OK, here we are with the installment of this month. Sorry to those who expected it sooner, but I told you not to get too used to weekly updates, didn't I? Even if I'm on vacation, sadly I can't think of only writing fanfiction.
On another note, I noticed not too long ago that now has the cover feature for fanfics. I admit I'm absolutely no good at drawing or anything, but having a cover would still be nice. So, if by any chance one of you enjoys drawing fanart and believes this story is anywhere near deserving of such (I'm not getting my hopes up, but I can still ask, right?), and if you ever end up drawing something for this fiction, please let me know, OK? Who knows, maybe I'll choose a cover that way.
Now on with the story, after I thank you a thousand times for all the wonderful reviews. I can't believe we're almost hitting two hundred already. Please, keep those coming, I love hearing from you all.
Hope you enjoy the chapter :3 And as always, many thanks to Amber for edits :D
ANONYMOUS REVIEWER:
InuGome: Mind? Why would I mind? You can even give me ten reviews in a row if that made you happy, so long as you actually have something to say about the fic in each and every one of them LOL Anyway, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed Shippō's entrance, and I'm even happier that what happened afterwards seemed to unexpected to you :D That is what I am often aiming for, I try to be unpredictable. How am I doing so far?
Oh, you aren't going to try and figure out who 'he' is? That's a first. Mostly people try to take wild guesses hoping I'll spill my guts if they're right LOL But so far, no one knows if anyone has ever guessed right. Well, we'll see who that mysterious 'he' is when the time is right, ne ;3 Hope you enjoy this chapter :D
Tracks for this chapter:
V6:Way of Life
Yui Makino:Tsuki no Shijima
Breakers:
XxX: change of scene
~ξ~: time-skip
乗: Beginning/End of Flashback
Ю: Beginning/End of a story told by one of the character (the parts in bold between the stars are what the present them are saying as a small narrative)
Ж: Change of POV (mostly used within a story told by several characters)
[T] and [/T]: Beginning/End of soundtrack
Reminder: 'Inuyasha' written normally refers to Inuyasha, while written in cursive (cursive and bold in thoughts) refers to Kagome, the "Gentle Dog Demon". 'Hanyō' written normally means "half-demon", while written in cursive (cursive and bold in thoughts) it means "half-breed".
Chapter 17 – The Suffering of an Orphaned Child
The short trek back to camp was silent and swift, not that the silence changed after they arrived back under the tree they originally planned to camp under. Normally, Inuyasha would have been happy to notice that everything was still exactly where he left it, from his sleeping bag to his cooking stuff. But although he was relieved, he didn't really think this was the right moment to be joyful over something so… unimportant.
He couldn't say he didn't feel bad for the kit that Kagome was still holding in her arms, calming him whenever he woke from his crying-induced sleep – which was quite often to be honest, and more often than not only to continue wailing some more. It was starting to get on his nerves and he had half a mind to tell the fox to just suck it up and live with it. After all, when his dad had died, he hadn't lost it nearly as much. His mother had needed him to be strong, so he had been, keeping his sadness confined and pretending everything was alright. He hadn't even needed to bother in the tears-department, for the tears never even came, not that he wanted them to. He had been proud of himself to be able to hold himself back from even making his eyes water.
But then again, he had been older than the kit Kagome was holding. In perspective, anyway, since if what Kagome had told him about demon and hanyō life spans was true, then the kit was probably older than him in human years. Still, in demon years, and thus mentally as well, he couldn't be older than seven or eight; much younger than Inuyasha had been when his father died. So could he really demand that the kit be able to handle it as well as he had?
On the other hand, this on and off wailing was really starting to annoy him.
He probably would have acted upon his annoyance, too. He had actually even opened his mouth to tell the kit to shut the fuck up and deal with the hand that life dealt him. But in that moment, as if reading his thoughts, Kagome had looked up at him with a murderous glare, as if daring him to say anything. Needless to say, he promptly shut his mouth and looked away.
It had taken a while, but eventually, the little yōkai-child had finally fallen into a deep enough sleep to not wake every twenty minutes, though he still sniffled from time to time in his slumber. Inuyasha sighed in relief at the prospect of a little peace and was about to get into his sleeping bag and go to sleep when his eyes fell once again on Kagome. He blinked a few times as he observed her, his eyes narrowing, before finally speaking up.
"Oi, Kagome," he said in a low tone, mindful of the sleeping kit she still held in her arms, not willing to go through another fit of tears. "Let me look at your shoulder," he said when she directed her gaze at him. She stared at him in response.
"What for?" she finally asked, just as quietly as he. She didn't want to wake Shippō, either, but her reasons for it were different.
"Well… you're wounded, right? Let me look at it," the black haired priest persisted, his hand already reaching for his backpack in order to take out the first aid kit once again. He had put it inside only ten minutes prior, after tending to his own burns without even thinking about it, but now, for some reason, he just felt the urge… no, the need to look at her injuries, to make sure she was alright. He chalked it up to the fact that not even an hour ago, his treatment hadn't done anything to help the kitsune he'd tried to help, and he had been a full yōkai. But Kagome only gave him a dull stare.
"Let it be. They'll be healed by morning anyway, tomorrow afternoon at the latest, and they won't even leave a mark," she answered as she closed her eyes and leaned against the tree, not noticing Inuyasha's deepening frown.
"But they aren't healed now," he pressed. Why he was unwilling to just leave her alone, he didn't know. It wasn't like she really needed it, he knew that. She was right, her injuries would heal in time and they would heal much quicker than they would have if she were human. There wasn't really a true danger of infection, either. And yet, he couldn't help but feel the almost desperate need to at least check up on her and bandage her up a little. It wouldn't do her any good, but it wouldn't harm her, either. It would, however, make him feel more at ease, that he knew, even if he couldn't quite grasp why.
Kagome glared at him for a second, completely intent on telling him to just let it rest. The words died in her throat when she looked into his eyes, though. There was something inside those violet depths, something she hadn't seen in them before. Something she hadn't seen in a long while in anyone's eyes, actually. That glint was deep and genuine concern, most likely for her well being. She blinked in surprise, not quite knowing how to react to the information his eyes were sending her, although she was quite certain he himself wasn't aware of the message. Finally, she sighed and turned her back on the kannushi.
