Here you are, the next chapter… slightly longer than usually, but that's due rto the fact that I needed to finish this Arc. I guess you're happy about that anyway, ne :3
And, oh my gosh, 300 reviews already?! *faints* You guys are awesome… and way too kind, not that I'm complaining. I love hearing from you, as you know. But still, thank you so, so much! :3 Hope you enjoy this chapter :]
ANONYMOUS REVIEWERS:
Guest: Yes, I'm a meanie, live with it :D Hope this qualifies as ASAP for you, and I also hope you'll enjoy. I thank you for the review, too :3
hello-anime: Well, Inuyasha had to use his head at some point, ne. Otherwise they'd never get back together and that would suck. I wouldn't do that to them, don't worry. Thanks for the review and hope you enjoy :]
Inulover: Read this chapter and your question shall be answered *grins evilly*
InuGome; You're right, this was just like the saying, because Inuyasha realized the truth a little late. Maybe not too late, but definitely later than most of my readers would have liked LOL But then again, better late than never, right? On another note, I'm glad to hear you actually enjoyed the cliffies, though I have to adlit that surprised me. Still, it was a pleasant surprise :3 Thank you for the wonderful review, glad to hear you enjoyed, I hope you'll enjoy future chapters too, and I also hope to hear from you again :] Sincerely, Glon Morski.
CatchySayo: *laughs* Yeah, you're right, Shippō rarely manages to 'keep it together', but that makes the times he actually does all the better, ne ;) Besides, we can't expect him to act like canon-Inuyasha or my Kagome, since he's still a kid. It's normal he gets scared easily. Kagome wasn't any different when she was his age, and I'm sure neither was canon-Inuyasha, ne. As for whether Inuyasha makes it through this or not… well, read on and you'll find out *winks* Thank you for the awesome review, I hope to hear from you again :3 Sincerely, Glon Morski.
Misty Blue: Yeah, well, if life hadn't taught Kagome anything, she would have been long dead by now, don't you think? But I have to agree, my Kagome seems to be using her head way more than canon-Inuyasha does LOL Makes me wonder why that is… nah, not really, I know why :3 And as for the not-so-little lie… I know what you mean, but what else was Inuyasha supposed to say? 'Yeah, well, I didn't kill her, didn't manage to even wound her, we fought barely a day's travel away from here and you already saw her since it was that half-demon from a while ago'? Yeah, that'd go really well -_-' Anyway, thanks for the review, I hope to hear from you again :3
happyface210 : I'm glad to hear you love it… is this quick enough for you? I certainly hope so, because I can't write any quicker *sweatdrops*
Tracks:
GazettE:PEOPLE ERROR
Yui Makino:Tsuki no Shijima
Blood-C OST:Shousa ni wa Houbi O, Haisha ni wa Bachi O
Breakers:
XxX: change of scene
~ξ~: time-skip
乗: Beginning/Change/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".
Many thanks to Kanna37 for edits :3
Chapter 23 – Trust
"What do you mean you can't take it out? Stop kidding, Inuyasha and just do it already!" Shippō yelled at him angrily, tears flowing unchecked down his cheeks. "Save her!"
"I'm not kidding. I can't do it. I don't know why, I just can't. I'm not even able to touch it," Inuyasha whispered back, unable to even lift his voice anymore. He lowered his head and shut his eyes tightly, his fists clenching at his sides, though he ignored the pain that shot through his injured arm. It's not like he didn't deserve it. He did. He deserved that and much more. 'The one time she fucking needs my help and I can't do anything. Damn it!' he cursed himself in his thoughts, anger slowly dying away to be replaced by despair and guilt. Guilt because it was his fault she was like this. Despair because he couldn't do anything to help, no matter how much he wanted to. 'Damn…'
"It must be because the shard is too evil for even someone with Inuyasha's strength to purify it with just a touch," Myouga spoke up gravely, having once again disengaged himself from Kagome's wrist. "If we had something that could touch it despite the evil, however… something that wouldn't feel the warring between the two powers…" he trailed off slowly and silence fell on the trio again, interrupted only by Shippō's sobs.
"Kagome… Kagome…" the young kit chanted between his sobs as he rubbed his eyes, trying to stop the tears from flowing but to no avail. If anything, he only cried harder and that made Inuyasha feel that much worse, because it reminded him of how the kit cried when his father had died. It made him feel like he orphaned the kid all over again.
