Making her way back to the woods after a proper nap, Kagome notes how quiet the trek is. Actually, everything is more still without the obnoxious energy of Satoru bouncing around. The ends of her black hair tickle the nape of her neck. Wearing a pair of black shorts and an oversized pink top, she put her hair into a high ponytail.
The ache in her arms cuts her down to the bone. For too long, she wallowed in grief because of being separated from InuYasha, and by the time she pulled herself back together; the thought of picking up the bow seemed silly, as there was no real danger in her world.
Shaking her head, she pulls an arrow from the quiver, readies her bow, and shoots. She grimaces as the tree splits in half from where the arrow hit.
Strange… she didn't channel any energy into that release.
Kagome lowers the bow and approaches the tree. The crack widens, causing the sides to lean over on top of the other trees. The forest groans in protest as the birds fly away and the squirrels run past her.
Everything is so still.
The soft cry of a cat meowing draws her attention. Kagome peers down the trunk of the tree. Next to the arrow, she shot, red eyes peer up at her.
The gasp escapes her before she has a chance to swallow it down.
"Kirara?"
No, that's wrong, she thinks. This nekomata is white with brown and black patches over its fur. The mark on its forehead is in the shape of a circle, not diamond shaped like Kirara's. Kagome takes a step back, allowing the demon to jump out of the tree. It tilts its head to the right, eyes appraising her.
Kagome clucks her tongue; her grip tightens on the bow. Sweat drips from her forehead and settles into her brows. Satoru told her that there were no demons in this world, only curses.
"Hey, girl–"
It snaps its head, hissing. The ends of its fur stand up in agitation.
"Hey, boy?"
In a flash, it retreats from its defensive stand and gives a small meow in response. It raises one black paw and licks, smoothing out any of the flyaway hairs that didn't lie back down.
Kagome drops the bow and quiver and approaches the nekomata slowly. She crouches down and extends out a hand. "Were you stuck in that tree?" she asks, smiling when he rubs against her palm. Currents of electricity transfer from him to her fingertips and up her arm. The magic coming from him is old and inviting.
"Did the well send you?" she questions. He lets out a meow and rubs his body against her legs, circling around. "That explains one thing, but now I feel like I'm four steps back." With a sigh, she stretches out her other hand and scoops the nekomata up.
Satoru is going to throw a fit. A smile breaks out across her face at the thought. Satoru's going to fucking lose it when he gets home. It'll be payback for waking her up so early.
"We'll need to pick out a name for you, bud. Is it okay if I call you Buyo Jr for now?" She asks, looking down at his pained expression. She laughs. "I promise to come up with a more suitable name."
She moves Buyo Jr to her shoulder as she stands up to retrieve the bow and quiver. Reaching into the quiver, she digs out the phone Satoru, got her, and sends him a quick text. Snickering to herself at his curt response, she prepares to call her training session short and head back home.
The forest is still too quiet.
Buyo Jr's growls filter through her eardrums, as something brushes against her senses. A curse, maybe? Though Satoru made it sound as though the chances of there being any curses out in the country pretty slim. She reaches into the quiver and notches another arrow, shooting in the general direction that the bad omen is coming from. The only sounds she hears are the soft growls from Buyo Jr and her own steady breathing.
Whatever it was, vanished.
"Eh, let's not tell Satoru," She tells Buyo Jr as they make their way home. It was probably just a low-level curse, nothing to get concerned over. And besides, she really didn't need to hear his mouth about it, especially since he wasn't that thrilled about her leaving out without him. He's already going to lose it when he sees that Buyo Jr has two tails.
"Welcome home!" Kagome chimes, bowing with a large fake smile plastered on her face.
"Where's this cat?" Gojo slips off his shoes and hands over the bag in his hand to her. "It's sushi, I took kids out to dinner after our field trip."
"Oh, thank you." She looks down at the bag and then back up to the door, ignoring his blindfolded face. "You must be tired from being up so early," she starts, "maybe you should relax a bit or just settle in for the night?"
"Where's the cat?" Gojo brushes past. "Is it in your room?" He walks towards her bedroom. Kagome reaches out and grabs his arm, wrapping both arms around him.
"Come on, at least give me company while I try this sushi." She drags him to the kitchen and dining area.
"It's more than one cat, isn't it?" He huffs but doesn't pull away.
"It's just one cat. One special cat." She directs him to take a seat as she places the bag on the table before taking a seat next to him. "So, what's your last student like?"
"Crazy. She and Yuji exorcised some curses at this abandoned building. You'd like Nobara, I'll take you around her some time."
"I'd like that," she replies, fishing out a roll and plopping it into her mouth. "What?"
Gojo leans back in the chair. "Something feels off."
"Must be all the stress from working so hard today." Kagome flashes him a smile and a sushi roll. He takes the roll and chews slowly.
"Gome-chan, just show me the cat."
Kagome bites her bottom lip and pushes back from the table. It's not like she was going to be able to keep the cat from him, but she hoped that he'd just come back and go straight to bed like he did last night.
"Alright, alright. But you have to keep an open mind." She stands and crosses her arms as if to dare him to defy her.
"It's my–"
"Keep an open mind," she interjects.
"Fine, but only because you're so cute." He gets up from his chair and follows behind her towards her bedroom.
"Stay right here," Kagome instructs.
"You can go in my room, but I can't go in yours? How is that fair?" Gojo mutters to himself.
"Just stay here." She opens and slams the door shut, not wanting to risk him seeing Buyo Jr just yet.
The nekomata peers up at her from his comfortable spot in the middle of the bed.
"Hey, boy. I've got someone that wants to meet you." Kagome scoops him up, cuddling him to her chest. His soft purrs warm her body. She didn't realize just how much she missed having something from her world around. "Be on your best behavior, okay." With a deep breath, she opens the door and takes a step out, not bothering to close it behind her.
Buyo Jr meows at Gojo, his tails swish back and forth.
"It has two tails," Gojo starts, "and its energy is…"
"He's a nekomata. A demon, but he's super sweet. I used to travel with one." Her thumb rubs back and forth against Buyo Jr's fur, inciting more deep purrs.
"Demons aren't known to be kind."
"You've never met a demon until now." Kagome rolls her brown eyes. "This is a good thing. He'll help you, watch over me, and he may help me find my way back home."
Gojo frowns and then shrugs his shoulders. "I guess, it can stay."
"Really?" Kagome perks up.
"Yes, really." He reaches out a hand towards the nekomata. Buyo Jr hisses when his nose doesn't reach Gojo's hand.
"He's not making contact." Kagome's brows draw closer together.
"That would be the infinity, you're always bypassing," Gojo responds, patting the nekomata's head. "Where did you find him?"
"In a tree." Kagome turns and walks towards the living room, ignoring Gojo's questioning. "You really should rest; you sound super stressed."
Gojo's groans follow her from room to room the entire night.
A/N: Thank you guys all again for the kind reviews! I don't know if I'll do a chapter from Sukuna's point of view, but we will be getting some more interaction from him. And sorry if it wasn't clear in the last chapter, the burn on Yuji's back is still there. Also, I'm still chuckling at the thought of Kagome adopting a pomeranian and naming him Shippo.
