Chapter Twenty Three
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To say that the week following was tense between Inuyasha and I, and subsequently the entire group, was a severe understatement. He would look away the moment our eyes connected for any reason, whether on purpose or by mistake, and I would do the same. Miroku noticed this and thankfully remained quiet on the matter.
Shippo, however, had far less tact.
"I don't get it, Miroku. Why won't they talk to each other?" Shippo could be easily heard trying to get some answers from the awkward monk.
"It's none of our business, Shippo."
"Why? Yua looks so sad, and I don't know how to fix it." Shippo states sadly as we walk along the dusty path. I feel tears of appreciation burn at my eyes at that. No matter how much of a brat Inuyasha thought he was, to me he was the sweetest little boy I had ever met, and I hated the fact that we were making him feel this way.
That I was making him feel this way.
I glance towards Inuyasha, our eyes, not for the first time, accidentally locking. This time, however, I don't look away.
And neither does he.
I can see the guilt and regret swimming in his amber eyes, something deep in my gut pulled me to just forgive him for what he had done. To move on past this.
"I can't save you, I can't do anything for you, except for hold you like this." Inuyasha speaks up, sounding tortured. "I wish I could make time stand still."
"Would you agree to that?" Kikyo asks, latching on to that idea right away. "If I did stop time?" I watch intently, her face suddenly growing dark. Inuyasha closes his eyes, his head slowly leaning down further.
"Yes, I don't care, so long as I'm with you."
My heart hardens once more as the scene comes flooding back into my memory, eyes narrowing as I turn away from him once more to glare at the road under my feet. 'I will not let myself fall for his lies again.'
'Then what are you still doing here?' Mayumi's voice asks gently, and I can feel my face heating up with embarrassment. 'Why not go home?'
'To help gathering the jewel shards. It's my fault that the Sacred Jewel was shattered, and it would be my fault if things in my time were altered because of it. I made a promise to find them, and I will.'
'Inuyasha still wants to become a demon using the Sacred Jewel. What then?' Mayumi asks, and I nearly falter in my steps as my eyes go wide. That's right, I had completely forgotten about that.
What would I do when Inuyasha tried to take the jewel for himself?
'We'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it. We have a lot to do before Inuyasha gets his hands on it.' I reply, hands clenching tightly into fists at my sides.
By the time we had entered another forest the sun had sunken well below the treeline. We make camp as we normally did when there wasn't an establishment nearby that Miroku could swindle. Inuyasha and Shippo make the fire, whilst Miroku and I prepare dinner in a routine that had become so normal for our group in the past few weeks. Shortly after supper I excuse myself to bed, leaving Shippo, Miroku, and Inuyasha sitting at the fire. I have my back to them behind a bush, the division giving me some respite from the tension of the day.
"There are so many stars in the sky. Sometimes I wonder if there are as many jewels shards out there waiting for us." Shippo sighs heavily. "Makes collecting them seem almost impossible."
"It might not be that difficult, Shippo." Inuyasha speaks up in a kind tone. "After all, Naraku is also collecting the shards. All we have to do is defeat him and we will take all the shards for ourselves!" I could just see the shit-eating look on his face as he says this. "Talk about a good strategy!"
"Not so much." Shippo argues smartly. "I mean, the more shards Naraku gets, the more powerful he becomes. It won't be that easy if that happens." He sighs heavily. "Even a kid like me knows better than that! Sometimes I think you've been hit over the head too many times." Shippo adds in condescension.
'Good boy!' I can't help cheering, feeling a smug smirk come over my face as Inuyasha lets out an exclamation of annoyance.
"Inuyasha, what do you plan to do with the Sacred Jewel?" Miroku suddenly asks, and my eyes snap open wide as I feel my heart nearly stop in my chest. I even begin to breathe more shallowly, afraid I wouldn't hear parts of the conversation if I didn't.
"Well, I'd become a full-fledged, boneified demon, of course." Inuyasha replies, sounding so sure in his answer.
