Chapter Four
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I finally managed to convince the irate half demon to follow me back to Kaede's, hoping that she might have some answers for the both of us.
"What did she do to it?!" Inuyasha demanded of the old woman as we sat around the fire, all staring at the shard currently pinched between my index finger and my thumb. On instinct my shoulders hunch up towards my ears as I curl backwards away from the irate man, his fangs glistening in the firelight.
"Stop barking, Inuyasha." Kaede frowned. Being ever observant she had probably seen me recoil.
"I should have known she'd end up breaking it!" He goes on, talking about me as if I wasn't even in the room. I frown deeply, narrowing my eyes at him.
"I'm right here, you know. If you're going to yell about me while I'm in the room you might as well just yell at me!" I point out, the amber eyed half demon rounding on me then. He opens his mouth, looking ready to let me have it.
Until he hesitates, his eyes wavering slightly. I watch, trying to keep my face schooled as he backs down. I feel that now familiar warmth spread through me, bubbling under my skin from head to toe.
"What is done is done." Kaede speaks up after a moment of silence, glancing from me towards Inuyasha. "As ye saw, the jewel has now been scattered into many different pieces. One hundred? One thousand? Who knows?" I chew on my lower lip, looking from the elderly priestess down to the small shard in my fingers. "Yet however many shards there may be, all it will take is one in the wrong hands to bring disaster." She warns us, and I can't help a chilling shiver that runs down my spine. Mistress Centipede, the crow…had that only been the beginning now?
"I had no idea I could even do whatever it was that I did." I frown, thinking about the energy that had flowed through me before. 'And Mayumi, how on earth had she been able to talk to me, guide me?' I ask myself as I think about the bandits from earlier. I didn't want to voice this question out loud just yet. I was just coming to terms with it, let alone bringing others into the ordeal.
"I know." Kaede replies soothingly, before frowning. "But only by working together with Inuyasha will ye be able to recover all the shards of the jewel." My mouth drops open in complete shock.
"Say what now?" I ask, glancing towards Inuyasha to see his reaction. He looks even less than impressed than me! "I mean, I'm all for fixing my mistake, but with this guy?!" I ask dubiously, pointing my thumb in his direction.
"Hah, feelings mutual!" Inuyasha huffs irritably. "Besides I'm one of the wrong hands you were talking about. What makes you think I'm good for the job?"
"Oh, aye, that I know too well." Kaede sighs, looking resigned. "But if ye have any hope of taking the Sacred Jewel in it's completion for ye own plans, then this be the only way to accomplish that. A shard won't mean much to ye, but the entire jewel on the other hand will give ye the power that ye crave."
"And when we find all the shards?" Inuyasha asks, lifting an eyebrow.
"Then I shall deal with ye myself." Kaede presents the challenge without hesitation. Inuyasha laughs, clearly not taking the threat seriously.
"Alright ya old hag, deal." He smirks, leaning back against the wall and folding his arms over his chest. I frown then, looking towards Kaede, still confused on my part of this whole plan.
"So where do I come into this? How on earth can I help?" I ask then, wondering what good I would do.
"Did ye not sense that shard earlier?" Kaede asks simply, poking at the fire as the flames crack to life once more. I frown, thinking back on it.
"I-I think I might have. There was this pull, deep in my stomach. The closer we got, the stronger it became." I admitted, placing my hand over my stomach. Kaede nods.
"Ye will have to sense it for Inuyasha, and he shall help you defeat whatever foes may step in the way." Kaede sighed, before moving to stand. "No doubt we will start to hear of unusual activity. Where that activity happens, ye and Inuyasha shall go." She turns then, offering a goodnight to the both of us before stepping into her room. I frown, looking over towards the boy then as I spin around to face him completely, legs crossed. He looks at me with a raised eyebrow.
"What?" He snaps. I sigh heavily.
"Listen, I'm sorry about today. I'm sorry I wasn't a better shot, and that I had trouble keeping up." I frown, watching as he looked at me strangely. "I'll do better, I get better. You just need to ease up a little and give me a chance, yeah?" I frown deeply then. "And please, stop comparing me to someone I've never even met. It's unnerving." I mutter, before turning and crawling on all fours into my makeshift bed. I get under the covers, facing away from Inuyasha, not wanting to see his reaction to everything I had just said. Closing my eyes, one last crucial thought goes through my mind.
