In the Beholders Eye

Written By Sarga

May/June 2006

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters, I'm just taking a theme and running with it...

Chapter 27: Reunion

Inuyasha awoke to a strange warmth. Opening his eyes, he saw the bundle in his arms, Kagome. She was snuggled in the crook of his arm, sleeping peacefully, her arms wrapped in a gentle embrace about him.

Inuyasha smiled, his thoughts drifting to the night before. They had kissed. He had told her the truth and she kissed him again. They had spent several hours talking, about her family, about his family. About them. They had fallen asleep talking, learning more about each other than they had realized was there to learn. Yet they had only just begun!

Inuyasha felt Kagome shift in his arms, a small smile playing on her lips before her honey-coloured eyes peered up into his.

"Morning," he whispered.

She kissed him in response, lightly, yet without hesitation. They gently pulled away, a smile plastered on each of their faces. Sitting up, the pair started to tidy up their sleeping mats.

Kagome looked coyly back over her shoulder.

"Turn around, I have to get dressed." Inuyasha smirked, resembling Miroku for an instant, before complying, turning obediently away from her disrobing figure. He heard her sharp intake of breath and was tempted to turn around, but knew that a 'slap' and a 'sit' would likely be the result.

Fully dressed, her cursed wound reopened, Kagome smelled as Momoko passed by the door. Shuffling sleepily forward, Kagome opened the door.

"Good morning," Momoko called, apparently startled by Kagome's sudden appearance. "I did not hear you so I had assumed you were asleep."

"No, no," Kagome waved Momoko in. "We were just getting ready for the day." Turning back to Inuyasha, who was still facing the opposing wall, she chuckled. "You can turn around again, Inuyasha."

Momoko entered the room and made to sit near Kagome's and Inuyasha's sleeping mats. Pausing for a moment, she returned to the door, closed it securely before sitting across from the pair.

"My father has instructed me to tell you of Kigaro's location and escort you out of the compound. Kigaro is the monk who I sent Miroku and Sango to." Momoko lowered her voice. "But I will be showing you the way myself. I have not been outside these walls in quite a while, but I feel as if I know the way by heart." Momoko pulled back and giggled a little. "I sent your friends the long way around, in the hopes that you would be able to catch up with them quickly."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"The long way?" he asked.

Momoko blushed. Kagome felt a pang of jealousy as she saw Momoko's eyes flutter over Inuyasha's form.

"I sent them from the east through the swamp that surrounds his home. If they had from the west, there is a much easier path," Momoko chuckled again. "I knew you would follow, so I assumed that you would want to catch up with them."

"Thanks, Momoko," Kagome said with a smile. Momoko seemed to have good intuition, especially for someone so young. "How old are you Momoko?" Kagome asked, thinking the young maiden was about her age, if not younger.

"I'm 31, Lady Kagome," Momoko replied, causing a look of surprise to come from Kagome. "My mother's kind takes a lot longer to age than most demons. I've been told that my sister, who is 14, looks more like a child of 6." Looking hastily behind her, Momoko's expression turned solemn, her voice again hushed. "We should leave soon. I have left a note on my pillow explaining my decision to leave. I hope he follows," she said bitterly. "He would have to take my sister with him to do so. She deserves to see the world as much as I do." She blushed, almost imperceptibly. "She deserves to find love as much as I did. But we can speak of this once we pass father's guardian demons. I...I don't want to remain here any longer."

Standing, Momoko offered her hand to Kagome and helped her to her feet.

Sliding the door from its frame they set out across the grounds. As Momoko had stated, her father was nowhere in sight. Opening the outer doors from the inside, Momoko braced herself. She had not left since she was much younger, younger even than her sister.

"We'll have to run," Momoko whispered. "But they usually only attack those who approach." The others nodded as Momoko pulled the door shut behind her.

"Ready?" Inuyasha asked.

Both women nodded their heads and they prepared to run.

"Go!"

The three shot forwards. They made it unaccosted to the forest edge and saw that the demons that had so viciously attacked on their approach were circling lazily, as if they had not even seen the trio.

As they made their way through the forest, their pace slowed for Momoko, Kagome decided to find out more about their new travel companion.

"You mentioned finding love, Momoko," Kagome asked, sidling next to the girl as they walked. "How did you meet if you've never left your home?"

Momoko blushed. "I mentioned earlier that I inherited certain 'abilities' from my mother, right?"

Kagome nodded.

"Well, one of those abilities is to project my essence, my spirit, if you will. I've been meeting a boy in a nearby village for the last three years." Momoko's blush deepened. "We will be meeting for the first time in person in a few weeks. Before I do that, I need to talk to my mother's friend Kigaro. He has promised to guide my abilities. He also knew so much more than Father was ever willing to tell me about Mother. I feel that he would be much more willing to share." Momoko's eyes became distant as she trailed off, lost in thought.

Inuyasha, in his usual impatient manner, began to get fidgety with their slow pace. Noticing this, Kagome threw her pack at him.

"Momoko, climb on my back, I'll carry you," Kagome offered. 'Smitten with another or not, I'm not going to let this girl be carried by my man.' Kagome shook her head lightly as Momoko climbed on her back. Chuckling, she thought onward. 'One night in his arms and I'm already getting territorial...'

- - - - - - - - - -

In two days, they had covered the same distance that the misdirected Sango and Miroku had taken nearly two weeks to travel. Reaching Kigaro's hut in short order Momoko shouted out as she climbed down from Kagome's back.

"Uncle Kigaro?"

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow towards Kagome. "Uncle?"

"Some families call close friends 'Uncle'," Kagome offered.

"Momoko?" An ancient man poked his head from within his hut, long robes trailing towards the ground.