"Really? After everything you've seen, you'd still wish for that?" Miroku asks lightly.
"Well, yeah, why not?" Inuyasha replies, sounding confused.
"It's just a theory I have." Miroku begins to explain. "Every time we face a demon with a jewel shard their powers grow exponentially, yes, but they seemed to have lost anything that makes them remotely stable." My eyes widen at that, having not really thought about it before. "It is almost as if the jewel itself is poisonous to the demons who use it, their evilness amplified a hundred times over."
"Those demons were rotten to the core long before the shards came into their possession." Inuyasha argues defensively. "I'm not like that." Miroku hums slightly.
"I realize that as well, Inuyasha. After all, I can only assume you wish to become full demon to protect Yua? Maybe your intentions are pure enough for you to gain your powers, but not lose your humanity." My heart shudders at that as I fully hold my breath then, waiting on edge for Inuyasha's answer. When moments pass and there isn't a response, I slowly let the air I was holding out, frowning as I grip onto the material of my blanket tightly.
'I wish I could see his face. His eyes would tell me the answer.' I think to myself desperately. Inuyasha was a hard-ass, that was for sure, but his eyes were always his tell.
"Regardless, I would be wary of the power of the Shikon Jewel. There is a reason that so many are after it's powers." Miroku finishes, and area around us suddenly brightening as he no doubt pokes at the fire. I close my eyes, my stomach twisting painfully.
What if Miroku was wrong and Inuyasha lost his humanity after becoming a full demon? Maybe I wasn't losing him to Kikyo after all.
Maybe I was losing him to himself?
The next morning I woke just before the sun had risen. Standing up slowly from my bedding I look over the bush, smiling softly as I see Shippo and Miroku had fallen asleep together beside the fire. Looking slightly to the right my gaze falls on Inuyasha, his back leaned against the tree behind him as he sat cross-legged with his head bowed and his arms wrapped around Tessagia, the sword leaning against his right shoulder. His ears didn't even twitch, letting me know that he was indeed still asleep. Feeling relief flood through me, I turn towards the sound of the nearby stream. It wasn't far from where we had camped, and I reached it in only a few minutes. Kneeling down I cup the cool water in my hands, raising them to splash it against my face. Sighing softly, the cold water wakes me up as I rub the droplets left behind against my skin.
"You're up early."
I freeze, stomach sinking as I hear Inuyasha's voice behind me. Frowning, I shake the water from my hands and stand with my back still to him.
"What are you talking about? I'm always up early." I respond truthfully.
"I thought you'd sleep in after listening to us talk late last night." He replies knowingly, and I feel my entire body tense.
"I don't know what you're talking about." I argue easily, still unable to turn to face him. I could never lie to him, not face to face.
"Yes, you do." Inuyasha replies, and I hear him starting to step closer. "You forget that I can tell when you're lying. I can hear your heart skip a beat when you do."
Fuck.
"So what if I was listening?" Realizing I was caught, I figured there was no point in trying to lie anymore. Suddenly I feel his chest brush against my back, the scent of pine wafting all around me. The combination causes my knees to go weak. When was the last time he stood this close to me?
'When he had kissed me after trying to pass off what happened with Kikyo.' I remember, the sensation of his lips pressed firmly to my own coming back in a rush. Instead of feeling thrilled, I felt disgusted. It had been a kiss made out of frantic desperation, but not in the good sense. He had kissed me as a last resort to try and convince me I hadn't seen or heard what I had. It had been a means to try and pacify me, rather than a romantic declaration that he cared more for me than he did that dead priestess.
"I am going to become a full demon, Yua." Inuyasha promises, his voice low and gravelly. "When I do, I will make you mine." His voice suddenly changes, morphing into one I was all too familiar with. I go to run, but it's too late, I had let him in too close under his disguise. He grabs my wrist, and flings me around until I'm face to face with cold amber eyes. Physically it was Inuyasha, but I knew it wasn't really him.