'I really need a bath tomorrow.'
Kaede was kind enough to take me to a local bathing spot, having assured me that no-one would be there the time of day we were going. I was never into community bathing in my time, let alone here. I had been hesitant at first to take my clothes off, double checking around the ridges that surrounded the private pond. There was a beautiful, but small, waterfall that fed the pond from the river and the crystal blue water looked clean and inviting.
"It's alright, child." Kaede soothed after seeing my hesitation. "Undress so that I can help ye with the bandages." I nod, feeling a little more relaxed as I loosen my top, shoving it off of my shoulders. I let the material hang at my waist, caught my where my bottoms were still tied up. Kaede came up behind me, undoing the bandages and gently unwrapping them. As the scraps of cloth fell away, Kaede clicked her tongue.
"Looks as if ye have started to heal nicely." She comments happily as I place my arm over my now exposed breasts, holding them and hiding them at the same time. Without the binding I could feel the weight of them again, and it wasn't the most pleasant feeling for my back. "I acquired you a more suitable replacement for that contraption from before." The older woman notes as she eyes my arm across my chest. I flush a little, smiling thankfully before Kaede steps back and goes about making a fire to boil water for my clothes. I place them as neatly as possible beside her, thanking her again profusely for washing them for me.
'Where would I be without this wonderful woman?' I think to myself gratefully, accepting what looked to be a bar of soap and some oils.
"The bar is for ye body, the oils for ye hair." Kaede explains as I look at them quizzically. I flush a little, nodding in thanks before quickly rushing to the water's edge. If I had been covered in some sort of clothing I might have taken my time getting used to the water, but as it was I wanted to be submerged just in case Kaede was wrong about the privacy here. I set the bar and oils on the rock I was standing on, before diving straight on in.
'Cold, cold, cold!' I nearly gasp underwater, barely holding back the instinct as I surface breathing heavily. The bottom was sandy, the water reaching just above my nipples where I stood. Once the cold wore off, I felt relieved.
'So this is what it feels like to be clean.' I think to myself sarcastically, wading over to the rock and grabbing the bar of soap first. I run it over my arms and chest above the water, before moving behind the rock where it was shallower and sticking my legs up out of the water so I could wash them as well.
'Ew, I look like a hairy beast!' I think in disgust, seeing the leg hair. 'I don't even want to think about what is going on in my armpits.' I sigh, reflecting on how much I had taken shaving for granted back in my time. Even despised it. 'What I wouldn't give for a razor now.' I frown, placing the bar of soap on the rock then and grabbing the oils. I open the small clay vial, pouring some out into my hand. Bringing it to my nose I take a sniff, pleasantly surprised by the floral aroma. 'Is that cherry blossoms?' I think, before shrugging my shoulders and working the oil into my hair from root to tip. I leave it in for a while, leaning my head back to rinse it clean before allowing my body to drift to the surface, floating.
"This isn't so bad." I hum to myself, staring up at the sky as I comb through my hair floating behind me.
"You're telling me." A distinctly male voice suddenly calls from above. I flounder, instantly feeling my face go beat red as I plunge my body back down into the water to my shoulders. Looking around frantically I finally land on the pervert the voice belonged to.
And I'm truly shocked.
"Inuyasha?!" I exclaim, eyes wide. Why on earth would Inuyasha be spying on me?! I'm so flabbergasted at the prospect that a guy actually went out of his way to see me naked, that I can hardly get over the shock long enough to be rightly pissed.
"Inuyasha!" Kaede scolds as she stands from where my clothes were currently boiling in the water. "Have ye no manners, boy?!" She demands as she turns to the silver haired half demon on the ridge above, his amber eyes drawn from my now submerged form towards the old lady. As Kaede said boy, it triggered me into action.
"DOWN BOY!" I scream with a new aggression, watching in satisfaction as he falls from the ridge and hits the ground below hard. Kaede laughs, before turning back towards the pot with my clothing and sitting down once more, using a large spoon to push the material around.
"Oh man, I forgot about this stupid necklace." Inuyasha complains as I use the time he's distracted to rush from the water, grabbing the light robe Kaede had brought for me to dry in. I wrap it around myself, tying off the knot quickly, before walking over to the two.