Inuyasha opened his eyes to stare blankly at his lap as one of his hands slowly slid from his thigh and onto the ground lifelessly, brushing on the way against one of his loose pant-pockets. Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he quickly reached into it, hoping that his senses weren't deceiving him. And indeed, when he pulled his hand out, he was holding a small pocket knife in it. Hope burned within him as he opened it, then glanced at Kagome's motionless body. 'If I can channel my powers through a sword, then…' he dared to hope as he leaned over her wound again, praying to whatever God would listen that it worked. Slowly and carefully, Inuyasha lowered the small blade to Kagome's arm, trying not to aggravate things even more by accidentally pushing the shard deeper in, for instance. He didn't need to have worried, however, for as soon as the small blade touched the shard, a blue light enveloped it and it practically popped out on its own before slowly dissolving into the air like it never existed.
"It's out," Inuyasha breathed to himself as he removed the knife from Kagome's arm, still as careful as before as to not cut her further. "It's out," he repeated louder when neither of the other two seemed to have heard him the first time around, then turned to the still unconscious Kagome, his face falling when he noticed she was still as pale as she was before, as he had failed to purify the miasma that was already inside her veins. "Kagome?" He asked tentatively.
"I'll suck out the poison now," Myouga said suddenly, now positioned at Kagome's neck where he had access to a bigger artery. Without further ado, he dipped his nose into her flesh and started sucking heartily, growing bigger and bigger as he did so, while some color slowly started to return to Kagome's cheeks. Finally, when he was about Shippō's size, the flea forced himself away from the half-demon's neck and rolled a little distance away, his belly too big for his little limbs to support him. "The rest depends on Kagome-sama's stamina," he said, sounding like he was going to be sick, which considering how much he ate and that most of it was poison was actually very likely, not that Inuyasha cared.
"Kagome?" he tried again, but she didn't respond. Her face wasn't as pale anymore, however, and he was relieved to notice she was breathing now, something he couldn't tell for sure she was doing before. That relief was short-lived, however, when he realized it was panting, rather than breathing, and her brows were furrowed. 'She looks like she's in pain,' he noticed with concern as his hand traveled to her face without him thinking about it to brush a few stray locks out of her face. It was in that exact moment that her eyes opened slowly, so he quickly drew his hand back. Her eyes fell on him immediately afterward, and although tired, she was visibly also surprised. He winced when he noticed her questioning gaze, hating himself that he brought them to a point where she was surprised he was even there.
[T]
"Inu… yasha?" she asked weakly, her voice betraying her exhaustion, not that it was surprising. She had almost died, after all, and if she was truthful with herself, that had been her closest brush with death yet. She had truly believed herself to be a goner, actually.
"Yeah…" he replied, not looking at her. "I'm here…" Slowly, he peered at her through his bangs, not raising his head. He knew what he had to say, and he could only pray she accepted those words. "Kagome, I…"
"Thank you," she interrupted him gently, effectively stunning him into silence as she slowly turned on her back, her face directed straight at the skies above but her eyes resting on him. She must have seen how stunned he was, for she answered the question he couldn't find a way to voice. "You saved my life. You didn't have to. So thank you."
'Baka! Of course I had to!' he screamed in his mind, but couldn't find his voice to say those words aloud. If she had died, he would have never forgiven himself, even in other circumstances, but the fact that she had almost died because of him only made it worse. And he knew it wasn't just because he had been stupid enough to think she attacked him. The wound that could have proven fatal to her was one she got while saving his sorry ass, too. So, if she had died, there'd really be no one to blame but him and though he wouldn't admit it, he knew the guilt would destroy him. It was already eating him alive, and she'd only had a brush with death. He didn't want to think what he'd feel like if she had actually died.
Before he found his voice to tell her those things, however, she spoke up again, saying the last thing he ever expected to hear from her.
"And for what it's worth… I'm sorry. For wounding you, I mean."
She just had to go and make him feel even worse, didn't she. Here she was, lying on the ground after nearly dying because of him, after he left her side in belief she had harmed him when in fact her wounding him had saved his life… and she was apologizing for hurting him? Didn't she know it should be the other way around?