"Naraku." I hiss out in disgust, a sly smirk coming over Inuyasha's lips. Slowly his image melts away, along with the scene around us. Inuyasha's figure is replaced by that of the chillingly familiar baboon pelt, the beautiful forest melting away to a desolate, rotten place. Naraku pulls me in with one hand still on my wrist, the other wrapping around my waist to hold me captive against his body.
"I heard our little dog-boy strayed away." He clearly teases, causing my face to flush with humiliation. "Not so fond of him now, are we?"
"You have no idea what you're talking about!" I snap, struggling against him with all my might. Knowing that it was no doubt of any use, I reach for my energy, finding the same thing as last time.
I couldn't reach it.
"Dare I say that heartbreak makes you even more enticing?" He goes on, chuckling cruelly. I feel tears of frustration build, but I hold them back. "My dear, Yua. I would never choose another over you."
"Yeah right. You only want me for the Jewel!" I snarl, glaring at him. "You know I won't give it to you, and as soon as I turn twenty you'll kill me and toss my body in a gutter somewhere." Naraku's lips quirk into a half smirk under his baboon mask.
"So intelligent. I see Mayumi has informed you of your heritage finally." He states easily, finally letting me go. I stumble backwards into what had once been the stream, but was now dried up, rubbing at my abused wrist. "Then you must also know that I can be very convincing." He adds lowly, before reaching behind himself and slowly pulling something out from where it was hidden against his back. My eyes widen in horror as I see the all too familiar fluffy tail in his grasp.
"Shippo!" I gasp, the boy hanging limply from his hand. Ice flows through my veins as I couldn't tell if he was sleeping, or dead. "If you've hurt him I'll kill you!" I hiss out in a deadly whisper, reaching uselessly for my energy once more.
This time there was a spark.
Schooling my reaction I cling to that little spark, hands tightening into fists. Naraku, meanwhile, chuckles. He was completely unaware that his hold on me in this dream was loosening. He tosses Shippo's body towards me, and I catch him in my arms. Holding him protectively to my chest I feel relief wash over me seeing his little chest move. 'He's breathing, he's okay!'
"You'll soon find that it is easier to work with me, rather than against me, my dear Yua." He remarks snidely. I focus on that little bit of energy I have, raising my hand up with my palm facing him. He stills, obviously surprised.
"I'm not yours, and I'll never be your's." I reply simply, before allowing the energy to burst from within with more power than I had anticipated. It hits Naraku, sending him flying away from me.
And everything comes rushing back.
With a gasp my eyes snap open and I look around, seeing the greenery of the forest, before looking down into my arms to see that Shippo was no longer there. 'Another dream.' I think to myself dazedly, knees finally buckling as I fall forward into the small stream. The water comes up to just over my wrists, my knees still on dry ground. I'm not sure how long I kneel there, the cold water running over my hands. Soon enough, however, they go numb.
"Yua!" I close my eyes tightly, breathing heavily. What if this was Naraku again? What if the dream wasn't over? "What the hell are you doing?!" Inuyasha snaps, his hands coming down to grab me much more gently than in my dream, pulling me up from the stream. My jaw is shaking to the point my teeth are chattering together, but it's not from the cold. "You're freezing!"
'Am I?' I think, still in a daze and actually feeling rather warm. Inuyasha pulls us back from the stream, dragging me into his lap when he sits, my head resting against his shoulder. I can feel him moving under me, and soon I'm wrapped in his warmth and smell as he wraps his kimono top around me, tucking me in. I can't help the hiss of surprise when his hands grab one of my own, the sting of the heat from his skin cutting through my dazed thoughts. Everything speeds up finally as he brings my hand towards his mouth, blowing hot air gently over my fingers. He's so focused on his task, that I can take the time to observe him. His hair was glowing with the early morning light, almost creating this halo effect, the shadows outlining his jaw more sharply. His nose was wrinkled slightly in concentration, amber eyes filled with concern under furrowed brows.