"Why were you even looking?" I demand with a frown, glaring down at him. He jumps to his feet, glaring right back at me.
But I can see a touch of red on his cheeks.
"I wasn't looking at you!" He insists, crossing his arms and turning his head upwards haughtily. "Get over yourself."
"Really?" I question, raising an eyebrow as I cross my arms. I may have low self-esteem, but not low enough to think a guy wouldn't take a look if he was presented the opportunity. Besides, why would Inuyasha have come all the way out here?
"Really!" He responds stubbornly.
"Then why are ye here, Inuyasha?" Kaede asks calmly from beside us on the ground, and Inuyasha clearly hesitates.
"Well, it's to make sure the jewel shard is safe!" He explains, sounding unsure at first, before finishing the sentence confidently.
"Ye mean, this one?" Kaede asks smartly, holding out the silk sack that now contained the single shard. She lifts my pants out from the water with the spoon, the material steaming from the heat, before placing it on a nearby rock to cool. I wait a few moments before taking it and walking over to the makeshift hanger, threading my pants over the wooden pole. I hope desperately that the clothes dry sooner rather than later.
"You think you're pretty smart, you old hag." Inuyasha growls lowly in irritation from behind us, Kaede taking the last of my clothes from the pot. I frown, moving over and grabbing the last articles of clothing before glancing towards Inuyasha.
"And you think you can do this on your own, when you can't." I point out, frowning. "You need me, so get over it." I sigh, feeling a headache coming on from all the excitement.
"I can put up with anything for the jewel." He bites back, and I feel my head throb with the impending argument I could sense brewing.
To think I thought having a bath would be relaxing.
Almost a whole hour later my clothing is finally dry, smelling less like dirt and my body odour thankfully. Kaede had been kind enough to instruct me on how to do a proper binding for my chest, and I found I enjoyed the more even distribution of pressure over my top half the wrappings gave compared to my bras.
'At least I'm not being constantly stabbed by underwire.' I think to myself as I change behind the bushes, Inuyasha safely in sight. Once fully clothed I move around into the rocking clearing, Inuyasha's eyes narrowing at me instantly.
"What?" I snap at his look, frowning. It was like just looking at me I had personally insulted him.
"I hate you in those clothes." He answers callously, and I frown in confusion.
What the hell did he mean by that? Then realization clicks.
'These are Mayumi's clothes.' I think to myself frowning, remembering Kaede having mentioned it to me earlier. A twinge of jealously hits me hard, but it's gone almost before I can register it. "Well they are the only clothes I have right now, so you're just going to have to get used to it." I reply unsympathetically. Inuyasha blinks, having clearly not thought I would say that, before he 'humphs' and looks away.
'Am I really that horrible to look at?' I think irritably. When was the last time a boy had made me feel so insecure?
"Lady Kaede!" A woman's frantic voice can be heard as she rounds the bush towards us. "It's my daughter!" Kaede meets her halfway, a worried look over her face. Frowning I watch on in concern, Kaede soon turning back towards us both.
"I'll be checking on ye two later, try not to fight!" Kaede calls over her shoulder at us, before both she and the lady disappear back around the corner once more.
'I'm not the issue.' I look over towards Inuyasha as he turns his head towards me, amber eyes watching me with an unreadable look. He blinks once, before what he says next somehow doesn't shock me.
"I'm serious, take those clothes off."
I groan, tilting my head back in exasperation. 'I'm not dealing with this guy's hangups.' "Tell you what, I'm going to catch up with Kaede and see if I can be of any help." I frown, gathering everything up, including the tiny silk sack containing the jewel shard. Inuyasha scoffs in amusement at that.
"Good, maybe you'll get sick and I won't have to take you with me to find the other shards." He says in a sarcastically ecstatic voice. I roll my eyes, frowning as I turn to look at him.
"Do you think Mayumi would be happy to hear you wishing others harm over something as trivial as power?" I snap, instantly regretting it as Inuyasha seems to lose all the fire from before, looking away. His entire posture shrinks, looking like a kicked puppy. I try not to feel too guilty about it as turn and continue back to the village.
'He needed to hear that.' Mayumi's voice echoes in my head, and I find this time I don't have the energy to freak out about it.
'How are you in my head?' I ask instead, using this time wisely to try and get some answers.