"Oi, I told you to…" Inuyasha stared to say furiously, but he cut off abruptly when Kagome's suikan slowly slid down her shoulders, followed closely by her cut-up kosode, leaving her naked from the waist up in front of him, her naked back presenting a horrible cut at least an inch and a half long, which he knew was also present on the other side of her body. Stunned speechless, Inuyasha could only stare for a while.
"You can hardly take care of my injuries if I'm fully clothed, now can you?" Kagome asked without turning around, rearranging her clothes instead so that they didn't cover Shippō, whom she placed in her lap, uncomfortably, but instead acted as a blanket of sorts. If she had turned around, she would have seen the light, pink blush that was now covering Inuyasha's cheeks and nose. As much as he wanted to make everyone believe how badass he was, he was still a teenage male and thus had certain responses to the view of a naked female in front of him, even if it was only a view from behind. And truth be told, he didn't even want to know what that reaction would be had she not turned.
Shaking himself from the surprise that overcame him a second ago (but unable to do anything about his deepening blush), Inuyasha slowly approached the half-demon as she gently reached behind her to grasp her hair before slowly taking it up front over the less-injured shoulder, giving him free access to the would Houka's axe had inflicted. If he had decided to lean forward a little more, he could have also taken a free glimpse at what she was trying to hide from him by turning around, but Inuyasha was wise enough not to heed that naughty thought… not that he wanted to or anything.
Kneeling down behind her, Inuyasha took out a gauze and disinfectant from the kit, dumping a huge amount of the liquid on the gauze to clean the wound thoroughly.
"This will sting a little," he warned, knowing full well it would hurt more than just 'a little'.
"Whatever," Kagome replied calmly as Inuyasha set to work, his hands surprisingly gentle, as he was trying not to cause Kagome anymore discomfort than necessary. She didn't stir at all, didn't even so much as flinch slightly, instead sitting perfectly still with her head held high and her eyes closed. She might just as well be sleeping or be a colored statue even for all the sign of life she was giving while he worked. Still, even when she didn't show any signs of pain, Inuyasha couldn't help but feel guilty as he gently cleansed the wound (doing it a little blindly from the front since he didn't dare to lean forward too much) before bandaging it.
He was the guy, she was the girl. Human or not, he should be the one protecting her. He should be the one getting hurt while she hung back and only helped from the sidelines, away from the actual danger, not the other way around.
She acted like that wound was no big deal. She always said she was used to such 'small scratches', as she called them, and that she had lived through a lot worse. But that didn't make it any better. 'She shouldn't be used to it. It's just wrong. She shouldn't have to fight,' he thought, not even stopping to wonder just why it seemed so wrong. 'I should have protected her…' the black haired priest thought as he finished bandaging her shoulder.
When he was done, he gently tried to move her hair from one shoulder to the other, so that he could take a look at the biting-wound as well. Sensing what he wanted to do, Kagome swatted his hands away and did it herself, surprisingly not complaining much. A couple minutes later, the black haired priest moved away from her, closing the kit shut as she slowly redressed. Once the first aid kit was back in place once again, Inuyasha nodded to himself feeling somewhat better and slid into his sleeping bag. He was out like a light within minutes, not hearing the soft 'thanks' that Kagome directed at him once she had leaned back against the tree, as if she had never moved in the first place.
'How long has it been…?' the young hanyō couldn't help but wonder, but did not even dare to finish the thought. Sighing to herself, Kagome closed her eyes, but didn't fall asleep or even rest in her usual light doze. Instead, her ears twitched on her head and she cracked one eye open, directing it at her shoulder.
"You seem like you want to say something, Myouga-jii-chan," she said, staring at the flea through a half-lidded eye. For once in his life, Myouga didn't seem scared as he stared right back at her, his expression evaluating, yet gentle. Surprised, Kagome opened both her eyes and turned her head to stare right back at him. "What?" she snapped, unnerved by his persistent stare. The flea sighed as he looked up at her with the first smile on his face Kagome had ever seen. Myouga never smiled, unless he was bidding you farewell.
"You did all that you could have done, Kagome-sama, there's no reason for you to feel ashamed. I am quite certain your otou-sama and okaa-sama would have been very proud of you if they were to see you now," he assured her in a wise tone he rarely used, but one that showed he knew well what he was talking about.
Kagome blinked owlishly at the flea in surprise. Whatever she had been expecting him to say, it definitely wasn't that. But the surprise wore off quickly and a scowl appeared on her face instead and she once again hid what she felt from the world as she turned away and closed her eyes again.
"Yeah, whatever," she grumbled under her breath as she dozed off, not quite awake, but not fully asleep, either. Resting, but still quite aware of her surroundings.
The next day of their travel was slow, since they weren't running for once, although Inuyasha wasn't going to complain about that. It was silent, too. No one spoke a word and a gloomy cloud seemed to hover over the group. A cloud that, much to Inuyasha's surprise, didn't originate only from the fox following them, but from Kagome as well, even though to most people, she'd seem annoyed more than anything else. The black haired priest couldn't help wondering what was wrong with her and had even almost asked a few times, before stopping himself at the last second. Even Myouga was surprisingly quiet, though what surprised Inuyasha even more was that he was still tagging along. Then again, there was no immediate danger in sight, so there was no reason for the cowardly flea to leave, he figured.
They only stopped once the sun was getting ready to set again. Inuyasha hadn't said a word of complaint since their start after the usual morning work-out he had with Kagome (he noted that he was getting better, even if she said nothing about it, telling him instead what he kept doing wrong. It was starting to piss him off, too), but he had to admit, if only to himself, that he really wouldn't have been able to keep walking for much longer. He was getting tired and hungry and his backpack felt unnaturally heavy, making his shoulders ache slightly from having to carry it all day. Overall, he was close to being completely exhausted. The heat of the afternoon sun hadn't helped him any either, but for once, Kagome seemed to take no notice of his discomfort, and it was more than obvious that she herself wasn't bothered much – another thing that kept him from asking for a break before.
Now, as they set up camp again, he glanced at Kagome, who had been scenting the air for the past five minutes, having laid Shippō down on the ground, wrapped in her red jacket as if it was a blanket. When she suddenly stood and was obviously about to leap off, Inuyasha finally broke the silence, which was starting to get on his nerves anyway. It was surprising how quickly he got used to the idea of having someone to talk to (or rather to argue with) to the point that prolonged silence was bothering him, but he gave it no thought.
"Oi, Kagome, where are you going?" he asked. Kagome stopped in the middle of her preparation to leap off to glance at him before bending her knees.
"Hunting," was her curt answer.