"What were you doing in that stream?" Inuyasha asks as he finishes with my other hand, tucking them both against his chest and wrapping his arms around me to hold me to him. It was like nothing had happened, we were back to how we were before the incident with Kikyo. In the moment I couldn't find the will power to be stubborn enough to pull away at the sour thought of that memory. Instead I pushed that memory away, and let myself enjoy being held like this, like he really loved me.
"It was another dream." I admit softly, feeling him stiffen under me as his arms tighten around my body in reaction. I can't help pushing my forehead against his warm neck, my nose resting just under his jaw.
"Naraku?" Inuyasha growls out, though it's more of a statement than a question. I nod against his neck, swallowing thickly. "What did he want this time?"
"Same as last time. To assert himself." I murmur, frowning as my hands against his white under kimono grip onto the material tightly. "He talked about the Jewel, the one that I'll be able to create some day." Moments of silence pass, before Inuyasha finally speaks up.
"Are you really so disgusted with me that you couldn't come to me? Even when you needed me?" He asks, hurt clear in his voice. I blink in surprise, leaning back to look up at him. He is looking away, his face downcast. I swallow thickly, reaching for the far side of his face with my right hand, and turning him to look at me. When I finally coax him to, the vulnerability in his eyes hits me hard.
'He's been feeling so terrible all this time, and I've been just too stubborn to forgive him.' I realize, knowing my actual anger over what had happened had long since fizzled out.
The hurt, though, that remained.
"You hurt me." I start softly, seeing the regret grow on his face.
"I know." He murmurs softly in return. "I'm sorry." He apologizes again, but this time I'm ready to hear it.
"I know." I reply in like, frowning. "But where does this leave us?" Inuyasha sighs heavily, his hand slowly reaching up to run through my unbound hair.
"I still care for you…isn't that enough for now?" He asks desperately, and I swallow back the bitterness that I feel welling up inside of my throat.
Was that going to be enough for me?
'If I say no, I drive him away for good. If I say yes, I still stand a chance…but in the end he could choose Kikyo over me.' I think desperately. 'One way I drive him directly into that bitch's arms. The other, I at least get to have more time to try and convince him that I'm better for him. I can save him.' I slowly nod, relief flooding onto Inuyasha's face as he leans forward to press his forehead against my own. He closes his eyes, his entire body relaxing, my responding in kind.
I would win his heart, fair and square.
"What?! A girl took the jewel shard?!" Inuyasha exclaims in disbelief, holding a man from the village by the front of his kimono. I groan softly, shaking my head before glancing over my shoulder towards the centipede demon that was left in pieces behind us. 'Almost looks like Mistress Centipede, but without the human-like form at the head of the body.' I frown, shuddering in memory of the demon. It must have been a lower-class centipede demon that had come by the jewel shard. "Who was she?! Come on, answer me!" Inuyasha demands angrily.
"Oh no, look, another demon!"
"Call for the slayers!"
"Crap." I mutter as I glance toward the two other men from the village, before looking towards Inuyasha with narrowed eyes. "Inuyasha, you're making a scene!" He turns a narrowed eyed glance towards me, before going back towards the man, never letting him go.
"A giant centipede!" The man in his grasp yells senselessly, and I can't help but snort slightly seeing the look of utter disgust on Inuyasha's face.
"I'm not a centipede!"
It takes a while, but we finally get somewhere with Miroku's talent for diplomacy.
"Demon Slayers?" Inuyasha asks, sounding doubtful. I, meanwhile, was fascinated.
"Wow, so people actually go around and kill evil demons for a living?" I tilt my head in thought. I mean, after all this is done, I might have a knack for slaying evil demons myself.
'Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.' Mayumi pokes gently.
'Hey!' I can't help grinning, not able to sound too offended. She giggles in reply.
"So this Demon Slayer has collected jewel shards in lieu of payment, you say?" Miroku asks.
"Aye, she said this Sacred 'something-or-other' jewel originated from her village in the first place." One of the men replied, looking towards the other men in question. I blink in surprise, knowing for certain that wasn't true. Miroku turns towards me, his brows furrowed.