'I'm a part of you, Yua. Have been since you were born. I could only break past your natural barriers after you had come back to my time. After the Sacred Jewel regained it's powers.'
'Barrier? So does this mean now that you've broken through you're here to take over?' I can't help asking, feeling my heart rate spike slightly.
'No, Yua, never. My time has come and passed. The only reason I took over your body yesterday was to save you. It drained a lot of my energy, and the energy I have isn't infinite without having a physical body of my own.'
'I never even thanked you for that.' I think regrettably, frowning. 'So what are you saying then?'
'That with the continual use of my powers I will eventually fade from your conscious and my soul will finally find peace.' Mayumi replied, her voice calm. 'Before that happens I want to teach you how to use our powers.'
'Our powers? Hasn't this all been you?'
'You have the same powers I do, only they have been locked away along with the power of the Shikon no Tama until you had fallen into the Bone Eater's Well. Your energy will continue grow as you train with me, and by the time I fade completely you will have mastered them.'
'There must be some other way? Some way we can save you?' I frown, feeling a deep sorrow in my gut for this woman I barely even knew. 'Inuyasha misses you, he needs you.'
'And I miss him terribly too. However, as for needing me, I feel that might change over time.' Mayumi finishes with a cryptic tone, and my brows furrow in confusion.
'What does that mean?'
'We shall discover that together.' She responds, and I can feel her warmth receding slowly.
'Wait! Just one more question.' The warmth steadies, indicating to me that she was still listening. 'You aren't human. So what are you?' I can't help asking. A tinkling laugh fills my head, before the warmth is disappears completely. I freeze in place, frowning as I look down to the ground then in thought.
What on earth was happening to me?
Screams suddenly erupt from the village ahead, my head snapping up in alarm. "What's going on?" I frown, taking a step forward.
A sharp sting slides across my cheek.
Wincing I bring my hand up to where my cheek now throbbed, pulling it back and seeing a small amount of blood on my finger tips. Eyes widening I look around, before I focus in on what now surrounds me. There were hundreds of thin lines overlapping each other in every direction around me for as far as I could see, like a spider's web.
'Except it doesn't look that…it looks like hair.' I think in amazement as I reach forward to touch one of the nearby strands, only feet away from me.
"Oh my, oh me!" A smooth woman's voice comes from above me. I look up, frowning as I see a woman dressed in a short black kimono standing on one of the lines. The top of her kimono did little to hide her breasts, just two scraps of cloth connecting to the short skirt below. Having a sneaking suspicion, I look up further to be met with blood red eyes.
'Another demon?' I groan inwardly, wondering at my luck. 'Though this one is pretty.' Her short back hair framed her pale angular face, skin free of any kind of blemishes. She looked far more human than the last two demons I had encountered.
That didn't really put me at ease, though.
"You can see it then? My net of hairs, I mean." The woman elaborates, sounding impressed. "Pity, because seeing is not enough."
"What the hell do you want?" I demand, feeling Mayumi's warmth re-emerging slowly from deep in my core. I felt comforted and bolstered at the same time, trusting after everything she had done for me thus far that Mayumi had my back.
"Well how rude." The woman chimes, a small smirk on her blood red lips. "The Mayumi I knew would have at least let me introduce myself first."
'You knew this creep?' I can't help thinking to my predecessor, feeling annoyance spark from her.
'Regretfully, yes.'
"I don't care to get to know you, lady. It's best you let me go!" I frown up at her, surprising even myself with how threatening I sound. 'You're doing wonders for my self confidence.' I let Mayumi know.
"Hah! Or what?" She looks down at me with superiority, placing her hands on her hips. "You're trapped, in case you didn't notice?" I can feel Mayumi more clearly as my energy builds, that familiar feeling of warmth now rising to bubble just below the surface of my skin. The woman suddenly looks unsure of herself, taking a step back.
'She can feel your aura increasing in power. You're intimidating her.' Mayumi's voice explains in a hurry. 'Force your energy outward. Cause a distraction so you can get away.' I frown in confusion, about to reach for my arrows instead.
Before freezing when I realize I had left them and my bow back in the village.
I concentrate on the energy then, before letting out a yell as every muscle in my body clenches and it pulses forward in a great wave, my aura nearly blinding.
'RUN, YUA!'