"I've brought the people you mentioned, Uncle," Momoko replied, embracing her uncle in a loving hug. "It is good to see you again, Uncle. As we had discussed, I have come for further training before I meet my beloved." Kagome could see the rosy colour return to Momoko's cheeks as she spoke.

Kigaro nodded, looking lovingly at his 'niece', like a man looking at the daughter he wished were his own.

Turning to his visitors, Kigaro smiled warmly. "I would offer you tea, but I know you are in a hurry. Instead I offer you directions and information. Your friends can be found in a village about a day's journey north-west. It seemed that they were meandering rather awkwardly for a few days...I don't know why, I've given them a beacon..." the old man trailed off distractedly. "But that is of no consequence. I don't know how long they will stay in the village. They stopped there a couple of nights ago but may continue onwards."

Bowing in thanks, Kagome and Inuyasha turned in the direction the old man had pointed them in.

In a day they would be with their friends once more.

- - - - - - - - - -

Inuyasha and Kagome raced towards the nearby village. They had been running all night and all day in an effort to meet their friends quickly. Slowing to a walk, so as not to scare the locals, Inuyasha felt Kagome move closer, her hand brushing his. Inuyasha clasped Kagome's hand in his own in response.

Inuyasha felt a faint smile grace his lips. 'Human or hanyou, she's staying,' he thought, momentarily squeezing her hand in his. Kagome looked up at him, her tired golden eyes glittering with joy.

A gust of wind brought the scents of the town to their noses.

"Sango's angry," Kagome stiffened at the realization with a mixture of worry and relief. Worry due to her friend's anger, relief at having found her.

"Miroku's horny," Inuyasha responded simply, explaining the cause of Sango's distress.

Inuyasha heard Kagome giggle at his remark. He felt himself smile wider at her laughter, as if happiness were contagious. The thought of what Miroku's state of being implied made Inuyasha grow warm, causing a tinge of rosy flesh to colour his neck and cheeks.

In a sudden wave of desire, Inuyasha pulled Kagome to him, catching her off guard. She stumbled into him and was easily caught in Inuyasha's awaiting arm. Bringing his free hand to her startled face, Inuyasha gently stroked her cheek.

"Kagome," he whispered, bringing his lips to hers in a chaste, yet passion filled kiss. He felt her respond, but pulled away suddenly at the sound of nearby footsteps.

Kagome nodded in the direction the noise had come from, having heard them too.

Moving back to hand holding, the pair continued heading towards the village. It was not unusual for humans to be in a forest so close to a community, so they did not investigate further.

Reaching the village edge, Inuyasha was met with an amusing sight. True to their earlier indications, Sango was in a fit of rage, beating a starry eyed Miroku senseless. Shippo stood nearby, watching the scene with a look of amusement. He was the first to notice the arrival.

"Inuyasha? Kagome?" Shippo ran towards the pair as they unlocked their hands. Kagome bent down to scoop the child into a warm embrace.

"Shippo!" Kagome sang. "I missed you so much."

Shippo pulled back a little in Kagome's arms, his nose wrinkled up in distaste. "Kagome, why do you smell like Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha saw Kagome's cheeks turn a beautiful shade of pink as she spoke the most beautiful words he could ever hear:

"You'll have to get used to it, Shippo," Kagome glanced at Inuyasha with a suggestive smile. "It's here to stay."

Inuyasha felt himself turn rosy cheeked in response, despite the insult the demon child had just given him. With Kagome's new attitude towards him, Inuyasha was too overwhelmed with warm fuzzies to consider bopping the child on the head, at least for the time being.

Sango approached the trio, her anger seemingly fallen to the wayside. She embraced Kagome warmly, Shippo jumping to the ground as Sango let out a sob. Kagome wanted to squeeze her friend for all her might, but realized that with her new strength, it might not be such a good idea. Pulling back, the pair of women could be seen blinking unshed tears from their eyes.

As Miroku approached Kagome, Inuyasha growled. It was bad enough that the monk disrespected women in general, but if he should disrespect his woman...

"If that hand goes any lower, I'll claw it off," Kagome's pleasant tone almost masked the sincerity of her words. Almost.

Inuyasha felt a burst of pride at Kagome's ability to hold her own.

Kagome was led towards a moderately sized hut by Sango, Shippo and Kilala trailing behind. Miroku approached Inuyasha and the two set out after the women.

"It is good to see you in such high spirits, Inuyasha," Miroku chatted cheerfully. "I am glad that we were fortunate enough to stop here when we did. We have been given information about a powerful magical item known as the Kasei-Ippin. It changes shape after each wish it grants, so we don't know what we're looking for. We do, however, know how to find its protector. I will explain more tonight, while the girls are asleep."

They quickly reached the doorway, and were ushered inside by Sango. Inuyasha followed the women into a side room and was quickly pushed back out by Sango.

"This is the girls room," Sango scolded. "You get to sleep with him." She pointed to Miroku as Kagome sent Inuyasha an apologetic shrug.

Inuyasha sighed. He had gotten so used to being in Kagome's exclusive company that he had almost forgotten their normal sleeping arrangements. Resigned to his lonely fate, Inuyasha joined Miroku in another room, his melancholy attitude punctuated by the solid thunk of the womens' door closing firmly.

After several hours of explanation, Inuyasha was caught up on all of the information Miroku and Sango had accumulated. Turning in for the night, Inuyasha realized how cold it was.

'Maybe we can rethink this sleeping arrangement thing,' he thought lazily as he drifted off. 'I could really get used to having Kagome keep me warm.'

End of Chapter

- - - - - - - - - -

Collective Voice: "Awwww...how cute!"

More reviews more story. I have two chapters in reserve. I will post them on a schedule I have preset, unless you convince me to post earlier. So convince me: Review.

- Sarga