'No doubt the legend of my people has been lost over the hundreds of years since Takashi made the last jewel. It very well could have once traveled to this Demon Slayer's village for some time, maybe at a time where there wasn't a priestess to watch over it back in Kaede's village, but it surely wasn't created there. This Demon Slayer village could have protected it for the time being, until it could be returned into the rightful hands of a true priestess once more.' Mayumi states. 'It is best the story of it's actual creation stays a secret, since you are the last known living descendant of my people.' I lock eyes with Miroku, discreetly shaking my head. Luckily he gets the message, and doesn't press on further to correct the men.
Hours later finds us walking through the forest, the night quickly settling around us. Inuyasha was determined to reach the village that the men had directed us to, so he could secure the jewel shard the girl had taken.
Of course, I had reminded him multiple times that we were heading for a village filled with Demon Slayers.
"So are you and Inuyasha back to normal now?" Shippo suddenly asks from my shoulder as we walk a good distance behind Inuyasha and Miroku. My mouth drops in shock at the question, feeling an embarrassed heat take over my cheeks.
"You could say that." I answer cryptically, reaching up and playfully ruffling his hair. "We're done fighting at least."
"Good. I hated seeing you two mad at each other like that. It was awkward." Shippo sighs in innocent relief, and I can't help feeling a little guilty to see how much stress he had been under being unintentionally between all that.
"I'm sorry you had to see all that, Shippo." I apologize gently, the boy shrugging his shoulders.
"My Mom and Dad would fight sometimes too. I was told it was normal, but they still loved each other. Didn't make me feel any better when they argued the next time though." He admits with a frown. All of a sudden the wind starts to pick up around us, the trees creaking with movement.
"What's going on?" I can feel a chill settle right into my bones, uneasiness quivering in my stomach.
"This wind is strange, I don't like it." Miroku speaks up, obviously feeling what I was feeling too. A dull roar echoes over head, one that could be mistaken for the wind if the feeling of foreboding hadn't accompanied it.
"Something is approaching over head." I frown, looking up through the opening in the canopy above us. The moonlight shone down brightly, illuminating the entire clearing.
Before suddenly being blotted out by hundreds of demons.
Shippo jumps from my shoulder down into my arms then, pressing against my chest as I hold him tightly to me. Inuyasha steps backwards towards us, eyes wide as he watched on.
"A hoard of demons!" He exclaims in shock. "There must be hundreds of them."
"Where are they all going?" I can't help but ask, watching as they continues to move in conformity all in one direction.
"She's right, they move together as if towards battle, and their presence is making me ill." Miroku agrees, indeed looking sick.
"They smell like they are charging in to attack!" Inuyasha agrees, before glancing over his shoulder towards me, hesitating. I nod, signaling that Shippo and I would be okay, before he leaps off.
"We should follow him." Miroku states, and I nod in agreement, both of us rushing off in the direction the demons were heading. We keep up the fast pace through the night, the sun rising well into the sky the next day before we finally come to the village sitting up on a hill. My eyes widen in horror as smoke could be seen, still miles away on the lower ridge where we now stood.
"The village has been burned." Inuyasha frowns deeply, Shippo now sitting on his shoulder.
"We need to hurry. People may need our help." I glance towards Miroku and he nods in agreement, before all four of us take off running. When we finally reach the top of the ridge we find the wooden gate propped open. The smell of fire, burned flesh, and utter decay was unmistakable, but nothing could have prepared me for what we saw when we walked through the broken gate.
'The entire village…it's gone. Everyone's been killed.' I think with wide eyed shock, my stomach turning as I notice a severed head still hanging from the jaws of a dead demon. I swallow back the bile that rose in my throat, hand covering my mouth and nose to fight off the nausea. Inuyasha, Miroku, and Shippo all look equally disgusted and horrified as we walk further into the village, finding a trail through dismembered bodies and their body parts. Demons and human remains alike laid scattered over the village, arrows littering the ground along with other weapons. They had put up a fight, but had been slaughtered in the end. "All this for a few jewel shards." I mutter in disgust, Inuyasha frowning as he glances over at me.