I don't need to be told twice. Turning I weave my way through the trap as quickly as I can, feeling some of my clothing tear against the sharp strings of hair. Stumbling out of the net I don't look back as I race towards the safety of the village.
Or, at least I thought it would have been safe.
As I run down the main road I look around wide eyed, the women all seeming to float about me. I stop, regarding the village women with uncertainty, my eyes narrowing when I see a silvery gleam. It was that demon's hair, and it was attached to each of the women's wrists. I take note soon after that every one of them was holding some sort of tool that could be used as a weapon. Large knives and scythes seem to make up the majority.
'It's like they're asleep.' I frown, looking at the woman closest to me. Her face showed no signs of expression, eyes closed. 'Seriously, who is that demon?'
'Her name is Yura Of The Demon Hair.' Mayumi's voice responded, sounding tense. 'She can manipulate the hair of the dead, and use it to control weaker humans.'
'So these women aren't even in control of their own bodies?' I watch intently as they seem to float closer, a woman in the yellow kimono holding a scythe high up above her head. 'Yura is a coward.' I frown deeply, tensing and taking a step back.
Suddenly Inuyasha is there, landing directly in front of me.
He takes a defensive stance, hands up and claws at the ready. My panic, realizing he had no idea what was going on. Reaching forward I place my hand on his shoulder.
"Inuyasha, wait! They aren't in control of their own bodies!" I frown deeply, watching them from over his shoulder.
"Huh, I thought something seemed off. These are the girls from the village." He murmurs, stance thankfully relaxing. "Why are they floating around like that?" He frowns in confusion, and my eyes widen slightly.
"Can't you see the hair?" I ask, bewildered. It was everywhere!
"Hair? What hair?" He frowns, his head looking rapidly from side to side. I open my mouth, about to answer, before Kaede's voice can be heard.
"Inuyasha, wait! Do not harm them!" Kaede cries out weakly, crawling across the ground. My heart leaps into my throat in worry as I immediately see that she is injured, blood soaking her right shoulder through her kimono. "Tis not their doing!"
"Kaede!" I frown deeply, moving to step around Inuyasha and go to her. Inuyasha's arm snaps out, stopping me before I can. Instead he wraps that same arm around my waist, jumping up into the air with me like I weighed nothing. He lands down beside her, and I instantly kneel down on the ground to look at her wound.
"You've been cut!" I worry, the wound clearly made by a large knife. "Did they hurt you?!"
"Not on purpose." Kaede insists weakly.
"Well it's looking like it's them or us!" Inuyasha states evenly, turning to face the girls as they slowly floated our way again. "And I choose us!" He claims, the threat hanging heavy in the air.
"They are being controlled by this demon called Yura!" I blurt out then, frowning. "I ran into her just now, but I managed to get away. I was just coming here to tell you about her, Kaede." I look from Inuyasha's back to the wounded priestess. Inuyasha frowns, looking down at me sharply from over his shoulder.
"Did she get the jewel shard?!" He asks sharply, and I just barely hold in my annoyance at his callousness.
"No." I bite out, before frowning as I stand. "We need to get you on your feet." I murmur softly, before slowly helping Kaede up. I wrap her good arm around my shoulders, my other arm around her waist. "We need to get back to Kaede's home, my bow and arrows are there."
"Like they will do you much good anyways." Inuyasha scoffs, before dodging one of the women as they swoop in to attack, quickly followed by another.
"Find the hair! If you cut the hair, may chance they will wake!" Kaede commands, my eyes widening in realization.
'She's right.' I frown, Inuyasha swinging blindly.
"I can't see the hair you two are going on about!" He exclaims in frustration, dodging another attack. My eyes widen as I see hairs suddenly shooting out to wrap around Inuyasha.
"Watch out!" I exclaim, but it's too late as he ends up trapped by them.
"It's a trap!" Kaede shouts with me helplessly. Inuyasha, however, isn't deterred. He smirks as he sidesteps another attack from a woman with her butcher knife, pulling hard at the lines as he does.
"Whoever is doing this ain't too smart! Even all tangled up I don't need to see to drag out that demon on the other end!" He cries out confidently, egotistical smirk on his face. I blink in surprise at his solid logic. It seems he has the upper hand for a minute, before suddenly the hair seems to let loose and he trips backwards onto the ground from the sudden loss of tension. Just as quickly the hair tightens up again, throwing him up against a nearby tree.