"Stop," he finally whispered out, unable to take more of her sincere apologies when she had nothing to be sorry for. She had saved his life… and how had he repaid her? The fact that she had saved his life multiple times already didn't help matters any, nor did the fact that he hadn't showed her any kind of gratitude even once for it, at least not that he remembered.
His shoulders slumped and his head lowered even more as he stared emptily at his hands. He knew what words needed to be said on his part now, and he also knew that they most definitely wouldn't cut it this time. But for some reason, he just couldn't find the strength to voice them. He knew he had to say them and pray she'd forgive him, but whenever he opened his mouth to say those two simple words, they got stuck in his throat and refused to be uttered. Deep down, he knew it was because he was afraid she wouldn't accept them. That she wouldn't forgive him.
He couldn't remember any other time in his life that he actually felt like crying as much as he did right in this moment. He had always thought tears were sign of weakness and as a man, he could never allow himself to release them. But if he had to choose between tears and the emotions (most of it being guilt) that were raging inside him right now, closing up his throat and making his chest heavy, he'd rather cry and release those emotions. And yet his eyes remained dry and not a single tear escaped, almost as if he didn't even know how to produce tears.
"Kagome…" a teary voice brought Inuyasha out of his self-loathing thoughts and he looked up slightly. Shippō had finally calmed down some and was now looking like he was barely stopping himself from jumping at the half-demon girl in joy. Kagome averted her eyes from Inuyasha's slumped form to gaze at him and she gave him a tired smile.
"Hey squirt," she said in a light, almost amused tone. "Told you I didn't die easy."
"Yeah," the little fox replied as he smiled at her, but Kagome frowned when she noticed his red and puffy eyes. Now that he was closer to her, she could also smell the salt of his tears and she didn't like it.
"Shippō-chan," she started, concerned, the kit immediately turning his full attention to her. "You were crying, weren't you? Why?" she asked after he had nodded at her first question. Her second one made a new wave of waterworks start flowing.
"B-Because… I was af-afraid— afraid you'd d-die," he choked out through his tears, once again unable to stop their flow. "I'm… so glad… you're okay…" he continued crying, prolonging the last word with a long whine, followed up by a sob. Kagome meanwhile was staring at him with wide eyes, her mind processing what he told her, but having a hard time actually understanding it. 'For my sake? He cried… for me?' the idea was foreign to her. She couldn't remember anyone except her mother ever shedding tears for her. She was never worth it in anyone's eyes, and if she was, there had never been a reason to. So Shippō crying so openly because he worried for her had thrown her off the loop. Once the thought settled in her brain, though, she smiled and raised a hand to pat him gently on his head.
"Come on, quit the waterworks. I'll be fine," she said quietly to the kit who nodded, but didn't stop crying right away, a few sobs still escaping him. With a sigh, Kagome let her hand fall back to the ground, the small movement having tired her out more than she liked to admit. Myouga hadn't sucked out all of the poison, and it was a strong one. Not as strong as Sesshōmaru's, but coming dangerously close to it. It would be a while before her system got rid of all that remained and before she recovered her strength.
"Get some rest, Kagome," Inuyasha said, his voice quiet and his eyes still evading hers. She'd like to disagree with him, but knew he was right. Question was, why did he even care? Did he somehow remember what happened?
Sighing inwardly, the young hanyō-girl relaxed on the grass, her eyes observing the stars above her. Silence enveloped them for a while and progressively, the Inuyasha could feel fatigue overwhelm her. She didn't give in to it, though, glancing instead first at Shippō, who had curled up next to her and fell asleep, then at her human companion. For a split second, their gazes met before Inuyasha looked down again, his face and overall posture the perfect image of guilt and regret. He most likely did remember.
'He's sitting right next to me… and yet it feels like he's so far away still. Like I'm alone,' she couldn't help but think sadly, her gaze once again rising to the stars above. Just this one night, she wanted him close, like he used to be. She didn't want to be alone. Just this once… just this once couldn't hurt, right? Maybe he'd allow her. At the very least, it was worth a try.
"Ne, Inuyasha…"
"Yeah?" his voice was quiet and subdued and his eyes didn't rise to meet her. But even though their gazes didn't meet, she could still see the emotions they held – it was guilt like she's never seen in anyone's eyes ever before. She bit her lip. He was really beating himself up over it all, wasn't he? Yet for the life of her, she couldn't understand why it would affect him this much. She decided not to dwell on it, though, she didn't have the energy for such thoughts. Right now, she just wanted to rest.
