Chapter Two
lil-kag0m3:blushes: You are too kind. Thank you so much for the review; you were my only one…. But you really made me work faster, not to mention cut out on doing some of the homework that I had, but this chapter is finally up. Please let me know if it is as good as the last!
Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi, not me, although I do own both Hokori and Mayoka
She was still alive
She couldn't believe it.
The Miko pressed two fingers to the child's neck, her ear close to the mouth. There was a pulse, and breath entering her body. Kagome lifted her head to look at Hokori. "We need to get her back to the—" She stopped herself. If the girl woke in that village, she probably wouldn't take it well. "Stay with her, I need to go find some supplies." The woman said instead. The Neko nodded slightly before laying down around the child protectively.
Kagome took of at a run back to the village. She quickly began to look through the huts, trying to find unburned bandages for the injured girl.
The Miko was on the last hut, if there were no bandages in here, she would have to improvise. A silent sigh left the woman's lips as she found an unburned trunk filled with medical supplies. She didn't stop to celebrate, quickly closing the lid and hefting the wooden box onto her back. She ran back out of the hut and village, her heart racing.
She dropped to her knees as she reached the child's side. Her hands worked quickly, cleaning and dressing the wounds she could find. Her heart and soul reached out to the girl; if she lived, she would be the first to survive one of Inu-Yasha's attacks.
((Across A Land))
The sun had almost completely set in the western horizon. The dark haired Miko sighed silently as she leaned back onto her feet. Hokori was off hunting for his dinner, so it was only the tow females left. Kagome looked at her bloody hands. She had done all she could. It was up to the child now.
Hokori returned about an hour after dark, carrying a rabbit carefully between his fangs. The Miko smiled up at him from her position on the ground. The Neko sat at her side, holding out the meat to her. "Thank you," the woman whispered, taking the food lightly. "Please watch over her." Kagome got to her feet, and walked toward the village again. She would need to clean up; cook and eat the rabbit as well.
((Across A Land))
Mayoka was having trouble breathing. Something was tightly wrapped around her chest. She tried to move, it was impossible. What's going on? Her dark eyes slowly opened. She was met by a soft growl, and something soft keeping her warm. She slowly, and stiffly, turned her head to see what it was.
She gasped and tried to pull away from the youkai, not getting very far before clutching her chest in pain. Her breathing was ragged as she tried to ignore her pain. Where's Okaasan?
The Neko had gotten to its feet now, towering above her. The girl began to shake in fear. The youkai's blue eyes stared into her, seeming to search her soul.
"Hokori?" A woman asked drowsily. Mayoka turned to the human as she appeared at her side. Coal clashed with chestnut as the woman's eyes snapped alert. "You're awake." The woman stated. Mayoka was beginning to wish that she was staring down that Neko youkai instead of this dark eyed woman.
"Wh—Where's my Okaasan?" The child stammered. The woman glanced at the Neko before asking her own question to Mayoka.
"What do you remember?"
((Across A Land))
Kagome turned back to the suddenly conscious child in front of her. "Do you remember what happened?" The Miko pressed again. She could see the fear in the child's black eyes. She slowly nodded to Kagome.
"A youkai… it was a youkai… It came from the village… I could see the blood… It was covered in it…" The girl trembled as her head lowered, her eyes locking on a single flower still standing on the ground between them. "She's—she's dead, isn't she?" The younger human muttered, her shaking hands clenching into little fists.
Kagome could see the tears fall from the coal black eyes, landing on the dry ground silently. The woman didn't know what to say. Her old self wanted to comfort the weeping child, but her hardened mind wanted to just move on; after all, the girl had survived. The child clutched at her chest in pain as she began to sob.
"Was she in the village?" Kagome finally asked softly. The girl slowly looked up into the woman's eyes. She didn't need to say a word; the child's eyes said it all. "Everyone in the village was killed… sumimasen." Those words felt rough; apologizing to anyone but Hokori and sometimes Koga was hard.
"I—I see…" The girl stuttered, lowering her head again. Kagome searched for something to say.
"What's your name?" It was the first thing that came to mind. The young girl sniffled as she lifted her head again. The Miko smiled kindly.
"Mayoka…"
"Mayoka, that's a pretty name." The woman said softly. There was a tight silence.
"What's your name?" Mayoka asked to break the heavy air. Kagome's eyes snapped back into focus.
"Hu? Oh, my name's Kagome, and this is Hokori." She replied, motioning to the Neko standing just behind her. He growled lightly in acknowledgement.
"What are you doing out here?" The younger girl added, her dark eyes scanning over the woman.
