We'll go to Sakurajima and meet the youkai swordsmith. Hopefully he has information on Naraku...then I'll try to be sneaky about suggesting to Kagome where we should go and lead us right to Naraku. It'll be perfect.
He tried to not feel guilty about it.
After all, what's the worst that could happen to Kagome? I use her to get Naraku to come out in an attempt to steal whatever it is from her and then I kill him. It's a good thing for both of us. Then we part ways. Simple as that. So...I need to stop feeling guilty. Even though I'm lying...and still kind of being a jerk to her...and potentially putting her in danger by leading her straight to someone who wants to steal something from her…and also omitting that the highest of youkai nobility are after me...eh, minor details.
Inuyasha shook his head. He had his resolve, and he knew there was no turning back now.
Now was the time for revenge, for vengeance. It was why he'd left the plush life he had in the castle of the Inu no Taisho fifteen years earlier. That kind of soft and luxurious lifestyle wasn't for him; it never had been in the first place, and after what happened with Naraku…
He was better off searching for him, trying to get the revenge that his older half-brother was so adamantly against him getting.
He doesn't understand. He doesn't get it. What I'm trying to do is just and right. Sesshomaru is an idiot for trying to keep me in the castle and for sending his youkai underlings to try and drag me back there. I won't let him. I'll never abandon this mission. I refuse to.
The thoughts continued to race through Inuyasha's mind for the rest of the night until the sun began to rise.
He sat up and looked over at Kagome, seeing that she'd rolled over in the night and was now facing him.
His eyes widened as he took her in; she looked different when her face was relaxed in slumber. She looked so peaceful; he decided to give her a little extra time to sleep before he roused her to find her waterfall.
Seriously, why a waterfall? he wondered as he watched her. What could she want with-
He cut himself off, realizing that he was still staring at her.
He looked away quickly, blushing despite his solitary wakefulness.
Get it together, he scolded himself. Idiot.
Deciding to just wake her up and get going, he stood up and stretched a bit before walking over to her.
He couldn't resist keeping his eyes on her face before he leaned down to pat her shoulder.
"Oi, wake up," he said, keeping his voice quiet so as not to scare her. "We gotta go."
Kagome took in a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes. When they locked on Inuyasha, she jumped.
"Calm down," Inuyasha said as he pulled his hand away.
Kagome sat up and ran a hand through her hair. "Sorry, you startled me. Good morning."
Inuyasha got up and walked over to the stack of wood from their fire last night. He rummaged around through his bag for a box of matches before remembering he'd run out. He hadn't even had a single match left for the fire last night either.
He sighed and grabbed the rocks he'd used the previous night.
I'll have to get a new box of matches in the next town we pass. I forgot how much I hate building fires from scratch.
Once he got the flames going again, he grabbed the leftover meat he'd wrapped up the night before and got a few pieces cooking.
"So," Kagome began, "did you sleep well?"
Inuyasha almost, almost, blushed.
"I already told you last night," he replied. "I don't need that much sleep."
Kagome hummed. "Alright. Well, if you get tired while we're traveling today, we can always take a break."
"Don't need it," Inuyasha said immediately. "Besides, I don't wanna waste any time."
Kagome frowned. "Is something wrong with your sword? You seem really...anxious to get to the swordsmith's place."
I need to be more subtle…
"Uh, yeah," he replied. "My sword is a piece of crap."
That's actually the truth, so at least I can use that as an excuse.
"Really?" Kagome asked. "What's wrong with it?" Inuyasha made sure the meat was cooking evenly before he grabbed his scabbard.
"It's old and rusty," he explained as he unsheathed the blade. "It was a gift from my father when I was younger. I don't know why he would give it to me, though. It's too dull to even fight with it."
Kagome peered at the sword. "Hm...it definitely does look old. Don't you have another weapon you can use? It doesn't seem like that would ward any threats off."
"I have my claws," Inuyasha replied awkwardly, uncomfortable speaking about his youkai traits to a human.