"If it wouldn't bother you too much… could you just… hold my hand?" she asked in a low tone, not looking at him.
He looked up at her then, his tortured eyes staring straight at her and revealing all that he was feeling, had she only seen it. To say he was beating himself up was an understatement. As far as he was concerned, he knew that if one's heart could really be crushed or ripped apart by negative emotions, his would have been several times over by now. The guilt, grief and self-loath were swirling within, choking him and eating him from the inside.
She had almost died because of him, but she acted like nothing had ever happened. He liked to believe it meant she forgave him, but he couldn't understand how she could do it so easily, like it was the most natural thing in the world. Somehow, he didn't even feel like he deserved her forgiveness, but on the other hand, the idea of her not forgiving him and hating him like he had thought he had hated her… it made a shudder run down his spine.
He didn't answer her question. Instead, he just slowly reached out his hand and grasped her clawed one, squeezing a little harder than was necessary and trying to convey through that simple gesture all that for some reason he couldn't say. How sorry he was. How he knew he didn't deserve her forgiveness but hoped she could forgive him anyway.
They had never really had physical contact with each other, now that he thought about it, except the few times when she carried him on his back for one reason or another. But as her eyes closed slowly and she drifted off to what he believed was deep sleep, he had the sudden urge to take her in his arms and hold her close to reassure himself that she was indeed alright. He didn't act on the urge, satisfying himself with squeezing her hand one more time and intertwining their fingers, but it didn't change the fact that it still remained. 'If the idea of her dying scares me this much… and if it being my fault makes me feel like I deserve a fate ten times worse… it's gotta mean I care, not that it's anything I didn't know already. I know I care about her… to an extent,' he thought, his eyes staying glued to her face. He just couldn't look away no matter how much he tried, though his attempts weren't really heartfelt. His eyes narrowed as his mind continued wandering. 'But if I care this much… why did I believe that she'd attack me so easily? If I care… it means she's… close to me. She's a friend. Friends trust each other… so why couldn't I believe in her in the end? Why was I tricked so easily?'
He wanted to answer himself with the simplest and most harmless answer. He wanted to tell himself he just didn't know. But his conscience wouldn't let him, as it instead brought up a memory of one of his conversations with his mother.
乗
"It bothers you she didn't tell you she would be," Izayoi said calmly, stating a fact rather than asking. She was referring to the fact that Kagome had been human that day and had decided not to tell Inuyasha of it, which had irritated him more than it should have, had he only realized that. "Why do you think she would tell you?" his mother finally continued after a moment of silence in a calm tone. Her question threw Inuyasha definitely off guard, as for him, the answer was obvious.
"Why wouldn't she? We're travelling together. You would think that'd be enough reason to tell me," he replied hotly as he leaned on the kitchen table. It was apparent to anyone with eyes that he was currently sulking, but Izayoi was wise enough not to point it out. Instead, she threw her next question, which again threw her son completely off the loop and made him effectively wonder just what she was trying to let him know without actually saying it.
"Tell me, Inuyasha, do you trust that girl?"
"As I said, we're travelling together. We fight together. How could I not trust her? If I didn't, we would have gone our separate ways long ago," he finally said after a moment of silence, eyeing his mother quizzically. He was surprised to see her smile sadly at his answer.
"You forget, Inuyasha, that there are different ways to trust someone. I'm not saying that you aren't telling the truth. But I believe the Inuyasha also trusts you that way. She just doesn't trust you with her secrets."
乗
Inuyasha's eyes widened slightly as the memory faded when he finally understood what his mother had been trying to tell him. Slowly, he looked back down at the girl he had been traveling with before and with whom he was hoping he could travel again. 'I got tricked so easily, because deep down… I didn't really trust her,' he finally realized, his gaze saddening at the realization. 'I thought I did, but in reality, I didn't. She must have known that somehow… that's why she didn't trust me, either. Not completely, anyway.'
He had told himself before, not even two weeks ago, that he would make Kagome trust him. He would gain her trust whether she wanted to give it or not. But now he realized that if he wanted her to trust him… he'd have to trust her first.