"Wait!" Inuyasha grabbed her wrist when she was just about to leave, making her stumble forward as she forcefully stopped herself from leaping off, lest she'd carry him off with her, hanging by her wrist. She imagined that wouldn't be a very pleasant experience for him. She glared at him over her shoulder in annoyance.
"What?" she snapped, clearly on edge. The violet eyed teen wasn't impressed, however.
"I already got us some food," Inuyasha replied, motioning to the three cups of ramen on the ground, waiting for the hot water to finish its job in making them edible. "No need for you to go hunting if the food's already there," with that, he released her wrist and sat back down next to his camping gas-stove. They would have to make a fire soon, he noted, glancing at the sky. He didn't notice Kagome's shell shocked form as she stayed right where he left her, staring at him. 'OK, maybe I could understand last time, since I said I wouldn't go hunting then, but what's his reason now? It's not like I need him to feed me…', she thought, getting a little angry at the very idea. But that anger soon evaporated as she plopped down on the ground, her eyes still observing him, which he either didn't notice or ignored completely. 'That's not it. He doesn't think of me as a charity case, I know that much. But then, what's his reason for doing that? Does he really care that much?'
She wanted to doubt that. She knew she should doubt it. After all, the lone thought that someone might actually care for her, really and truly care for her, was ludicrous. No one ever cared for her, no one since her mother, at least not to such an extent, and no one ever would, that she was sure of. Then again…
"I would have thought we'd turn around by now. Or are you planning to lead us in a circle again?" Inuyasha's voice interrupted her thoughts and Kagome looked up at him, honestly confused.
"What are you talking about? Why should we turn around or go in circles? That would hardly get us anywhere, now would it? Or do you want to go home again for a few days?" that was likely after all, so she had to ask.
"That's not it. I just thought that we'd go back to Kaede's to leave him there to be cared for," Inuyasha replied, pointing to the sleeping fox (or at least he thought the kit was sleeping), though his eyes stayed on Kagome. The half-demon only shook her head, however, her eyes closed in a subconscious try to hide her emotions from him – an effective try, too.
"He's coming with us. We're not leaving him anywhere," she replied, refusing to look into Inuyasha's eyes once she finally opened her own, staring at the ground instead. Inuyasha raised a brow.
"I thought things might get too dangerous to let a kid tag along."
"A human kid, yes. But Shippō is a demon. Because of that, we can't leave him in a human village."
"Why not? The people there seemed understanding enough and you and Kaede have a good relationship. I don't think she'd mind." Though why he'd prefer that the kit stayed away from them, he didn't know. Something told him it wasn't because he was worried for him, though.
"That's not the problem. The problem is that as a demon, he can't always rely on humans. He's a kid now, but he'll eventually grow up and by that time, he'll have to know how to take care of himself as a demon should, especially since it's more than likely that by that time, he'll be sick and tired of staying in the same place all the time. Demons are wild and they hate to stay in one place for too long, for the most part."
"Yeah, but he could stay there for now, couldn't he?"
"Do you really think he'd feel at home among humans? He's a yōkai, Inuyasha, and yōkai and humans just don't get along in this world. Besides, I'm telling you that there are things he needs to learn as a demon. Things he'll never learn from a human," Kagome repeated, annoyance seeping into her voice.
"So you're gonna teach him?" Inuyasha asked, then tilted his head to the side in wonder as he regarded her. "Like your otou-san taught you?"
Kagome didn't respond to that, staring forlornly into the small fire of the gas-stove instead, ears drooping. 'Chichi-ue didn't teach me anything. He didn't get the chance to teach me anything,' she thought gloomily before shaking her head. What was wrong with her? Why was this affecting her so much? It wasn't like it was anything she hadn't known before.
"I mean, Myouga said your old man was a daiyōkai, so your mother is obviously human, so she couldn't teach you anything like hunting and fighting, right?" Inuyasha went on, not noticing the change in her demeanor as he stared at the small flame as well before switching it off. A real fire would be nice right about now. "Come to think of it… What's your mother like?" to him, it was a legitimate question. She had met his mother, after all, so she knew what his mother was like, but he never heard her speak about her own parents. He remembered her saying something about not having many memories of her old man, so he didn't probe the subject, but the topic of her mother never came up. That didn't mean he wasn't curious though.
When Kagome stayed silent, he was about to ask her again, when he heard a throat being cleared. Gazing over at Kagome's shoulder, Inuyasha noticed Myouga as he hopped down to the ground. It was the flea who attempted to answer his question.
"The madam was indeed very beautiful—ugh!" he didn't get to say anything more as a fist fell down on him, effectively squashing him against the ground.
"Oi," Inuyasha started, looking up at the culprit, but his words died in his mouth when he saw Kagome's expression. At first glance, she seemed angry, but the anger wasn't reflected in her eyes, which instead shone with something Inuyasha could only identify as deep pain.
"You need to learn to shut that running mouth of yours," the hanyō-girl growled out as she stood and made a move to leap into a nearby tree, like she often did. Only rarely did she sleep (or rather doze) on the ground near him, preferring the high branches instead.
"Oi, Kagome…"
"Leave it alone! Kaa-san died a long time ago," she yelled at him before leaping off into the tree. Inuyasha, effectively silenced by her yell, could only stare after her as she disappeared from his sight between the branches. He hadn't seen her this angry before… but what bothered him more was the look in her eyes, for it wasn't the anger she tried to display, but rather hurt.
Sudden movement caught his eye and he quickly turned his head, just in time to see Shippō, who apparently hadn't been sleeping after all, climbing up the tree Kagome had disappeared into, her jacket fluttering behind him like an oversized cloak as he carried it with him. The kitsune soon disappeared in the branches as well, leaving Inuyasha alone with the flattened Myouga. Sighing, the black haired kannushi decided to start a fire first before digging into his ramen before it got too cold. He checked on the two other cups and decided that in the worst case scenario, he'd just add a little more hot water to warm it up at least a little bit, not even stopping to wonder why he still bothered. He just did, that was all there was to it.
[T]
Up in the tree, the little kit had reached the branch Kagome was sitting on easily enough and after throwing her jacket at her, which she caught effortlessly, he sat down next to her. Neither said anything for a long while, as Kagome just sat there motionless, staring at the horizon. It was only when she felt something wet near her eyes that she raised her clawed hand to wipe it away, then stared in fascination at the moisture that she had collected, as if seeing her own tears for the first time. And in a way, she was.