"Inuyasha!" Kaede cries out weakly in worry, and I feel fear course through me for him as well.
'How can I help, though? I can't even cut the hair!' I think to myself frantically. I didn't even have a knife!
'Use your energy, Yua. You know what to do.' Mayumi speaks up softly from deep inside, and I frown. She's right. If I could create a bow and arrow from my energy, surely I could create other things? I let Kaede go when I know she can stand on her own, before looking down at my finger tips. I can feel the warmth of my energy pulsing through my body as I concentrate to focus it, envisioning my nails elongating as Inuyasha's does when he attacks. With a blinding light my aura forms spikes about six inches long coming out from each of my fingers.
Talk about a crash course.
'Hold on, Inuyasha!' I think desperately, running towards where he was pinned. I reach out, swinging my arm downwards on one of the strands of hair that held him. It broke lose as I cut through it, disintegrating on contact.
'It actually worked!' I can't help thinking in amazement, before doing the same to all the strands of hair I could reach. Inuyasha lets out a loud yell, breaking free from the others and landing back on the ground. His amber eyes meet mine, and we seem to stare each other down for a moment as his hand moves to rub at his neck.
'Does he look…thankful?' I think to myself in astonishment, his amber eyes growing soft for only a moment. I let my aura recede from my fingers, clenching my hands into my fists tightly.
"I thought I was a goner." He admits, breathing a little hard. Kaede walks up to us both, frowning in concern.
"And so would ye have been were ye normal, Inuyasha." Kaede chimed in.
Then we heard the clanking of tools being raised.
'It's the men this time!' I frown. Some were holding bow and arrows, others spears.
"I'm getting real sick of this." Inuyasha frowns, coming to kneel down by Kaede.
"Save yourselves, forget this old woman." Kaede pleads suddenly, and I look to her shocked.
"We are not leaving you here." I frown, looking towards the silver haired boy. To my surprise had had the same look of determination in his eyes. She whimpers in pain, before falling forward. I catch her as best I can, helping her to the ground with me, before looking towards Inuyasha in worry.
"We have to get her out of here!" I know it doesn't need to be said, but if we stayed here any longer we'd all be dead. Inuyasha moves without a word, and I help him gather Kaede up onto his back.
"What about you? I can't carry both of you out of here." Inuyasha frowns deeply, and I shake my head.
"Don't worry about me, I'll find my own way out." I reassure him. 'At least, I hope I will.'
'I'm here. I've got your back!' Mayumi calls out.
"What about the jewel shard?! I can't leave you alone to defend it! That demon will have no problem snatching it up if she catches you." Inuyasha protests angrily, and I can't help the irritation I feel flare up. I grab at the pouch around my neck and shove it into his hand without a second thought, knowing we didn't have time for this. He blinks in shock as he looks down at the sack of his hand, before looking at me.
"Yua, no, we cannot leave ye behind." Kaede weakly protests.
"Seriously, I'll be fine! I'm tougher than I look." I not only try to reassure the both of them, but myself as well. "Go!" Inuyasha sends me one last unreadable look, before leaping over the men and out of the village. I swallow thickly, looking around quickly for an escape route of my own.
'There's an opening there! Hurry!' Mayumi points out as a gap appears between two of the men, and I move. As I close in on the opening, though, one of the men with a spear rushes for me. With grace I knew wasn't my own I drop to the ground and roll just out of reach of his spear, before continuing through the opening. Up ahead I notice the hairs cris-crossing along the road. Focusing my energy into my finger tips once more my aura reshapes into the elongated nails from earlier, easily slicing through them as I run.
'This is you, isn't it? I've never been able to run like this before.' I ask minutes later, noticing that I didn't feel like my lungs were about to drop from my chest.
'The more time you spend here, the more often you tap into our energies, the more your physical strength and endurance is going to grow.' Mayumi explained patiently. I frown cutting through another strand of hair.
'I should really tell Inuyasha about this.' I tell her, meaning this connection, that she was actually here.
'Why? What good what it do for him? I'm dead, Yua, and it should stay that way.' Mayumi replied firmly. 'Don't burden him with this.'
'Why do you think knowing you're alive inside of me would be a burden to him?' I ask, frowning.