'Never again,' he vowed to himself then, determination taking over his features, although the other emotions had yet to leave his eyes and heart. 'I won't ever be deceived like that again. I'll learn to trust you like I didn't before and I won't let anyone play with that trust ever again. I promise you that, Kagome… just please… forgive me this time…'
"I'm sorry," he finally managed to say as his guilt once again rose to the surface and threatened to destroy his innards, twisting and knotting something inside of him painfully. "I'm so sorry…"
He didn't get much of a response, and he didn't even expect any, since he believed she was asleep, but had he looked at her instead of his lap, where his eyes had once again fallen in shame, he would have noticed her ears twitching on her head as he spoke. Inwardly, she smiled. 'Idiot. You've got nothing to apologize for,' the young half-demon thought, but didn't say anything aloud, opting instead to continue to doze. It wouldn't help her regain her strength like a real, deep sleep would, but she knew better than to let her guard down completely, even if Inuyasha was with her. Out of the two of them, weakened as she was, she was still the stronger one.
[/T]
~ξ~
Sudden ruckus from somewhere nearby jolted him out of his sleep a few hours later. Glancing wearily at the sky, he noticed that the sun was barely beginning to rise. Sighing, Inuyasha leaned his back against the tree, opting to ignore the sounds as his heavy eye-lids slowly started to close again, despite the slight pull somewhere in the depths of his mind that felt slightly alarming and familiar. He was much too tired to pay attention to it.
"Sankon Tessō!"
His eyes snapped open the second he heard that, his heart starting to race for a reason he couldn't name until his groggy mind reminded him of what transpired a few hours ago and just what condition Kagome was in. Cursing under his breath, the teenager quickly jumped to his feet and took the weapon lying next to him with his good hand without thinking about it before he followed the sounds of battle, his injured hand not complaining about being jerked around as it rested on a makeshift sling he had made out of a spare piece of bandage.
He found Kagome soon enough. She was crouching on the ground, beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she panted and her eyes narrowed as she glared straight ahead. Following her gaze, the young kannushi saw her opponent, a middle sized bear yōkai with a brown fur and scarlet eyes. It was snarling right back at the half-demon and before Inuyasha really processed what was happening, it charged at her at speed that should be impossible for its middle sized, but still large body. Inuyasha didn't think at that moment as he lunged forward, positioning himself in front of the hanyō girl and raising his good arm… only to notice that instead of the sword, which was still hanging calmly in its scabbard by his hip, he was holding a bow.
As for Kagome, she was getting ready to easily jump out of the way of the bear and preferably land on its back to finish it off quickly, when the black haired teen suddenly stood before her, as if trying to be her shield. Shocked for only an instant, Kagome reacted instantly.
"You idiot!" she yelled as she reached for him, intent on grabbing his shoulders and at least turn their positions around if she no longer managed to carry him a safe distance away. She didn't even get so far as grabbing him, however, as the magatama on Kikyo's bow glowed pink and the bear's head suddenly collided with what seemed to be an invisible wall.
'Right, the barrier,' Inuyasha thought with relief as he decided to use the temporary peace they were granted to turn around and give Kagome a piece of his mind.
"What the fuck, wench?! What the Hell do you think you're doing! You're in no condition to fight, hanyō or not!" he yelled at her angrily, ignoring the angry bear behind him as it repeatedly charged at the barrier, only to be blasted back over and over and get its fur more and more singed with each contact with the spiritual wall. Relief instantly replaced with anger, Kagome didn't fail to retaliate.
"Like you're one to talk, idiot! You're even worse off than me!" she yelled back, turning her head away afterward to stare at the ground as she added as an afterthought: "Although, that is my fault." She spoke under her breath, but it still proved to not be quiet enough for Inuyasha not to hear.
"Don't even try to apologize again," he all but ordered her, but his voice was pained. The idea that she'd still feel bad for harming him, when it really saved his life hit something deep within him, making him feel like some very important part of him was slowly being ripped apart, especially when he remembered his own way of showing his gratitude to her for it – or rather lack thereof. He turned again to face the bear yōkai. "You're in no condition to fight. You should rest. I'll take care of this," he added with a tone of finality in his voice that would have told anyone else that persuading him to do otherwise was a lost cause. Kagome, however, was not about to give up.
"You're in even less a condition to fight! And you want to take on a bear twice your size and three times as strong as you physically? You can't even hold your sword properly, you never fought left-handed," she tried to reason with him, to show him how unreasonable and stupid he was being. "Even in the state I'm in now, I can handle it and I have better chances than you, so just let me do it."
