Summary: Kagome and Inuyasha on escorting duty. What can possibly go wrong?
A/N: Hope you have good time and don't get cold. Have fun reading!
Beta: sunshineisdelicious
Merry Journey
It was getting dark quickly. The sun was still up, but the forest was already pretty dark. Akiro would probably have stopped and make camp a while ago, but Inuyasha just growled at him when he had suggested it. Kagome stuck her head out of the carriage and got barked at that it was not a place where Inuyasha wanted to camp and that puny humans should leave campsite-picking to those who can handle it without getting a bunch of youkai attack them. Shippou translated that as Inuyasha said that there was a lair of youkai nearby and they'd get attacked at night. Upon hearing that, Akiro didn't voice his desire to stop for the night again, deciding to trust the forest spirit.
Finally Inuyasha jumped off the carriage and pointed to a hillside on an other side of the road. When Kagome exited the vehicle to look at it she saw there was a cave partially hidden behind trees.
"You females will like it, it has a hot spring on its back," Inuyasha said and crossed his arms in front of his chest, obviously proud of himself. "Go there and wait for me, I'll do a short run."
"Is it safe?" Kagome asked in concern and got an affirmative "Keh!" as an answer before Inuyasha leapt away between the growing shadows of the forest. Akiro looked at the miko standing next to the carriage, apparently waiting for her verdict. She focused and scanned the area for youki before nodding and smiling reassuringly. It seemed there were a few youkai nearby, but nothing seemed to be too close or strong. When she looked at the cave entrance again she saw it had signs of being used by people before. She saw some trees were removed from the close proximity of the cave, preventing anything from sneaking up on resting travelers, but not to the point where there wouldn't be anything to shield the cave from the view. It seemed it could be seen only from a small part of the road.
Soon the horses were tied near the cave entrance, shielded from the wind by the carriage. The lady and her little cousin helped Kagome and Akiro find firewood around the cave, not shying away from work only because of their noble blood. There was a small pile of dry wood stacked by someone inside, but they wanted to make sure they had enough. Their temporary dwelling was quite big. The adults could touch the ceiling with their outstretched hands. It was divided into two caves by a wall of loose stones, leaving a narrow entrance to the back of the complex, where a small hot spring was located. It was not only heating the air in the cave, but also provided a way to quickly warm oneself.
As soon as they had the fire going, thanks to Shippou's kitsune fire, Kagome sent both her female companions to soak in the spring. It was big enough to fit two people and she wanted to start preparing food while they were bathing. Akiro collected clean snow in their pot and kettle, hanging them above the fire to melt while she was busy with rummaging through their bags and taking out of them various items and ingredients.
She yelped and jumped back when a piece of fresh meat dangled in front of her face. The person holding it snickered at her startled look. Kagome glared at the forest spirit standing before her and accepted the skinned result of his 'run'. Inuyasha walked to the nearest wall and sat there, his legs crossed, his hands in his sleeves, the sword resting against his shoulder. As soon as the ladies joined them, Kagome sent Akiro to the spring, figuring out he was more needing it, after hours on the driver's bench. To Kagome's surprise both Hitomi and Hikari tied back their sleeves and started helping with the supper preparations. Shippou was watching the fire, making sure it wasn't too big or too small. She smiled at the serious look on the child's face. He was proud of his responsible duty. He left his post when Akiro returned, moving much less stiffly, to join Kagome in the bath. The boy left her after a few minutes, returning to the fire. Kagome closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of her bath and the quiet noises of her companions talking. It wasn't much - Hikari was quiet as always, Inuyasha was replying to direct questions with an array of grunts. It was up to Shippou and the other pair of humans to lead the conversation and it seemed the talkative kitsune was in his element, telling fox stories and showing off his tricks.
She had entered the main cave while releasing her hair from a high bun when she heard a low growl. Kagome looked at Inuyasha, who was still sitting in the same position, glaring at Hikari standing mere meters from him, her hands lifted as if she was going to outstretch them. The hanyou's ears were tilted back, a scowl on his face.
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked the girl, who just looked back at him, longing in her eyes. "You gotta tell me what you want, kid. And it better ain't what I think it is." Inuyasha said gruffly and spared a glance at Kagome approaching the girl's side, the lady kneeling beside Shippou and Akiro squatting by the fire - everyone was looking back at him. His scowl deepened.