"That's the reason why you put up with me up until now, isn't it?" Shippō's dejected voice interrupted the silence between them, making the young half-demon turn her head to stare at him.
"What do you mean, Shippō-chan?" the Inuyasha asked, blinking at the young fox. She didn't miss his slight wince at the way she called him, but didn't get the chance to ask what was wrong because he spoke up again first.
"You are alone, too, and since I'm so much younger, you feel sorry for me. But I don't want your pity! I'll get through this on my own, I'm not weak!" the young kitsune said, honesty surprising her for a moment before she responded with a sad smile.
"That's not the reason… well, part of it is, but you got most of it wrong. I don't feel sorry for you, for one," she said and it was by all means true. Feeling sorry for him wouldn't help him any and while she was hurting for him, she wasn't pitying him. She was angry, however, both at the Hōnōo no Kyoudai and at herself.
"Who in the world are you, anyway?" Shippō asked next, ignoring her answer as if she hadn't said anything. Kagome looked away again, directing her gaze at the horizon once more. She knew what he was asking, of course, only an idiot wouldn't. If he asked in such a tone, he could mean only one thing. She sighed. She really didn't want to answer that question, because it entailed mentioning people she wasn't ready to think about yet. It hurt too much, even if so much time had passed. But in a way… in a way he deserved to know more than anyone else did. He deserved to know just why she had so desperately tried to save his father, he deserved to know why she was ready to take him in… he deserved to know just how alike they were.
"Some people call me the Inuyasha," she finally started, her voice barely above a whisper but loud enough for the fox-child to hear. He turned his emerald eyes to stare at her, but she refused to meet his eyes, staring at the horizon instead as she forced herself to answer his question in the way he wanted her to answer. "I am Kagome, daughter of the late Lord of the Western Lands, the Inu no Taishō, Shugonin(1), and the former hime(2) of the house of Higurashi, Hikari. The current Lord of the West, Sesshōmaru, and I share a father, but we are not of the same mother. We are related, but the blood in his veins and mine is not quite the same."
Dead silence met her formal introduction before…
"You're a noble?! A freaking daiyōkai… or daihanyō in this case, but still…"
"I'm not a dai-anything," Kagome interrupted gently. "I may have 'noble blood', but I assure you I'm no noble, either. I'm as any other hanyō out there, as wild as you can get."
"How come? Wouldn't it make sense for your otou to treat you like he treated his heir if he loved your human okaa?" Shippō asked, his wide eyes never leaving her form as she sat rather rigidly on the branch, almost as if bracing herself for an impact. And in a way, that was exactly what she was doing as she forced herself to answer his seemingly innocent question.
"Otou-sama never got the chance to teach me anything. He died around the same time I was born," she replied softly, switching to more formal honorifics than she usually used when talking about her father without even thinking about it. She cast her eyes downwards, no longer looking at the horizon but staring at the branch she was sitting at instead. Shippō's breath hitched slightly, but he didn't say anything and she was glad for it. If he interrupted her now, she feared she wouldn't be able to tell him all that he deserved to know. "I lived alone with kaa-san in a village, since because of her involvement with otou-sama, she was expelled from the house of Higurashi," she continued quietly.
As far as she knew, her mother's brother had been against it since the beginning, hence why he also left the house soon after to find her mother. He never did, but Kagome herself ended up eventually running into him in the village near to where she later met Kikyo. Without any heir to speak of, the house of Higurashi met its end and fell, at least that's what her uncle had told her. But that was another story.
"Still, kaa-san was only human, mated to a yōkai as she might have been… partially anyway. She said they never had the actual ceremony, but she was marked. Still, she was only human," Kagome hesitated for only a moment before she forced the words out into the open. "She died when I was four."
Silence met her words, giving her the time to collect herself and force her emotions back under control. Digging up those old ghosts still hurt, especially when she thought of her mother. Just one mention of her would make all those images flare back to life as if they were happening right now. The fire from the torches, the blood flying everywhere in the carnage, the screams of the people…
The hanyō-girl shook her head violently to clear her mind, trying to get those images out of her head. She couldn't relive it. She wasn't ready for that yet.
Somehow, she doubted she'd ever be.
"Please, accept my humblest apologies," a muffled voice made her ears twitch on her head as she finally turned to look at the fox-kit. To her surprise, he was on his knees on the branch, practically bowing to her as he apologized over and over, though for what, Kagome couldn't fathom. "Please, accept my humblest apologies, Kagome-sama…"
Scowling, Kagome reached for the little kitsune, easily picking him up by the back of his furry jacket and raising him to her eye-level, making deep-gold clash with emerald, tears swirling in the child's eyes. Her expression softened as she leaned towards him, their noses practically touching.
"I'm not above you, you know. I'm not any different than you, except for the fact that you're a yōkai and I'm a half-demon," she said, sternly yet gently. "So quit the keigo(3). You had no problem with speaking informally before, no need to change things now," she said, making his eyes break contact with hers as he looked down once again.
"Accept my apologies for speaking out of line before, first," he whispered dejectedly, making Kagome sigh. "For referring to you as a hanyō, I mean."
"Apology accepted, Shippō-chan. It's not like I'm not used to it, anyway," Kagome replied with a small smile. "Now, I repeat, quit the kei… hey, what's wrong?" she asked when he flinched lightly again.
"Nothing… it's just that… okaa used to call me that…"
"Oh… well, I could just call you Shippō, if you want…"
"No!" he quickly assured her, his head snapping back up to stare at her as she leaned back and gently deposited him on her lap. Instead of getting down and sitting on the branch, like she would have expected him to, he actually crawled closer to her and leaned against her chest. "It is alright, Kagome-sama," he whispered as she gently encircled her arms around him in a gentle hug.
"Keigo," she repeated for the third time, now getting slightly irritated. "Quit it, I mean it. I'm not above you. And by the way, I'm sorry, too," Kagome whispered into his ear as she hugged him. Shippō blinked as he looked up at her.
"What for?" the little kit asked, making Kagome look away guiltily.
"For being unable to save your father," she replied quietly. Shippō stayed quiet for a while before responding, but what he said was definitely not something one would expect a little child to say, for they were exceptionally wise.
"You did your best. Besides, the way things are, you could say you helped me avenge him, so it's OK. And thanks to you, I'm not alone now," he said. Kagome blinked at him owlishly, making him laugh. "It's something I heard okaa say to otou once, after they came back from a fight with another demon," he explained, to which Kagome laughed. She should have expected something like that, really.
