Chapter 3
The forest was very quiet.
No birds chirped in the trees, as if they were all holding their breaths.
"So, how far is Inuyasha?" asked Kagome, to quell the silence.
"He is not very far," said the tall man. "My name is Kanta, by the way. I was named after the village." He puffed out his chest when he spoke, proud of his name.
The night made the shadows swell and undulate, as if alive, or like there were shadow monsters behind every tree.
G.A. 2344 . . . Why didn't they go by the regular years? Something must have changed along the way. She was certain she wasn't in the future, this forest felt too big and too real for that. Too real . . . Why was she thinking this way? Maybe because the forest around her house didn't feel so . . . big. Threatening. Mysterious. Full of dark and terrible secrets. Hey, that could be a poem::internal smile: Gaahh. Focus. You're in a scary forest in god knows where with a strange man. Wait, what was she thinking about? Her head must not be on strait yet. Looking at the bandages on her hip, she must have lost a lot of blood.
"We're almost to him," said Kanta. The bright moonlight slanted through the canopy.
"What does he look like? Will he be unfriendly?" asked Kagome. She pressed a hand to her forehead to clear it.
"I don't know what he looks like, and I expect he'll be unfriendly," said Kanta. "Here he is. Inuyasha." Kagome looked up.
A boy with long silver hair hung pinned to a tree by an arrow in his chest. He had very handsome features, and cat-like ears. His eyes were closed in an eternal slumber. He wore a red haori, a loose-fitting outfit that was like a kimono only with pants.
Kagome stared. "How do we wake him up?" She started walking to him, climbing up the enormous tree's roots to the boy.
"I'm not sure," said Kanta. "I know Kaede said something . . ."
Kagome was close enough to Inuyasha that she could feel his warm, gentle breath on her face. She reached up and grasped his ears. She played with them, loving their softness, giggling.
She felt a pulse. Not in the ears, but it was more like a magickal pulse, like from a spell. It was coming from Inuyasha.
He opened his eyes. Golden irises, he had. And slitted cat pupils. For some reason she thought such pupils would be normal for demons.
He snarled. "Kikyo," he spat, voice full of hatred. "I'd know your scent anywhere. . . Wait . . . No you're not Kikyo! Who are you! How did you wake me!" He noticed she was toying with his ears. "What are you doing! Don't touch me!"
"Heh heh . . . sorry," she said, withdrawing her hands reluctantly. Then she remembered the rosary and slipped it over his head.
"What the hell are you doing! What is th . . . a rosary? Why are you putting this on me!"
"Kanta, why do I have to put this rosary necklace around his head again?" asked Kagome.
"So you can bind him to you, and aid in protecting the Jewel of Four Souls," he said.
"The Jewel of Four Souls . . . ! You have it! Where is it?" His tone was excited, in a way. A dark way.
"I have it," said Kagome. "Why do you need it? It's not here," she said uneasily, watching his golden eyes scan her body for anyplace she might have hidden it.
"You will remove this arrow and give the Jewel to me," he growled, voice threatening.
"Is this what binds you to the tree?" said Kagome, putting her hand on the shaft of the arrow. She pulled. With a grinding sound, like metal against bone she yanked it free. Inuyasha dropped to his feet. He sprang away, off through the brush towards Kanta village.
"Quick, call out a binding word!" shouted Kanta. "Quick!"
"Uh, uh," Kagome tried to think. She thought of his soft ears, how they were like a puppy she'd once held from a box in the street, where some people were giving them away for free. "SIT!"
A purple light, like a lighter version of the color of the rosary beads shined from Inuyasha's necklace. Suddenly, he was pinned to the ground, glowing in this light, as if the gravity where he was was suddenly kicked up about 100 notches. He struggled to move, to get up, but he stayed pinned to the ground by the rosary's spell. Kagome could hear him cursing lividly.
"Goddamn you, Kikyo or whoever the fuck you are! I'm going to kill you!" he shouted. After a moment, with great effort and difficulty, he began to lift himself up.
Kanta walked over to the struggling demon-boy. "You are now bound to Kagome. She can subdue you with that word any time she wants. If you ever want to see that rosary off of you, I suggest you help us protect the Jewel."
"Fuck off!" spat Inuyasha.
"Sit!" shouted Kagome. Inuyasha fell back to the ground with a cry.
" . . . . . . . . . . . What do I have to do?" asked Inuyasha. His voice seethed with displeasure.
"Make sure no demons get their hands on the Jewel," said Kanta.
"How do you know I wont run off with it in the night?" smirked Inuyasha. He began to get up again. Kagome let him, walking over to where the two were standing.
"I think we can arrange for someone to guard you at night," said Kanta. He offered a hand to help up the demon-boy, but he just scoffed at it. Inuyasha finally managed to stand up again. He folded his arms inside his large sleeves and hmphed.
"Fine," he said. "I'll protect the Jewel. But not because I want to, or have any past ties with Kikyo," he looked briefly at Kagome. She didn't notice.
"Thank you, Inuyasha," smiled Kanta. "You will be rewarded once the Jewel is destroyed."
Kagome saw him flinch slightly at the word "destroyed."
"Let's go back to Kaede-sama to tell her our mission was successful!" said Kanta, beginning to walk back the way they'd come. Kagome stared at Inuyasha as they walked; she walked behind the other two. His silver hair was so pretty. If she were crazier, she might reach out and run her fingers through it. Inuyasha noticed her gaze, and looked at her.
"What are you looking at?" he said.
"Heh heh. Nothing," smiled Kagome.