"Ears," the girl uttered in a soft voice, causing the said appendages to perk up and twitch. "May I?" she elaborated in the tone full of hope, sounding more like a girl her age for the first time.
"No. Go away," Inuyasha growled back. Hikari's eyes dimmed and she let her hands fall limply at her sides. Kagome looked at her disappointed expression and rested her hand on her shoulder before she could move back. 'Oh, Inuyasha, how can you deny her? She's so sweet and sad, she just wants to touch them... I totally understand her,' the miko thought, determined to help a fellow female get a hold of her friend's fuzzy ears. As if sensing her decision the hanyou plastered his ears against his head and glared at her, but she wasn't afraid of him.
"Come on, Inuyasha," she said softly, smiling at him. "She just wants to touch them..."
"No one touches 'em," was his reply. The girl sighed dejectedly, looking up at Kagome as if to thank her for her effort before returning to her cousin's side. But Kagome didn't remove her hand from her shoulder. The miko frowned when she saw a twinkle of something unusual in Inuyasha;s yellow eyes before they turned away. If she didn't know better she'd call it fear. She tried to coax him into giving up with a gentle tone of voice.
"She won't tug them, I promise..."
"Don't promise stuff for people you don't know, stupid," the hanyou cut in. Kagome rested her hands on her hips.
"Don't call me stupid! It's not my fault they're so cute everyone wants to touch them," she growled at him, unaware of Shippou shaking his head behind her back and returning to fishing the pieces of meat out from their stew.
"You humans are crazy, all of you," the forest spirit glared and then turned to scowl at the girl. "Go grab Shippou's ears." Kagome opened her mouth to say something, but the hanyou sprang to his feet and walked out of the cave, ignoring lady Hitomi's worried expression and Akiro nervously clutching at an amulet hanging around his neck. The miko wasted a second to look after the forest spirit, but then dropped her gaze to see Hikari's eyes. The girl's face was again calm and Kagome couldn't read her emotions. 'Is she sad? Disappointed? Or is it of little importance to her?'
"Don't worry," she said warmly. "I'll help you, Hikari."
"When we meet again. Until then I'll be patient," the girl nodded and walked back to sit beside her cousin as if nothing happened. Kagome stared after her for a minute.
The next day was as uneventful as the previous one. They had no troubles, following a road shielded by tree limbs and not encountering any danger. They passed one traveler, but besides him they were the only ones on the road - the traders and messengers weren't traveling during winter if they could help it.
Shippou was a great person to entertain others - chatty and always willing to show his awesome magic tricks. He was spending some of the time with Akiro - after some coaxing from Kagome the boy let the kitsune make a ball of fox fire burning on top of a stick to keep him warm. Kagome was happy that Shippou seemed to frighten the headman's son less now. Hikari was mostly observing the kitsune or the forest while her older cousin was talking to Kagome, sharing a few stories from her life in her family palace. Kagome returned the favor by telling her about village life. Kagome was quite pleased that the lady didn't turn out to be a stuck up spoiled woman. She was reserved and shy, but also kind and honest.
Only the forest spirit was keeping his distance from others. He spent the day running around the carriage in a wide circle. Kagome was reminding herself throughout the day that he had to make sure nothing was sneaking up on them, but she still felt abandoned. Every time the conversation died down for a few minutes her mind wandered back to the hanyou she could sense nearby if she focused really hard.
The more she thought about it, the more convinced she was that Inuyasha had not let Hikari close to himself because she had spiritual powers. The girl was able to predict the future - she could posses other abilities. And Inuyasha had bad memories with spiritual power wielders. 'But then... He trusts me, right? I'm a miko...' Kagome jumped in her seat when she felt a foreign youki flaring near the road and then disappearing as suddenly as it appeared, a pained shout coming from the forest, Inuyasha's youki engulfing the quickly disappearing aura of his slain opponent. She hadn't felt the other youkai - nor the forest spirit - before the final moment of its life. 'But I am weak, he has no need to fear me attacking him,' she thought, feeling a bitter taste in her mouth. Was Inuyasha more at ease around her than other spiritually gifted people just because she was weak? Would it be he didn't really trust her?
"Kagome?" She looked at the little kitsune sitting next to her. "Don't worry, Inuyasha won't let any youkai come close to us."
She realized he probably could see the expression of her face and mistook it for concern about their safety. She smiled and gave a small nod.