"Well, the words were spot on. I guess you're right, Shippō-chan," she said with a smile, one that the young kit reciprocated. No, he wasn't over his loss yet, Kagome knew that. But he was recovering and soon, he'd be a mischievous kit playing tricks on anyone he could once again. And that thought made her happy.
[/T]
She straightened up then, and slowly stood on the branch as she scented the air, her smile widening at the scent she had previously overlooked. She gracefully jumped down, Shippō still in her arms, and landed gracefully on the ground near the fire Inuyasha had made while she and Shippō were talking. Sighing, Kagome gently set the kit on the ground and approached the slightly annoyed looking priest. She sat down across him, the fire between them, as always.
"Sorry for blowing up at you like that," she finally said, although when Myouga looked at her with wide eyes, she only glared back. No way in Hell was she going to apologize for squashing him, he deserved it. He really ought to keep his big mouth shut. Turning her eyes back to the fire, she noticed that Inuyasha was looking at her rather oddly, although he didn't look angry. She sighed again. "It's just that the topic of kaa-san is… rather sore for me," now that was an understatement, but he didn't need to know that.
"Whatever," Inuyasha replied nonchalantly. Inside, however, he was surprised she was apologizing. Because really, why should she? From her reaction when he asked, it was more than obvious her mother was not something she wanted to talk about, and he thought he could imagine why. So the fault was all his for sticking his nose where it didn't belong, not that he'd ever admit it aloud, not hers for blowing up like she did. He really didn't expect her to apologize to him and frankly, he hadn't needed her to. He imagined that if she had asked something about his dad, his reaction might have been kind of like hers, so he could hardly blame her.
"Maybe I'll tell you one day, when I feel up to it," the hanyō-girl added, although she knew that moment would probably be very long in coming. What even compelled her to suggest she would ever tell him was beyond her, but the words were out now. Not that it mattered. She quickly changed the subject before he could respond. "By the way, my nose must be dying on me or something. I didn't notice before, but I smell a hot spring nearby. So, who's up for a bath?"
Needless to say the fire was quickly forgotten as both Shippō and Kagome couldn't wait to get the stagnant stench of blood off of them and Inuyasha wouldn't mind a bath, either. And Kagome knew that even if he didn't want one, she'd drag him with her anyway. The spring was a little ways off and while she definitely didn't want him peeping on her (not that he'd dare, she'd make sure of that), she wanted him nearby so she could still keep an eye on him, so whether he liked it or not, he'd have to tag along.
Once they found what they were looking for, it had taken another five minutes and a little persuasion on Kagome's part before they finally decided that she would bathe first.
"And you better not try to peek," she growled at Inuyasha's back one final time as she slowly lowered herself into the water before walking a little further into the spring and away from where they were.
"Don't worry, there's nothing there that interests me," Inuyasha replied, although he couldn't help but blush a little at the idea. He still remembered his own reaction from the night before when he saw her naked back, he didn't even want to think what seeing her up front might be like. It wasn't really that he was interested in seeing her, so he wasn't lying, but he couldn't control his reactions – he was still a hormonal teen after all.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," was Kagome's nonchalant reply, as she had still easily heard him even when she was almost to the other side of the rather large spring. Her thoughts didn't quite mirror her words, though. 'Makes you wonder if there is such a thing as being too honest,' she thought with a sigh. 'But even if there is, he's definitely setting a new record. Honestly, how rude can you get?' It was amazing how at one moment he could be all sweet and caring and not even three seconds later be a complete ass.
Back at the little 'shore' of the spring, Shippō decided he didn't want to wait and quickly stripped. Inuyasha glanced at him from the corner of his eye, then turned his head to stare at the kit.
"Uh… Shippō, what are you doing?" he asked the suddenly very cheery kitsune. Not even an hour ago, he was still all gloomy and depressed. Whatever he and Kagome had talked about up in that tree, it had definitely raised his spirits and that was good. But somehow, Inuyasha had a feeling he'd soon wish the child had stayed all gloomy with all the headaches and annoyance he could practically see on the horizon.
"I'm going in, too," he replied easily as he stripped completely. The young kit was about to happily leap into the water right after Kagome, but Inuyasha stopped him, grabbing his tail.
"Wait a minute!" the black haired kannushi said quickly as he tugged on the fox's tail, effectively dragging the child back the couple of steps he had managed to take. Shippō didn't seem to mind as he looked up at Inuyasha, who was scowling down at him. Even when sitting Indian style, Inuyasha still towered over the kit, but the child wasn't intimidated at all. He smiled at the glaring priest, making Inuyasha's glare loosen up a little.
"Inuyasha, you come, too!" Shippō exclaimed excitedly, effectively surprising Inuyasha enough to let go of his tail as another blush appeared on his face. While he was stuttering in embarrassment, Shippō crossed one arm over his chest, resting his other elbow on his palm and leaning his cheek against his other hand in a thoughtful pose. "I have to wonder… why don't you and Kagome bathe together?"
"Eh?" Inuyasha's eyes widened even more as his cheeks turned from a light rosy color to beet red. Ignoring his reaction, the little kit continued.
"It's more fun bathing together, don't you think? When okaa and otou were with me…" he faltered a little in that point, then shook his head and continued in an almost determined tone, as if trying to prove to himself that he was over it. "When they were alive, we always bathed together," he finally finished. By that point, Inuyasha was already fighting a wave of annoyance the kit's words had evoked, and eventually, he simply leaned forward as he glared at the kit. Shippō turned to look at him innocently, not intimidated by the glare in the least, which unnerved Inuyasha to no end. Although part of him was glad, because he wasn't planning on scaring the kit.
"You're a kid, so you probably don't understand…" he started in an annoyed tone, his blush having disappeared already. Shippō interrupted him, though, as he suddenly turned and stared up at him with narrowed eyes before asking in a low tone:
"Be honest. How far have you gone with Kagome?"
And the blush was back as Inuyasha virtually froze, while his mind scrambled to find an answer. One would have thought that answering such a question, at least in his case, would be easy when it concerned Kagome. But somehow, it proved to be much harder than he would have thought, had he ever considered someone asking him.
"How far have you gone with Kagome?" Inuyasha scowled mentally, his body too rigid to actually make him scowl at the kit. 'Well, I… I know I care for her… I don't want her to die. I want to protect her instead of letting her protect me. I don't mind her hanging around, so… I guess we're… we're friends?' that thought in itself was alien enough as it was. He didn't have friends. He didn't need friends. And yet… wasn't that what Kagome had become to him?