"To demons like these, those shards, even just one of them, means more power than they could have ever hoped to achieve throughout their lives." He explains. "This was a desperate attack made by equally desperate and pissed off demons."
"No doubt the village earned a reputation with the demons." Miroku agrees, nodding his head. "Can you sense any of the jewels?" I frown deeply, concentrating, before shaking my head sadly.
"Either they were never here, or some demons were able to make off with them." I answer solemnly, heart sinking. It would be different if these people hadn't had to die for nothing, but the jewel shards were taken from them all the same.
"Maybe if we hurry we can catch up with them?" Shippo asks eagerly. I hesitate to agree with him.
'But what about all these poor people? Surely we could spare time to put them to rest first?' I think, glancing towards Inuyasha. Would he really want to waste time doing such a task? He hardly understood the importance of laying people to rest in the first place.
"We'll think about that after we've properly laid these people to rest." Inuyasha states as he turns back towards Shippo, surprising me. I feel my heart warm, a soft smile spreading over my face despite the situation. "They deserve that at least."
"Inuyasha is right." Miroku agrees, and I nod as well. Suddenly we hear something snarling from behind one of the huts, and I tense, grabbing my bow and notching an arrow.
"Something is here." I frown, aiming my shot in the general direction the noise came from. A large cat-like demon suddenly comes sauntering out from behind the hut, carrying the head of one of the demons in it's mouth. The cat had big red eyes, two large tails, and was an off-white in color. It's ears were black, and it bore black marks on it's feet along with stripes at the end of it's tails. It was beautiful, but clearly defensive as it snarls at us angrily. Inuyasha draws Tessaiga beside me.
"One surviving demon." He growls lowly, eyes narrowed. The cat takes it's stance, stopping feet away from us.
"Lord Inuyasha, would that be you?" A familiar voice suddenly comes from the cat. "Down Kirara, these people are not our enemies." The cat-demon drops the severed head, before fire encompasses her and she downsizes from being nearly six feet tall to being the average size of a cat. She sits, taking her hind leg and scratching at her cheek, where Myoga finally emerges. He doesn't take long to leap from one host to the next, landing on Inuyasha's nose. "Ah, how I've longed for this nose!" He exclaims happily, taking his fill. I sigh heavily, watching what predictably happens next. Inuyasha smacks the flea, squishing him against the palm of his hand.
"Still irritating." Inuyasha grumbles, opening his palm to show me Myoga, before tilting his hand so the flea would float down to the ground.
"Some things never change." Myoga groans painfully.
"You know this flea?" Miroku asks in wonder.
"It's Inuyasha's vassal…well sort of." Shippo explains as he sits on Miroku's shoulder, having jumped off of mine when we had entered the village.
Once introductions were made Miroku and Inuyasha quickly got to work digging out graves for the deceased villagers. Meanwhile, I got to work using my aura to levitate the whole bodies that I could find, some of them women and children. 'What monsters…' I can't help thinking with disgust as I laid down a little boy gently on the mat.
"This is the secret village of the Demon Slayers." Myoga explains as he sits on my shoulder whilst I continue to move the bodies. "For generations this village has worked hard to train and dispose of demons."
"The viciousness of this attack makes sense." Inuyasha replies from behind me as he grabs one of the first bodies, laying them in the grave and using his hands to shovel the dirt over them. "This was a massacre of innocent people. Most of these villagers don't look like they were the demon slayers, just ordinary people." He observes.
"This is true." Myoga agrees. "Yet it is strange that they had chosen this time in particular to attack." I blink in confusion hearing the flea.
"What do you mean?" I ask, looking down at him on my shoulder.
"A number of them had been summoned to a distant castle, and this village was left with only a few to protect it." Myoga explains, confirming Inuyasha's earlier observation. "I cannot help but wonder if those that traveled to the castle are indeed safe."