"I know," she assured him.
"I am very thankful, miko Kagome, that you and the forest spirit agreed to escort us," lady Hitomi said, probably for the hundredth time. Kagome just shook her head.
"No need to tank us, lady Hitomi. It gave us an excuse to stick our noses out of the Forest," she said, half joking. Actually, she was really excited about seeing a village - and a palace - outside of Inuyasha's Forest. She was curious if the people living there act very differently than these living in her village.
A shout of fear brought her back from musings about the cultural experiences. Shippou jumped to one window while she almost tore off the curtain covering the other. The carriage shook when Akiro tried to calm the scared horses and make them stay still. The carriage was moving back and forth a meter, following the movements of the frightened animals.
"Lady Kagome!" the boy called as Kagome poked her head out of the window, the boy's voice full of fear and desperation.
A youkai as tall as the trees around the road was approaching them, coming from the direction they were going in. The miko swallowed when she realized the youkai resembled the two other that had attacked the Namoya family members. Kagome spared a glance at the lady who wrapped her arms around her little cousin and looked at her fearfully. 'She knows it's another monster after their lives,' Kagome realized. It was no surprise - after alll, Hikari had told her guardian there would be three beasts.
"Stay here and don't worry," the young healer said and jumped out of the carriage, right in a pile of snow near the narrow road. "Shippou, can you fetch my bow and arrows?"
"On it!" The kitsune climbed to the top of the vehicle and threw her the items. Kagome fumbled with her mantle and quiver for a minute before she rested an arrow on a string and ran to the front of the carriage where Akiro was standing in front of the horses, holding their heads down and trying to calm them down while glancing above his shoulder at the advancing youkai. She noticed some relief wash over his face when he saw her run by, but then she focused her attention on the youkai.
It looked even uglier than the previous two, running on its hands and legs like some mutated animal. Its hide was much darker than its kin's, almost black against the snow. Kagome raised her bow and started focusing her spiritual powers - with her amount of reiki she'd probably have it enough to charge one sacred arrow, but it wouldn't be strong enough to purify a youkai - especially so huge one - no matter where it landed. She had to find the perfect spot and hope her arrow would do it enough harm to stop it from attacking before Inuyasha came.
Kagome tuned out all the sounds - the neighing of the horses, Akiro's scared voice, Shippou's shouts, the sound of hooves and huge feet of the approaching monster hitting the snow-covered road. She could feel her heart beating fast, pumping her blood with frantic rhythm. Sweat appeared on her forehead when she tried to find the right spot to aim. With every second of hesitation she was letting the youkai closer and closer to her defenseless companions. Still, the closer the beast was, the easier it'd be to find the right spot and send the arrow right in it. Kagome felt her power stir inside her, impatiently waiting to be released. A soft light enveloped the arrowhead, not enough to blind her. She knew painfully well it wouldn't be enough to harm the youkai more than a thrown rock could harm a cow. Kagome found the right spot, just under where the throat morphed into the torso, an exposed place on the running youkai's body.
Suddenly a red streak appeared from her right and a loud battle cry of "You fucker!" could be heard. Kagome let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. A wave of relief went through her when she realized Inuyasha came to fight the monster who was close enough now for her to shoot. Still, she resisted the urge to let her arrow loose. Right now, when the forest spirit was between her and the youkai, it'd be stupid to shoot. With her luck she'd just get Inuyasha.
The hanyou was moving fast enough to make it hard for Kagome to follow his movements. He collided with the youkai, his battle cry followed shortly by "Sankon Tessou!", the attack Kagome saw already in action, and a flare of red youki. Inuyasha drew blood, a lot of it, and caused the youkai to stop running, but the battle was hardly over. The beast was fast and agile, engaged the hanyou in a fight with a low laughter, echoing between the trees surrounding the road.
"Pathetic fool, you have no chance against the great Maoi!" He swiped at the forest spirit, who jumped to a tree limb and pushed himself off it to launch his body in the air, aiming his claws at the bigger opponent.
"Keh! All great about you is your ass and how royally I'm gonna kick it!" Kagome couldn't help the corners of her mouth twitch when she heard that bold declaration. As she felt her lips move she realized one thing - she couldn't keep her attack back any longer, her arm was going to start shaking soon form the strain.