She probably thinks I'm some kind of feral animal...not that I really care what she thinks, though.
"I bet that comes in handy," Kagome chirped. "I'm glad you have at least something to defend yourself."
Inuyasha's eyes widened at her. Kagome paused.
"What?" she asked. "Did I say something to offend you?"
Inuyasha shook his head. "No, it's just...it's weird to talk about youkai stuff with a human. I know things are relatively peaceful between humans and youkai, but still…"
Kagome smiled. "I already told you I'm not the kind of person to be prejudiced like that. I don't think respect should be based on what a person is. Respect should be based on who a person is."
Inuyasha grimaced. For some reason, that doesn't make me feel better.
"Alright," he said flatly.
"Anyway," Kagome continued, "I've never been friends with a youkai before. Maybe we can both learn things from each other."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "You and I are not friends."
Kagome laughed. "You'll come around."
Grumbling under his breath, Inuyasha sheathed his sword and pulled the meat off the flames. He'd been so distracted by Kagome that he'd nearly burned it.
They finished up the last of the meat in silence; when they were finished, Inuyasha stomped out the fire before they set off again.
Inuyasha tossed his hood up, making sure his hair and ears were covered as they walked. He noticed Kagome eye the motions, but he ignored her, just trying to focus on their trek.
We've already wasted a night...it'll probably take us longer than the two weeks now, since apparently she wants to stop every...single...night.
About thirty minutes after they started walking, Kagome spoke.
"Um, Inuyasha?" she said.
"What?"
"Can we still stop sometime today?"
Inuyasha groaned. I forgot about her waterfall thing.
"Fine," he said gruffly.
He glanced around and took a deep sniff of their air, trying to see if he could pick up on anything nearby. He wasn't so sure about a freaking waterfall, but he figured he would try his best.
Inuyasha picked up on a watery scent in the east, which irritated him since they were heading southwest, but he hoped it wouldn't waste too much of their time.
"I caught the scent of one," he announced. "It's that way." He switched their directions and Kagome immediately followed him, smiling brightly.
"Great!" she exclaimed. "Thanks, Inuyasha."
There he went, almost, almost blushing again.
"Keh," he scoffed quietly.
It took them about fifteen minutes to reach the water, and Inuyasha was grateful for the sounds of a waterfall he picked up as they got closer. It didn't sound like a particularly large one, but he hoped it would still work for Kagome.
When they arrived, Kagome nodded. "This will be just fine." She glanced at him. "Um, can I have some privacy? It's a...secret thing."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes, not answering her as he walked away. He hopped up into a nearby tree, close enough that he could hear if she called for him or if she were attacked unexpectedly.
About five minutes after he'd left her alone, he felt a steady stream of spiritual power begin to flow from Kagome's direction.
He sat straight up on the branch, flicking his ears and feeling a prickling sensation against his skin.
This feels weird. What is she doing? Now I know it's a miko thing. She's got some explaining to do when she's done with her crap…
After about twenty minutes, the spiritual power receded completely, leaving Inuyasha on edge long after its disappearance.
Shortly afterward, he heard Kagome's footsteps approaching, so he hopped off the branch and to the ground with his arms crossed over his chest.
Kagome smiled when she reached him. "I'm finished. Thanks for the stop."
"Are you a miko?" Inuyasha demanded.
Kagome paused. "Why would you think that?"
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "You don't think I could feel all that power? Now tell me. Are you a miko?"
And the power from when she blasted Kagura...I know she's a miko. It's just a matter of getting her to admit it.
Kagome sighed. "Okay, yes. I'm a miko. I didn't tell you because...well, I would never hurt you or any other youkai unless it were a life-or-death situation."
"Okay…" Inuyasha began. "And were you doing a miko thing at the waterfall?"
Kagome nodded and fidgeted a bit. "Do you...do you not want to travel together anymore? I understand if you don't."