'Because he would make it his personal mission to bring me back to the living, and it's not possible. He is already starting to come to terms with my death. Don't reopen that wound, I beg you.' Mayumi stated passionately, and I could honestly see her point.
I still felt guilty keeping this from him.
Cutting through what thankfully looked like the last strand of hair, I look ahead to see a red and silver blur bounding towards me, stopping as I breath heavily. Relieved I let the energy go from my finger tips once more, the purple aura dissipating into nothing. Whereas I had hardly felt exhausted before, now my legs were shaking and my lungs burning. Inuyasha lands in front of me, a flash of concern in his amber eyes.
"You alright?" He asks, his voice so genuine it catches me off guard. I nod, and he turns his back towards me in silent invitation. I climb on without hesitation, thankful for the respite as his hands wrap securely under my thighs to support me. Instead of placing my hands on his shoulders I let my arms flop over them, hooking my hands together and letting them rest against his chest. I can feel his heart beating, strong and steady, and oddly it brings me comfort.
"Where is Kaede?!" I ask over the rushing wind as he leaps along.
"She's in the woods. I left her someplace safe, don't worry!" He answers. I nod, almost allowing my head to lay against his back.
I'm exhausted.
Inuyasha takes me deep into the forest, the sun setting behind us. I frown as we finally reach Kaede, laying underneath a large tree on some soft grass and leaves. Sliding down from Inuyasha's back, I instantly regret not thinking of trying to get to Kaede's home first to grab any first-aid supplies that I could, or even my bow and arrows.
"Kaede…" I frown, kneeling down beside her. She looks to me, relief flooding her features.
"Yua, I was worried for ye." She murmurs, her frail, shaking hand reaching up to cup my face. "Ye are not harmed?" I gently taking her hand in my own, shaking my head.
"No, I'm fine. Just a little tired." I reply, before frowning as I look to the wound on her shoulder. 'I wish there was some way I could make it better.' I think to myself.
'You could heal her.' Mayumi's voice echoes, but I notice how distant she sounds. 'It will use up what little energy you have left, though, until you have time to recover.'
'Tell me what to do.' I reply without hesitation.
'It's just like anything else you have done with your energy thus far, but for this you will have to dig deeper. Healing involves more than just your basic powers, it involves using your life energy. Place your hand over Kaede's wound.' Mayumi instructs, and I do so, closing my eyes in concentration. Distantly I hear Inuyasha questioning what I'm doing, but I force him from my mind and focus on Mayumi's voice instead. 'Now envision the wound, feel it.' I frown hearing her.
'What do you mean by feel it?'
'You will know when it happens.' Mayumi answered vaguely. A few seconds pass as I think about nothing but the knife cut on Kaede's arm, about to question Mayumi when nothing happens.
Then I feel the intense burning in my own right shoulder.
I can't hold back the gasp of pain, and the shock that comes with it. 'Mayumi?!' I question, feeling suddenly unsure as the burning intensifies.
'Breathe through it, Yua,' Mayumi coaches patiently. 'Think about the muscles and skin around Kaede's wound coming back together.' I breathe deeply, doing my best to ignore the pain and do as Mayumi says. Slowly the burning starts to lessen in my shoulder, and I open my eyes to see Kaede's wound closing up as my hand, covered in the purple aura of my energy, hovers just above her flesh.
'It's working!' I exclaim in elation, the elderly woman letting out a relieved sigh before her head turns to the side and she promptly falls asleep. Once the wound closes shut completely I allow the energy to go, nearly falling to the side as the force of how much I was drained hits me hard. I blink in surprise, my mind hazy.
'Depending on the severity of the wound you are trying to heal, it could come at a high cost to you if you're not careful. Possibly your own life.' Mayumi's voice rings out, sounding just as tired as I felt. 'I need to retreat, my energy is spent for now. Well done, Yua.' She compliments, before disappearing back behind the barrier, taking her warmth with her.
"What the hell did you just do?" Inuyasha's brash voice brings me back to the present. He's looming over me, his arms crossed with his clawed hands hidden within each sleeve of his red kimono. He looks unsure of me as his amber eyes flicker from Kaede, to me, then back to Kaede.