"How far have you gone with Kagome?" the words kept resonating in his mind like a broken record, making it hard for him to think straight. Suddenly, all the times she saved him entered his mind. All the times her blood was shed because she was protecting him. All the times they argued, all the times they fought… that one time when he bandaged her up… how it felt to give her food even though he knew she didn't need it. And suddenly, the answer was almost too easy to find, though it still made him freeze all over again. 'We're friends,' he admitted, if only to himself, his shoulders slumping slightly. Yes, they were friends. But…
Before he could by some act of folly actually voice his answer, Shippō had turned away from him, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he spoke up again, mostly to himself this time around.
"When I ask things like that, grown-ups get tongue-tied. I wonder why…" And that was all it took for Inuyasha's feeble control on his growing anger to snap as he reached for the kit and started pulling in his cheeks in a form of punishment.
"You wonder why? I almost said something I shouldn't!" he growled out as he continued to torture the culprit behind his embarrassment… and kind of epiphany.
"I won't ask again!"
On the other side of the spring, Kagome sat, her body shaking uncontrollably as she desperately tried to keep her laughter inside. Inuyasha was embarrassed enough as it was, she could smell it, she didn't want to embarrass him even more by reminding him that she could hear every word. Though she had to wonder what this 'something he shouldn't say' was.
[T]
When she calmed down a little, her eyes drifted down to meet her reflection. She wasn't laughing anymore, but the mirth was still in her eyes and the smile wouldn't leave her face either. She couldn't help but stare at herself, as if she was seeing her own reflection for the first time in her life. 'How long has it been since I felt like truly laughing?' she questioned herself, although she knew the answer very well. 'When was the last time my tears really expressed the sorrow I felt? When did I get so angry that I wanted to rip the person who made me mad apart lately?'
Sighing, Kagome slowly turned around and leaned her arms on a boulder that was beside her, now only covered by the water from the waist down. She was too lost in thought to notice the potential view she might be giving someone and she didn't feel the cold either.
'It's been a really long time,' she admitted, her ears drooping slightly as she stared ahead with unseeing eyes, although her ears were still very aware of everything happening around her. 'It started… back when kaa-san…' she couldn't quite finish the thought as her chest constricted briefly.
Ever since her mother died, she hadn't been quite the same. The first year she was basically a walking corpse. It had been a wonder she had survived at all, let alone became who she was now. If it hadn't been for that one girl, she probably would have been killed a long time ago. It had been a good wake-up call. And the first lesson about her supposed place in the world, too.
She had promised herself then that she would keep the promise she had given her mother, that she would live by the old ways. The ways of the demons from eons before, in a time when the races didn't hate each other as they did today. A time when they co-existed in peace, with the humans taking care of the weaker demons and the yōkai-children when they needed it while the strong yōkai protected the humans from the low-levels that didn't have enough brains to figure it was best to stay away and hunt for some animals in a forest nearby. But that was then and things had changed a lot since that time. What exactly brought the change on, Kagome didn't know, nor did she really care. But she promised her mother she would live like people did back then. This meant that she needed to become strong in both body and heart. She needed to be strong physically in order to protect humans like she promised her mother she would. But she found out quickly that she also needed to be strong emotionally in order to be able to deal with how people treated her more often than not because of her mixed blood. She had succeeded, of course, and she never let anyone walk over her. But it had come at a price.
There was no heart in the world that could learn to deal with what Kagome had gone through. Hers was no exception. And it wasn't really that she learned to deal with it. Rather, she had enclosed her heart in a block of ice she refused to ever let melt and she had locked that block with thick chains and a strong lock. She had thrown the key away long ago.
But Inuyasha… somehow, he had found that key. He had found it and had easily removed the chains around her heart, then proceeded to melt the ice around it like it was the easiest thing in the world. Not even Kikyo or he could make her feel the way Inuyasha did, or at least not in such a short amount of time. Biting back a sigh, Kagome looked up at the starry sky. 'When I'm with Inuyasha… I feel like… I feel like I can be the me I buried so long ago. I feel like I'm… free,' she thought as she turned around again, leaning against the boulder and sinking deeper into the water, barely keeping her nose out of it.
At first, Inuyasha was only her charge. Someone she protected because he was unable to protect himself. Plus, there was also the Jewel. In the beginning, keeping the priest alive was a matter of pride for her. But now, things were different, she couldn't deny it. Now, she was ready to lay down her own life if it meant saving him. Now, she cared for him on a personal level. She dared consider him a companion, rather than her charge. When had things changed?
乗
She stared at her brother, Tessaiga ready to strike again when Sesshōmaru suddenly pounced. Startled, Kagome leapt back, but she had misjudged her brother's attack and instead of evading him, she landed right between his front paws just as his massive muzzle descended on her, ready to eat her. 'Oh shit!' she thought as his jaw rapidly closed the distance between her and his teeth. In the last possible second, Kagome threw herself to the side, barely avoiding his jaws as they hit the skull-covered ground of their father's grave. The resulting explosion sent her flying and she barely managed to flip over in mid air, hitting the 'wall' of the skeleton with her feet instead of her back. She had landed well above Sesshōmaru, the explosion having sent her flying upwards, somehow, and she quickly reached out a free hand to grab onto the bone she landed on, trying to figure out what to do next. The best thing to do would be to get on the daiyōkai's back, somehow, but the question was how to do it.
"KAGOME!" a frantic yell interrupted her thoughts and her head snapped up to look at the far corner of her father's belly, where Inuyasha had backed up to. It was him who had yelled and if the sound of his voice and the look in his eyes was anything to go by, saying he was worried would be an understatement. Kagome raised a brow in wonder. 'He's… afraid… but not of Sesshōmaru and not for himself… he's… he's scared for me!' she realized and her eyes widened at the realization. She had half a mind to yell back at him to let him know she was fine, but something stopped her.
Sesshōmaru had risen once again, his teeth easily cracking the skulls in his mouth. Looking closely, Kagome could see his nose moving in that distinct movement of sniffing. There was no way he thought she was in his mouth, if she was he would have probably spit out her dead body by now, too disgusted by her mixed blood to actually eat her. But he was keeping up pretences for some reason, while he tried to sniff her out, which would be hard since both their scents were pretty much everywhere in the skeleton. But if he was trying to sniff her out, it meant he hadn't seen where she went, and since she was above him and he didn't think of looking above, he couldn't find her. It was an advantage Kagome couldn't give up on, so she stayed quiet.