She knew she could just loosen the string and return the arrow to the quiver, but she didn't want to give up without helping Inuyasha in his battle. She believed he could defeat the youkai without any aid, but she wanted to add her bit too. He had battled enough youkai today already and she had been just sitting in the relative warmth and safety of the carriage.
While she was thinking how to use her arrow the best her gaze was following the forest spirit. The hanyou had caused the beast a few nasty wounds, but it wasn't enough to bring it down. The youkai cackled when its clawed hand sent Inuyasha flying back at a tree. Kagome used the opportunity of having her friend at some distance from the vile creature and it being distracted. She let the arrow fly with a short prayer.
The bowstring sang in the crisp air, the arrow hissed as it flew. It embedded itself in the youkai's body, but a good meter lower than the spot she had been aiming for. The monster, who was about to hit the hanyou struggling to stand under the tree he had hit just a second ago, shook and let out a cry of surprise and pain. The youkai turned its head to look in the direction from which the arrow had came. It showed its pointed teeth in a wide grin when its eyes laid on the petite miko standing in front of the carriage where the Namoya family members were hidden.
"You die, little human," the youkai said as it broke the arrow with a mere gesture of its hand.
"Fucker, you're fightin' me!" Inuyasha charged the beast again. This time he had his sword drawn and transformed. Kagome knew she should take another arrow and prepare to fire it, but she couldn't move, her eyes glued to the ridiculously big blade moving in wide arcs and quickly coated in blood. Even with the sword in hand, Inuyasha took a while to finally kill the youkai and jump away from a body falling to the ground. He didn't come out of the battle unscratched. A tear in his left sleeve revealed a long claw wound coming almost to his elbow and dripping blood. Kagome saw him bent down and pick something from the snow.
The next second she heard Akiro gasp, the horses getting afraid again, but this time because of the smell of blood and youki swirling in the air. Kagome barely noticed them as she was more focused on a face which had appeared mere centimeters from her own - golden eyes full of anger and dark brows furrowed, fangs shining from behind his lips when he put the remainings of her arrow in the small space between their eyes.
"What's this?" Inuyasha hissed. Kagome blinked and took a step back, focusing her eyes on the object in his hand.
"An arrow," she replied, resisting the urge to take another step. The hanyou growled. "What? I fired it to buy you some time when the youkai threw you away. I just wanted to help!"
"Tch! I didn't need your help, wench!" Inuyasha stated and winced when Kagome ignored his growl and touched his bleeding arm. "Oi! What do you think you're doing?"
"You're hurt," Kagome found his eyes again when Inuyasha moved a step back.
"It's just a scratch! Ow!" The hanyou winced when Shippou landed on his shoulder, his little paws hitting just a few centimeters above the edge of the wound.
"That was cool!" the kitsune praised and did nothing to stop Kagome from picking him up from Inuyasha's shoulder and holding in her arms. "Why didn't you start the fight with the sword? Did you forget about it?"
"Feh!" replied Inuyasha and glared at the boy, who's eyes lit up.
"You forgot! You're an idiot!" the kitsune yelped when he saw Inuyasha's face and quickly made his way inside the carriage. "Kagome, save me!"
Ten minutes later Kagome felt a headache approaching - fast. She was again sitting on a bench inside the shadowy carriage. It had took a few minutes to convince Akiro to climb up to his bench and encourage the horses to resume running. And now she was stuck inside the moving vehicle with a girl smiling shyly, a lady apologizing and switching between reaching towards Inuyasha to help and pulling her hands back when he was growling and glaring at her, and Inuyasha backed in a corner and scowling at everyone. Shippou, snickering in his hidden spot under Kagome's bench was no help at all.
The small space was full of the distinct smell of a wet dog. 'I'm sure he's thinking that it's his revenge on us,' Kagome crinkled her nose and saw a twinkle of pleasure in Inuyasha's eyes when he noticed.
"I'm terribly sorry, forest spirit, it was an accident!" lady Hitomi pressed her delicate hands to her heart, looking with wide, pleading eyes at Kagome who was taking a roll of bandages out of her basket. "Miko Kagome, please, convince him I really didn't want to hit him with that water jug."
"Don't worry, no damage was done to his brain! Aai! Kagome!" Inuyasha's right hand moved with impressing speed and grabbed the fox by his tail. Inuyasha shook the boy in front of his scowling face.
"What did you say, brat?!"
'Yep, definitely getting a headache.'