She was planning to reason with him. To show him that, logically, even if she was weakened, she still had better chances of winning this. Yes, she wasn't as strong, as fast or as tough as usual, since her blood worked rather on destroying what remained of the poison rather than restoring her strength and stamina, but she was still stronger than Inuyasha in his current predicament. She wanted him to understand it so that he could, just this once, forget his damned pride and let her do the work. Her words, however, only served to irritate him, as she found out as he glared at her over his shoulder without turning around.
"Just shut up and let me protect you!" he yelled at her in exasperation, then huffed to himself and turned his head back to his opponent as he slowly moved to settle the bow on the ground so that his good hand was free to reach for his sword. He needed to do this. He had to show her that he wanted things to go back to the way they were. He had to show her wanted them to travel together again. He had to show her he trusted her and that she, in turn, could trust him.
The pink barrier flickered and then vanished, a thing the bear didn't fail to notice as it charged at Inuyasha. The black haired teen took a deep breath to calm himself as he prepared to parry the beast's tackle, knowing that if he dodged, the demon would get to Kagome (never mind the fact that the half-demon could easily avoid the attack herself). The yōkai proved to be a little smarter than Inuyasha expected it to be and it used the momentum of its run to propel itself up on its hind legs as soon as it was near enough. Standing upright for about a second, the beast then fell forward with a roar, its front paws threatening to turn Inuyasha into a pancake. Biting his lip, the young priest raised his sword over his head to parry with the flat of the blade, knowing full well that the block depended solely on the force of his left hand, as his right was still in the sling and he refused to move it, knowing the pain that was bound to ensue would make matters only worse.
Had the bear's paws actually made contact with the blade, the chance of Inuyasha holding up the beast's weight with one hand was practically none-existent, and the black haired teen knew that. Still, he had no time to evade anymore, so that was his only option. In that moment, however, he felt as if something within him broke, although not in a painful way. It was as if somewhere inside him a door had been forced open and suddenly, he felt a weird, warm feeling spreading all over his body. Something surged within him, and it seemed to flow in circles and in sinusoid patterns he couldn't describe from the feeling alone, making him feel as if all of his insides were submerged in some kind of warm, gentle river that flowed within him. Surprisingly, it wasn't an unpleasant feeling. He actually reveled in the warmth as it filled him from head to toe before it finally started to move in a more organized pattern, moving slowly from his chest to his left arm, flowing further to the elbow and finally reaching the hand, taking much too long in his opinion to reach the tips of his fingers. Surprisingly, it didn't stop there, continuing instead to flow out and although it left his body, Inuyasha could still feel the gentle, warm flow.
The peaceful mood he had unwillingly fallen into shattered suddenly as he heard a piercing, angry howl of a very surprised and very enraged bear-yōkai, as the world Inuyasha didn't even realize slowing down suddenly started moving normally again. The warm feeling he felt deflated instantly, to a point where he almost thought it was just his imagination to begin with, though as he concentrated he noted that he could still feel it very faintly. Looking up towards the demon he knew had tried to crush him, Inuyasha was surprised to notice that Seiryuu was glowing and bright blue sparks akin to lightning were shooting out of the blade towards the yōkai's paws, effectively holding it at bay a good few inches before it could touch the metal. They only subsided once the demon backed off and landed on all fours a small distance away, and as soon as it did, the light coming from Seiryuu's blade dimmed also, but it did not stop glowing. Inuyasha glanced at the sword with wide eyes, momentarily forgetting he was actually in the middle of battle. 'Is that how it feels to use my powers?' he wondered briefly before the bear's enraged howl snapped him back to his senses and the fight ahead.
Kagome was watching the fight in a daze, feeling like time was moving in slow motion as her brain processed Inuyasha's words. Her eyes were wide in astonishment and her mouth very close to hanging open, though she managed to control herself before she had to pick her jaw up from the ground. 'He wants to protect me?' she thought in disbelief, her surprise making her freeze up where she stood. She had mixed feelings about the concept.
Part of her was angry. She wasn't weak and she didn't need to be protected by anyone, much less a human from five hundred years in the future who could barely fend for himself.