"Kagome!" another yell, this one more desperate than the last made her look towards Inuyasha again. He was staring at Sesshōmaru now, obvious dread in his eyes. Dread and fear like she hadn't seen before. 'Is he really that afraid that I might die? Or is he just afraid that now that I'm 'gone' Sesshōmaru will turn his jaws on him?' she wondered, although somehow she knew that it wasn't true. The dread and fear that she could smell even from this far away wasn't just because he was afraid for himself. He was scared for her. 'He… he cares… he really cares whether I live or die…' Kagome thought in wonder, but was forced back to reality again when something shook the ground. Sesshōmaru was starting to move towards the shell shocked human. She narrowed her eyes. 'Oh no, you don't!' she thought as she easily leapt from bone to bone, moving soundlessly above her brother before easily jumping onto his back when she was close enough.
He hadn't felt her, luckily, and she intended to use that. He had stopped now and she quickly yet stealthily crept towards his head. When she was at the height of his shoulder blades, she took Tessaiga in both her hands and raised the hilt over her head, the blade pointing straight downwards. 'That'll teach you to think I'm killed that easily, bastard,' she thought as the pushed the sword through the daiyōkai's flesh, which resulted in a loud and angry howl.
乗
'It was most likely then that things started to change… if not even before that,' the hanyō thought as the memory faded. That had been the first time she had seen someone this openly and genuinely worried about whether she survived or not. And it had gotten to her. She had ended up opening up to Inuyasha a tiny bit. And he had used it to settle himself in her heart more than she cared to admit. To the point where she was actually scared of failing him, of letting him die. The lone thought made her growl low in her throat.
She didn't really notice when, but somewhere along the way, Inuyasha had become important to her. He had become important enough to try and fight Sesshōmaru, her own brother, like she wanted to kill him. Important enough to not think twice about doing something that could cost her her very life if it meant it would save his. The people she was ready to die for were so few she could count them on her one hand. And yet, he was already one of those select few.
Without her ever realizing… he had become more than her charge, more than a responsibility, more than just a travelling companion or even an acquaintance. He… He was a friend. Or at least, she considered him as one. She just couldn't figure out when exactly he got that far.
[/T]
'Oh who the Hell cares. It happened, that's all there's to it. All I can do about it now is accept it and be done with it,' she thought, suddenly angry at herself, but her anger was quick to deflate. 'And hope he'll think of me as a friend someday, too,' she added in her thoughts, sinking lower still in the water, only to quickly come back up as a few droplets entered her nose and made her want to sneeze. When she had blown all the water out, a sudden idea entered her mind and she hesitated only a short while before putting her 'plan' into action. 'It's been too long since I last did this, anyway,' she thought as she carefully plastered her ears against her scalp in a practiced position to not allow any water to enter the sensitive appendages. When she was certain they were positioned correctly, she took a deep breath and dived under water, practically lying down on the bottom of the shallow spring in order to not be seen by anyone above.
Last time she did that, she was with him. And boy, had he been freaked out when he suddenly noticed she wasn't behind him. Of course, he had thought to look for her underwater and he had seen her, but the fact that she wasn't moving hadn't calmed him down any. He even started to dive down towards her, she remembered, but before he could get to her, her need for oxygen overcame her playful demeanor and she had jumped out of the water. He followed her and had surfaced faster than her, since he hadn't been quite as deep down as her. She was quite sure he had even planned to reprimand her for doing that, but her breaking the water's surface the way she had had killed all the words in his throat. She'd never forget the look he had had on his face then, and she decided then to always do it at least once whenever they were in some kind of water together. It was her own way to relax for even the slightest moment and it was the one thing she could do that reminded her of her mother without reminding her of the day she lost her.
Letting those thoughts go and emptying her mind, Kagome slowly allowed herself to lie down on the bottom of the spring and just pretended to fall asleep, though her eyes stayed partially open. She loved the feel of being underwater. It made her feel like she was flying high above, somewhere where nothing could touch her. It was almost as if she were in another world altogether. She loved this feeling and could hardly ever get enough of it. Once she lied down, the only thing that could make her resurface was her need for oxygen – and with her being a hanyō, that need didn't kick in nearly as fast as with humans.
Kagome released a bit of air from her lungs, almost like a sigh, as she rested her head on her arms and just allowed herself to relax for a little while. God only knew how much she needed it and something told her she wouldn't get the chance to do it again anytime soon. Alas, eventually, she had to resurface to refill her lungs with air, so she reluctantly raised her head and positioned her hands below her chest on the ground, readying herself for surfacing quickly.
It was also then that Shippō decided to bring it to Inuyasha's attention that he couldn't see Kagome anywhere in the spring. Curious, Inuyasha looked over his shoulder, but the only thing he saw were bubbles rising to the surface. 'Wait, bubbles?' he thought and his eyes suddenly widened as he jumped to his feet. He was about to jump into the spring himself, forgetting how shallow it was and that no one could have possibly drowned in it, but in that exact moment, Kagome pushed herself off the bottom and easily broke the water's surface. He froze as he saw her, her back arching backwards and her hair thrown back as she almost greedily sucked up air into her lungs, her hair flying in a graceful arch above her head before it gently fell back down towards her back like a curtain, passing first her right shoulder, then her left before curling at her waist, almost as if it wanted to rise straight back up. The sight had him mesmerized, though she was turned at just the right angle for him to see her face without really getting a look at her front. It was enough to strike him speechless and no matter how much he tried, he just couldn't look away, at least not until she gently eased herself back into the water. Then, she slowly turned around, obviously intent on getting out, so he quickly sat back down, his back turned to her and his cheeks flaring pink again. What was with him staring at her lately? And what was with him staring at her naked god damn it?
"Huh? Inuyasha, are you alright?" Kagome asked as she easily climbed out of the spring and quickly redressed in her clothes. Her ears twitched on her head and zoomed in on the black haired teen she was traveling with, whose heart was beating much quicker than it normally should, although it didn't quite sound like it did every time he was exhausted from long running.
"I'm fine… Hey, what are you doing?" He yelled as she got on all fours and shook herself much like a dog would without even thinking about it, mostly to get the water out of her hair. This resulted in Inuyasha getting a first shower, of course. She blinked at his outburst as she looked up at him from her crouched position, taking in his annoyed expression and the water slowly dripping down from his bangs. She couldn't help it then. She laughed.