"You think this might have all been set up?" I ask with a frown, Inuyasha moving another body into it's grave.
"I just find the timing strange." Myoga answers cryptically, before jumping down off of my shoulder. I sigh softly, before looking down at the little boy I had just moved at my feet. 'He doesn't look any older than Sota…' I think sadly. 'What if Myoga was right? That this was all a trap?'
'I could only think of one person who would do such a cruel thing.' Mayumi speaks up solemnly, my gut twisting painfully.
Naraku.
'We should keep this theory to ourselves for now. There is no need to upset the others over things we can't actually know at the moment.' Mayumi goes on, my brows furrowing as a frown settles on my face.
"I'm going to go and get some flowers to lay on the graves." I announce, turning towards a nearby cropping of trees on the ridge. Myoga jumps off of my shoulder, no doubt heading for Inuyasha's.
"Don't go too far." Inuyasha cautions. I lift my hand up and wave to him as I walk away, acknowledging that I heard him.
'What is it with you and wanting to keep secrets all the time?' I demand once we're far enough away, my irritation growing. 'First you ask me to keep you a secret from Inuyasha, just so it can blow up in my face later-.'
'That's not fair, Yua. You saw why I wanted to try and keep it a secret.' Mayumi argues, and I shake my head.
'Then you don't open up to me about your past with Naraku, even when you knew he had started to visit my dreams months ago. It took until I was physically hurt by him to finally get some answers out of you.'
I can feel Mayumi's own irritation rising. 'Do you realize how hard it was for me to relive that part of my life? I had no idea it would get as bad as it did before you were hurt!'
'But you had a suspicion! And your suspicion turned out to be right!' I argue back angrily, kneeling down by a patch of wildflowers growing around a nearby tree. 'The same thing could happen now. If you suspect that Naraku is behind this, it's best to prepare the others, not hide it from them.'
'You have no idea what you are talking about.' Mayumi states firmly. 'If Inuyasha caught wind that this might have something to do with Naraku, he'd be off in a second. You know what he's like! He'd rush into battle head first without a single coherent plan! He'd get himself killed!' I sigh softly, shoulders slumping.
'You really don't have that much faith in him, do you?' I ask softly, Mayumi sending a flood of anger my way.
'How dare you?'
'Don't you ever wonder why he doesn't ask about you? Doesn't ask to talk to you now that he knows you exist inside of me?' I go on despite her outrage. 'It's because you lied to him in the worst way possible by not revealing yourself to him sooner. You weren't trying to protect him, Mayumi…you were trying to protect yourself.' I know by the silence I had made my point, and it had been justified. A coldness sweeps over me as I feel her presence leave behind the barrier completely, clearly running from our argument. Letting it be, I continue to gather up the wildflowers, before returning to the gravesite with the bundle. By the time I do Miroku has just dug the last of the graves, and so I use my powers to help lift and lower the rest of the bodies with Inuyasha into their rightful resting places. Once covered I go to each grave with Shippo, the both of us leaving flowers over the fresh mounds of dirt.
"It's a shame." Miroku speaks up between his prayers as he stands before the graves. "I had hoped to speak to someone from the village about the Shikon Jewel, and how it had ended up here."
"Talk to me, Myoga. You must know something?" Inuyasha insists as he looks down at the flea on his shoulder.
"I know no more than you." Myoga replies evenly. "All that I can confirm is that anyone that has come across the jewel has come to great misfortune. I followed the rumors of the jewel and found myself here at this village. However, there is still one thing that disturbs me. During my journey a white baboon continuously came in and out of my sight." My eyes widen as my heart skips a beat.
"A white baboon?!" Inuyasha exclaims, his eyes narrowing. He glances towards me, frowning as I give him a knowing look.
Naraku, just as Mayumi had suspected.
That night we camped out on the outskirts of the destroyed village, it's large walls ominously lit by the moonlight above us. We had trekked back down the ridge, taking cover under the trees lining the cliff side. I sat by the fire, Miroku and Shippo long since asleep, and Inuyasha scouting the area one last time. Pulling the Shikon Jewel fragment out from under my shirt, I look at the way it glows in the firelight.