Part of her was surprised, but touched and happy. It had to mean they were on good terms again, something she still wasn't a hundred percent sure of a while ago. It also meant he cared, and knowing that always made her feel warm inside. There weren't many people who'd ever think of protecting her, whether she needed and wanted it or not. In fact, she could only think of four people: her mother, her uncle, Kikyo, though she never admitted it to Kagome and had the words transmitted through Kaede instead, and him.
Part of her was proud. Like a teacher would be of a student. When she first met Inuyasha, he had seemed to thinks himself invincible, and was much too cocky for his own good. Later he learned a bit of humility, when he had accepted that she teach him. Now, however, he was a true swordsman, at least as far as ideals were concerned. He still lacked a bit of skill, but that would change in time. What she was proud of was that he learned that his strength was not supposed to be used in order to destroy his enemies mercilessly, but in order to protect others, for that was what made a swordsman worthy of his title, no matter the skill. Except, of course, when he knew not how to handle a blade at all – then, he was simply someone who wished to die.
The biggest part of her, however, was scared. She caught the underlying message he tried to pass to her, the one he didn't say out loud. She still understood his meaning. The black haired priest wanted the hanyō-girl to trust him. Kagome hung her head at the realization. 'I do trust you, Inuyasha,' she thought as she heard the bear approaching almost unnaturally slowly as it ran at them, but her brain failed to really register the sound. 'I trust you not to kill me through deception, to not stab me in the back… literally,' she thought as her eyes narrowed into an angry frown. 'I trust you to help me out in a pinch should I need it,' she told herself as she clenched her fists, knowing it was true and not denying it. She trusted Inuyasha more than she had trusted anyone else in a long while, maybe except Kikyo and him. 'I trust you to be able to take care of yourself if for some reason I can't come and help you,' she thought as she looked up, just in time to see the bear slowly descending on Inuyasha's form, only to be stopped by a sudden wave of reiki that erupted from him. Still, though Kagome's eyes were taking in the scene, she didn't really see it, lost in her own thoughts. 'I trust you in a lot of ways, Inuyasha' the young half-demon acknowledged to herself as she cracked her knuckles and bent her knees in preparation for a pounce. 'But to trust you with my very life… to sit back and watch as you fight and let that determine whether I live or die, just like risking you'd give the secret of when exactly I turn human away… to basically give my life into your hands… that, I cannot do!' With those thoughts in mind, Kagome snapped back to reality and pounced on the bear-demon just as it retreated from Inuyasha, landing perfectly on its back and sinking her claws into its flesh to hold on should it try to throw her off – which it did.
Roaring in pain and anger, the bear yōkai started to thrash wildly, trying to get the half-demon girl off its back, but to no avail. Normally, in such a situation, Kagome would have used her advantage to hold on with one hand while the other sank either in the back of the creature she was fighting, or within the skull to effectively kill it. Sometimes she even played with her prey and let it bounce around a little before she wrung its neck. This time, however, she was weakened as she was still recovering from being poisoned by an extremely large dose of rather powerful miasma, so all she could do was hold on with both hands so she would not be thrown off. This was enough, however, to distract the bear from her companion, who was glaring at her angrily. She glared right back.
He understood her silent message and she tore her claws even deeper into the yōkai's back, making it roar as it once again stood on its hind legs before falling to all fours, its weight making the ground tremble slightly and almost making Kagome fall off. The second she had before it moved again, Kagome used to raise one of her claws and imbed deeply into the bears' shoulder, as she had no comfortable and clear strike at its head, while in the corner of her eye, she saw Inuyasha lunge at the bear with Seiryuu above his head as he swung diagonally downward, aiming for the bear's neck. Kagome's attack on its shoulder, however, had made the bear howl and turn its head as if in an attempt to glimpse the thing on its back that dared to wound him, thus seeing Inuyasha's attack just in time to avoid it. Recoiling, the beast let the sword cut the air in front of its nose, then raised one of its paws to strike at Inuyasha's now unprotected front. Seeing this, Kagome quickly retracted her hand from the bears shoulder and grabbed the paw instead, but she didn't have to bother as Inuyasha was quicker, anyway. Turning on his heels as he followed the original movement of his weapon like he saw Kagome do many times already, Inuyasha made a three-hundred-sixty degree turn and swung horizontally at the bear's exposed belly (the motion a little awkward since he wasn't used to wielding his blade in his left hand), Seiryuu once again glowing stronger as it cut through the demon's flesh.