"Sorry, sorry. I didn't even think about it," she admitted, although she could have just as well said nothing at all for all Inuyasha was hearing at the moment, once again staring at her. This time for a different reason, however. 'I think… this is the first time I heard her laugh… truly laugh,' he couldn't help but notice in wonder. Yes, she had chuckled before and he had even heard a small laugh once. But this time, it seemed different somehow. More genuine. He liked the sound, even if he didn't necessarily like the source of her laughter.
Scowling, Inuyasha walked past the still laughing hanyō and quickly stripped before going into the water himself. In the meantime, Kagome calmed down and slowly started to finish drying herself up by squeezing the water out of her hair, once again lost in deep thought. Only this time, her mind wandered to more important matters. She couldn't help but think back to her fight with the Hōnōo no Kyoudai. She narrowed her eyes as a few things they said resonated in her mind.
"You bring even more disgrace to what little yōkai blood flows in your veins than I expected from what we were told."
"We hoped you would show up then so we could kill you, but you didn't. Too bad, huh?"
"How… Just a hanyō… defeated us… stronger… he said…"
'Someone had told them about me. Our meeting last time was accidental, I'm quite sure of that. But they had wanted to meet me back when they attacked Ko-chan's village… that was basically a bait to lure me out, though I caught it a little later than they expected,' Kagome concluded. It was the only explanation that would make any sense. The question remained, however, who told the Hōnōo no Kyoudai about her – and why had they done so?
"We can still kill you now and collect our reward with a little delay, that's not a problem."
Right, a reward. A reward for killing her. So basically… someone wanted her dead but was afraid to do the deed himself? Could be, if he was a human – no matter how much he hated her, a human would never dare to face her in battle, they were too scared of her demon blood for that. But then again, a ningen would never dare to ask other yōkai for help or bargain with them. Another yōkai wouldn't either, it would be too much of a disgrace to admit that he was too weak to kill a simple hanyō. But then, who could it possibly be and for what reason?
'And there's still that light that exploded from Tessaiga,' she thought as she put the thought of the one who could have possibly sent the three siblings after her to the back of her mind to ponder later. She frowned again.
"Oi, Myouga-jii-chan," she called, knowing the flea was still nearby. She wasn't wrong and her brown twitched as she smacked her neck again before waiting for the flattened yōkai to land on her extended hand and puff himself back to normal. When he did, she cut straight to the chase. "You know at least a little bit about the Tessaiga, don't you?" she asked, receiving a reluctant nod in return. Her eyes narrowed again into slits as she asked the next question. "And were you still somewhere nearby when I fought those three salamanders or did you run for the hills and return when all was over?"
"Why, Kagome-sama, I would never just leave you behind like that!"
"Sure you wouldn't," Kagome muttered under her breath as the flea continued to uselessly defend itself. "So then, did you see that light that ended everything? Do you have any idea what it could have been?" she asked louder, interrupting the string of excuses easily. Myouga remained silent for a while as he crossed his arms over his chest in thought.
"This Myouga isn't sure… But I have spoken to the sword-smith who made Tessaiga for your father not long ago and he asked me if Kagome-sama was worthy of the Tessaiga in my opinion. He said if Kagome-sama was worthy of the sword, she would master it soon. And he mentioned something he called the Kaze no Kizu," the flea finally responded in a low tone, sinking into deep thought as well. Kagome tilted her head to the side, her gaze questioning.
"The Wound of the Wind(4)?" the young hanyō repeated, her thoughts wandering back to the battle again. Maybe it was related to that thing?
"He also warned me he might seek you out eventually. Totosai is known for wanting to make sure himself that the swords he made are in good hands," Myouga added suddenly, interrupting Kagome's thoughts.
"Whatever. Let him come. He won't be disappointed when he does, and even if he is, I don't care. Tessaiga is mine to wield, whether he likes it or not," she replied distractedly, her thoughts still on the light that erupted from the blade just the day before yesterday. The Wound of the Wind…
(1) Inu no Taishō – I imagine you all know that one, but just in case: it means 'dog general/admiral/boss', the title of the Lord of the Western Lands (or just Inuyasha's dad in canon, I'm not quite sure).
Shugonin – the name I came up with for Kagome's dad. It means 'protector' in Japanese
(2) Hime – 'princess' in Japanese. The name I gave her, Hikari, means light. And I kept Kagome's 'last name'/house name for convenience mostly. Hope that doesn't bug you.
(3) Keigo – literally meaning 'honorific language', it's (logically) the honorific level of the Japanese language, which accommodates several levels of politeness through different verb endings and alternative expressions and words. There are three general levels of politeness, which are expressed through different kinds of speech. The levels correspond to colloquial, polite, and honorific situations. Generally, keigo involves using very humble expressions to refer to yourself, and very honorific ones to refer to the person being addressed. As the three general levels suggest, there are three general forms of keigo, used accordingly to situation and/or the person you are speaking to. The form of keigo that I'll mostly use in this fic (by trying to convey it through extremely long English expressions, as you probably noticed) is called sonkeigo, which is generally used when speaking to those in positions of power – in this case, Shippō is showing respect since Kagome is (blood-wise at least) a Lady, much like Sesshōmaru is a Lord. On that note, when I write Myouga or Sesshōmaru, they are both actually using keigo, too (or at least I tried to make them use a formal speech, don't know if I succeeded), although in Sesshōmaru's case, though he does use keigo even when referring to Kagome, it is rather meant to ridicule and insult her, not to show his respect. That's because keigo, when used in the wrong (or in this case correct in Sesshōmaru's point of view) context it can be insulting to the recipient.
(4) Wound of the Wind – It is the literal translation of 'Kaze no Kizu', so I'll be referring to it as such whenever I use the English name, instead if the English-dub equivalent of 'Wind Scar'. And the same goes for any other attack I'll be taking from the manga.
Alright, here it is. A chapter centered more around emotion, rather than action this time around, but I don't think it was boring… did you? *glances at you all, slightly fearfully* Don't worry, though, the action part won't take long to be back. Besides which, we'll be entering another fun Arc (and a rather important one in my opinion, too) as of the next chapter. I am so going to enjoy writing it :D
Well, hope this was to your liking. Please review if you have something to tell me and see you in the next update, next month or maybe sooner, who knows ;)
Next Chapter: The Man in the Baboon Pelt and the Enchanted Sword
See you then.