"It is almost as if the jewel itself is poisonous to the demons who use it, their evilness amplified a hundred times over."
"All that I can confirm is that anyone that has come across the jewel has come to great misfortune."
I frown deeply remembering what Myoga had said, and what Miroku had said a couple evenings earlier. What if Miroku was right? What if the jewel was cursed? After all, the elders from Takashi's villages had not only killed him, but his lover too so they could possess it's power. Kikyo and Mayumi had the power to purify it fifty years ago, and yet they had either neglected to, or couldn't. It was also starting to become despairingly clear that I couldn't always trust Mayumi for answers.
"What are you thinking so hard about?" Inuyasha asks as he comes back to the fire, sitting down beside me now with his back leaning up against the smooth side of the cliff behind us. I frown, tucking the jewel back into my shirt.
"What if Miroku was right? What if the jewel really is cursed? Evil?" I ask softly, gazing into the fire. "After all, it's origins might have started out as pure, but it was quickly tainted by murder and deceit. Myoga was right, can you think of a single living soul that has come into contact with the Shikon Jewel, and came out the other end a better person, or demon, for it?"
"Everyone has the freedom to make choices. What they do with those choices is up to them. An object can't dictate that." Inuyasha states, sounding so sure of himself.
"What if the jewel takes away your ability to choose?" I question with a troubled frown, tucking my knees up into my chest as I rest my chin on top of them.
"It doesn't." Inuyasha replies assuredly. "It just so happens that evil is drawn to it, not that the jewel itself is evil."
"How can you know?" I demand as I turn my gaze towards him finally, staring him down. He hesitates, looking uncomfortable. "See? You can't. Nobody really knows what the jewel is truly capable of, and yet it has demons and humans alike killing each other for just the shards. Those were innocent women and children we buried today." Inuyasha blinks, before a knowing look comes over his face.
"It's not the jewel that bothers you, it's what you saw today." He murmurs gently, and I groan with impatience.
"It's both!" I snap angrily, tossing a stick into the fire as I turn back towards it. "There were children no older than my cousin laying there dead, and for what? A few lousy jewel shards? I just doesn't make sense!" I could feel angry tears burning at my eyes, unable to help it. "How can someone measure a person's life like that?"
"I know it's not fair." Inuyasha murmurs after a few tense moments, and I feel the weight of his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently. "And it will never make sense to someone like you, Yua. Someone who doesn't want power. Doesn't crave it."
"So does it make sense to you?" I can't help asking as I look back towards him, swallowing back the bitterness rising in my throat. "You want power. You want to be a full demon. But at what cost, Inuyasha? Is this," I gesture towards the still smouldering village, "a length you're willing to go to achieve the power you desire?" He looks a little taken aback, his eyes going wide as he registers exactly what I'm asking. His hand slowly drops from my shoulder, a frown settling on his face.
"Never." He murmurs firmly to me, shaking his head. "I could never be like those demons." I let out a relieved breath I hadn't realized I had been holding, and when I blink a couple tears manage to get loose and streak down either side of my face. Inuyasha's expression softens, before he reaches for me with both hands this time. "Come here." He murmurs soothingly, grabbing my upper arms and shifting me into his lap, holding me to his chest. The sleeves of his kimono drape over me from shoulder to ankle, acting like a now familiar barrier from the ugly world just behind us. We don't say anything more, just stare at the flames together, till I finally fall asleep in his arms.
SoooooOOOOOoooooooo...there is that, lol. I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and how things turned out! Like I said, in the previous chapter I struggled to try and keep Inuyasha on cannon as much as possible given the au-ness of his relationship with Yua. There was an overwhelming response that I accomplished the task! So thank you once again for that you guys! As usual, ten reviews for this chapter and I shall update again on Wednesday :).
You guys are all the best!
T.O.T.