She had her black hair pulled back into a high ponytail and then braided so that it fell to below her waist, with a set of bangs hanging loosely around her tan face. She wore the purple armor of what looked like a Taijiya warrior, but Mayoka knew that the Taijiya's had been whipped out four years ago. There was a small dagger tied to Kagome's ankle, with a full sword tied to her waist. The woman had a quiver of arrows over her back, and a bow resting beside her. Her deep chestnut eyes seemed hard, as if she was hiding some deep, dark, painful secret.
"I'm looking for something…someone." Kagome answered softly. She turned her head to look at the eastern horizon as the sun began to rise.
"Who?" The girl asked.
"What?" The Miko snapped, her eyes dancing with a dangerous fire as she turned to the child. Mayoka shook under the hard glare of the older woman.
"Wh—who are you—looking for?" The girl stammered. The pain in her chest suddenly intensified. She gasped silently in pain, screwing her eyes shut.
"That is none of your business, Mayoka." Kagome growled, standing up sharply. The younger female began to pant in pain as her lungs began to burn without air. Almost instantly the woman was on her knees again, trying to help the child. "Mayoka, can you hear me?" She called as the girl feinted again. "Open your eyes!" Kagome shouted, shaking Mayoka lightly.
The Miko opened the girl's shirt to check the bandages. "Damn it…" She hissed, seeing the blood seeping through the cloth. She touched the wound cautiously, and her fingers came back bloody. She lifted her dark eyes up to the Neko at her side. "The bleeding hasn't stopped; we need to get some more herbs. Help me carry her to the river, Hokori." The Miko lifted the child effortlessly into her arms before sitting on the Neko's back. They were instantly in the air, flying to the running water.
((Across A Land))
He sat in the cave, his back resting against the hard rock wall. His hand clenched and unclenched in a fist. He was still covered in blood, the stench burning into his nose. But he wanted more… No, that wasn't right, killing humans was wrong.
Don't you remember how they treated you… like you were a disease.
No… not all of them…
Kikyo… she sealed you to that tree.
Kagome… The young girl's face flashed in front of his eyes. He knew she was following him…
That bitch is nothing… His mind blanked out and he let out an inhuman roar, running out of the cave into the newly rising sunlight.
Kagome…
((Across A Land))
The Miko's chocolate eyes darted to the silent form on the bank. The bleeding had finally stopped, after Kagome had cleaned out the wound, applied new ointments, and rewrapped her bandages. That Mayoka was a fighter, she almost reminded the woman of herself.
Kagome closed her eyes as she slid into the cold water, her under kimono still on; she had learned to be ready at any second for attack. She held her breath as her head was completely submerged in the liquid. The quick bath felt good as it washed away all of the grime and blood from her body. Her head lifted from the water again and she made sure Mayoka was still alright.
"Hey, Hokori," she called softly as she stepped out of the water, covering herself with a blanket. The Neko's ears twitched as he stared at the woman. She smiled softly at him as she stroked the top of his head. "We can't keep staying in one spot. He's moving on, destroying more villages." The Miko whispered as she sat in front of the fire chasing away the darkness around them once again. Hokori lay down next to her quietly.
"I don't want to leave the girl on her own, but…" She shook her head. The whole day had been spent trying to stabilize the child, one whole day in one spot. It had been two and a half years since the Miko had stayed that long in one spot. A moan broke the silence.
"Okaasan…?" Mayoka's eyes opened slowly as she searched for her mother. Kagome glanced at Hokori again before moving to the girl's side. The child's eyes were unfocused as her head turned to the Miko. "Mama…?" She blinked away the fogginess to get a better look. Sadness filled her dark eyes as her heart caught up with her mind.
"Are you alright, Mayoka?" The woman asked, softly stroking the child's bangs off of her forehead.
"Kagome-san…" Mayoka smiled half-heartedly as she sat up stiffly. The Miko didn't say anything, but her eyes were alert for any change in the girl's health. The two sat silently, until the younger female's voice broke in once again. "Gomen, I'm sure you need to move on." Kagome's eyes widened at the child's words. Mayoka tried to force a smile as she turned up to look at the woman. The Miko searched the girl's face silently.
"You heard then, did you?" She finally stated, crossing her arms over her chest, a hard stare on the girl. The child's head lowered, her eyes darting away from the older females.
"I won't lie about hearing what you said… I should have died…" Her tear filled eyes snapped up to Kagome's. "You should have left me to die." The child's voice was harsh. "I could have been with Okaasan!" She shouted. The Miko's heart tore in half at the girl's words, but her features remained impassive.
"Is that how you feel?" Her voice was as cold as her stare. "Fine then, in the morning I will go on, without you." Her words carried their own venom, a poison that paralyzed the child. Kagome stared at the girl another second before stiffly getting to her feet and moving to the other side of the fire.
Tears filled Mayoka's eyes again as she lay back down carefully, gingerly touching the wound on her chest. She hid her sob as she closed her eyes, one lone tear falling from each eye. Okaasan… Kagome-san…