The shame on her face at admitting she's a miko, Inuyasha mused, reminds me of how I feel about being a hanyo. Maybe...maybe we really are more alike than I thought.
"We can still travel together," Inuyasha replied. "Doesn't make a difference to me."
Kagome nodded. "Thank you." She suddenly laughed. "I figured you would want the excuse to leave me behind."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Whatever, woman. I already said I want us to travel together."
"Oh, I see," Kagome teased. "You're a man of your word?"
Inuyasha grimaced and looked away from her.
I'm still going to use her to lure out Naraku, but I'm almost starting to feel guilty about it...she's so... nice. It's driving me crazy.
"Let's just get going," Inuyasha said. "We have a lot of ground to cover."
Kagome nodded and followed him as they set off for the swordsmith once more.
O.o.O.o.O
Like usual, Kagome was exhausted after purifying the jewel.
She'd gone too long without performing the purification ritual, so it had used way more of her power than she'd anticipated.
She tried her hardest to keep it from Inuyasha, but she wasn't used to using her powers, let alone so much at once, so it was starting to get hard to even stay upright as she and Inuyasha walked.
I can't let him know that I'm this tired, she resolved. He'll complain the whole time. He's so...unpredictable. It's kind of annoying, but whatever. Nothing I can do about it.
And besides...she had other things to worry about.
It was only a matter of time before he figured out I'm a miko, she mused as they walked. I was hoping it would be a lot later on when he trusted me more, but it seems like he's dealing with it decently enough.
Kagome had so many questions about him. She felt a strange kinship with him, one she couldn't quite understand.
When she looked into his eyes…
It felt like she was looking at herself.
I wonder what his reaction would be if I said that. He'd probably growl at me.
Kagome almost laughed at the thought, but she felt too listless. She was miserably exhausted and they'd only been walking for a mere ten minutes. She kept at it, though, not wanting to allude to her fatigue.
She doubted he'd even notice how quiet she'd gotten. She managed to keep up with him as he walked at his usual brisk pace, but it took nearly all of the remaining energy she possessed.
Suddenly, he turned to look at her.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked, his words harsh but his eyes more concerned than Kagome figured he realized.
Kagome shook her head. "Nothing. I'm fine."
Inuyasha scoffed. "Keh. You're fine, my butt. I can tell something is off with you." Realization seemed to dawn on him. "Oh, wait. You did a miko thing. I've heard that using a lot of spiritual power at once can make a miko sick. So...are you sick?"
Kagome shook her head again. "It doesn't make us sick. It drains our energy. I'm just a little tired. I don't use my miko powers often, so it takes more out of me than usual when I actually do use them. I'm okay, though. Don't worry about it."
Inuyasha narrowed his eyebrows and set a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to stop walking.
She looked at him questioningly as he took her bag before walking in front of her and kneeling down slightly.
"What are you doing?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and motioned to his back.
"Just get on," he grumbled. "We can't very well get to where we're going if you're about to pass out the whole time we're walking there."
Kagome's eyes widened.
He's being...considerate of me?
"Are you sure?" she asked. Inuyasha huffed and settled her bag on the opposite arm of his own bag.
"Just get on, woman."
Kagome felt herself blush a bit as she set her hands on his shoulders to get a grip on him.
He hooked his arms under her thighs, making sure she was comfortable against his back before he started moving forward again.
Kagome felt herself growing drowsier at the steady pace of Inuyasha's footsteps. Her eyes started to drift closed as she lay her head against him.
His hair tickled her face; it smelled fresh and woodsy, like pine trees mixed with wind and sunshine.
"Thanks, Inuyasha," she said softly with a yawn.
If he replied, she didn't hear it. She was already lulled to sleep.
To be continued...
So I forgot how annoying FFN is with uploading docs/chapters and I won't have time to post the rest right now but the last 17 chapters will be up later this evening! You can also find this story in its entirety on Archive of Our Own, if you don't want to wait ;)