'He's worried about her.' I realize. 'For a guy who seems to despise everything human, he sure does have his moments.' I move to sit down more comfortably, arms shaking as I shift my weight. "I healed her using my own energy." I murmur softy, sighing heavily in exhaustion. Inuyasha frowns, watching me with calculation.
"There is only one person I've ever known that could do that." He murmurs after a moment of silence, and I instantly know who he is talking about.
Mayumi.
"Well, I'm apparently her reincarnation, so…" I trail off awkwardly, praying he wouldn't press this further. He looks as if he's about to ask another question, but hesitates and obviously thinks better of it as he instead looks around the small clearing. His amber eyes are sharp, glowing in the fading light.
"We're going to need to figure something out for the night." He comments, glancing towards Kaede once more. "Especially for the old hag. Yura isn't going to stop until she has that jewel shard, so we're going to have to kill her first." He talks so casually of killing that it catching me slightly off guard.
"Kill her?" I ask with a frown, thinking if Yura. "You don't think she can be reasoned with?" Inuyasha looks at me with disbelief.
"After everything you have seen when it comes to that jewel, do you really think so?" He asks me dubiously, and I have to reluctantly admit that he has a point.
"How are we going to fight her in the dark?" I ask, the light quickly fading from the sky. "Where would we even find her?"
"You can see the hair, right? It will lead us right to her." Inuyasha states, his arms dropping from where they had been crossed over his chest. "So long as you can see it, I can fight her."
"You mean, you want to work with me now?" I blurt out before I can stop myself, realizing too late that his ego might not take being proven wrong. He growls low in his chest.
"For the shards I'd be willing to work with anyone." He replies firmly.
'Talk about motivation.' I think dryly. "Alright, fine. But what are we going to do with Kaede? We can't leave her out here in the open like this."
"I'll dig her a hole." Inuyasha replies simply, and my mouth drops open in shock.
"She's not dead, Inuyasha!" I exclaim in disbelief, as he moved to the spot behind the woman and starts to dig with his hands. His claws easily break away the surface of the ground, the softer stuff beneath looser to move.
"We'll leave her head exposed, but cover her with leaves to blend her in as best we can. It will keep her warm too." Inuyasha huffs as he continues to dig into the ground, soon hunching over and swiping his hands between his feet. Even I can admit I'm once again astounded by his logic.
And the fact he looks exactly like a dog when he digs like that.
I hold back that comment, however, knowing for sure it wouldn't go over well.
By the time he is done digging I find I have enough energy to help him move Kaede as gently as possible into the hole. I silently help him to cover her up with some of the dirt, spreading leaves on top to really camouflage her in. If you had told me three days ago that this would be the way I spent an evening, I would have laughed.
"We can't forget she's here." I frown at him then, and he gives a slight laugh.
"She'd come back to haunt me if I did." He mutters, and even I can hear a small amount of affection in his voice. "I still can't get over the fact that she's that little brat from all those years ago." He stands, and I slowly follow suit. "Are you going to be of any use when we go after Yura?" He asks, having obviously seen how tired I looked. I reach out to try and feel my own energy, knowing that Mayumi's portion had been exhausted. Finding it there I nod.
"I won't be as powerful as before, but I'll manage." I frown. "If only we could grab my bow and arrows from Kaede's home."
"We might be able to sneak in. Hell, Yura might have let the village people go now that she figures she's scared us off." Inuyasha replies, before turning his back to me. "Hop on."
"Are you sure I'm not too heavy?" The question leaves me before I have time to think to stop it, and he looks over his shoulder with a bewildered expression.
"I can lift things hundreds of pounds heavier than you. Get on." He barks, and I flush a little in embarrassment before gripping onto his shoulders and hooking my legs over his hips from behind. That same feeling of security from before washes over me as I feel his strong hands brace against my thighs, holding me in place as he races from the clearing.
Maybe we'd be able to work together after all.
No, Yua does not return to the present. I wanted to give my own personal twist, while staying true to the basic plot. The Shrine doesn't mean the same to her as it does Kagome, so it didn't make sense to her character to send her back. She's far too interested in what this new world, and her new powers, have to offer her.
If you have any questions or concerns on the direction of this story please feel free to review. I'm more than open to discussing different perspectives!
Also, Inuyasha has the jewel shard?! Let's see how that one turns out!
Until then!
T.O.T.