Seeing this, Kagome swiftly let go of the demon and jumped off its back as it howled in anguish, blue sparks of lightning surrounding it as long as the sword was in contact with its body, only to blow up as soon as it retreated. When the light faded, the bear was gone, purified out of existence and only a small puddle of blood, along with the same substance on Kagome's claws and Inuyasha's sword remaining to prove that a yōkai had even been there in the first place. Marveling for only a second about how his spiritual powers didn't leave even one hair of fur from the beast, Inuyasha turned around to glare at Kagome, who had landed gracefully behind him, although the expression on her face was more than proof enough that she was tired.
"Oi, Kagome," he started, wanting to yell at her for butting in. He could have taken care of it alone, damn it, why couldn't she see that? Kagome pinned him with a warning stare, however, as if she was daring him to finish his sentence and instead of rising up to that challenge, he remained silent and followed Kagome as she turned and walked back to where Shippō and Myouga, who was by now a little closer to his normal size, though he was still much bigger than normal, were sleeping. 'My life is the one thing I can't trust you with. It's the one thing I can't trust anyone with,' the hanyō girl thought as she walked.
[T]
The walk to their 'camp', if it could even be called that, wasn't very long, but then again, Kagome hadn't exactly had the time to move far away when she scented the approaching yōkai. When they arrived, Kagome sat down cross-legged at the base of the tree she had been lying under just this night, leaned Tessaiga against her shoulder and hid her arms in her sleeves, while Inuyasha sat next to her and propped his injured arm on his knee, mindful to not actually lean on the open wound. Silence enveloped them for a while, the only real sound being Shippō's and Myouga's breathing as the two slept soundly, undisturbed by anything. Inuyasha used this opportunity to inspect his forearm and noticed with a sigh that his wound had yet to stop bleeding, though thanks to all the painkillers he had eaten (he renewed the dose slowly before falling asleep), it didn't hurt much. Frowning at the bloodied bandage, Inuyasha reached for his backpack and rummaged through it until he found more of the white material. Kagome didn't miss it.
"It reopened, didn't it," she stated, rather than asked, catching Inuyasha's attention as he turned to her and she motioned with her head to his forearm. "Your wound. It reopened, didn't it," she elaborated and he nodded dumbly before he saw her nose twitch. She must have smelled his blood. "Let me see."
There was something in her eyes that made him obey without a sound of protest as he took the bandage off and she gently grasped his hand in hers to be able to observe his forearm without him having to keep it up himself. For some reason, he felt his cheeks heat up, however slightly, at the contact, especially when he looked up and realized how close they actually were to each other. Kagome didn't notice as she inspected the wound with her eyes and her free hand, gently running her claws over his skin. She was being gentle, but not the kind of gentle like she was afraid to break a doll. Just… gentle. The Inuyasha's golden eyes narrowed as she observed the wound.
"Looks pretty bad," she commented, a guilty undertone in her voice that Inuyasha didn't miss. Looking at and inspecting the wound for the first time, Inuyasha couldn't help but agree with her. The deep claw marks were oozing blood sluggishly and if he looked close enough, he could see the muscular tissue within his arm. He didn't fail to notice, however, that though deep, the wound didn't reach the bone. 'It's not as deep as it was. It reopened, but it's not as bad as it was when I first sank my claws into him,' Kagome thought, guilty and relieved at the same time. Still, she knew it would take a long while for him to heal completely and even longer to be able to wield his sword properly if he was left to heal at a human's rate. That was why Kagome nodded to herself and raised her other arm, readying her claws. Inuyasha's eyes widened when he saw this and it took all of his willpower not to jerk his arm away from her.
'I trust her… She wouldn't hurt me. I trust her,' he chanted to himself as her claws flexed in preparation.
"Kagome, what are you…?" he didn't get to finish his sentence when her claws fell down and he closed his eyes despite himself, his whole body tensing as he waited for the pain. When none came, he opened his eyes and noticed in astonishment that she had actually slashed at her own wrist. "Wha…?"
"Quiet," Kagome silenced him easily as she took his hand in her other hand, then positioned her wounded one over his forearm so that her blood slowly dripped into his injury. He could only stare, mesmerized for some reason as the red liquid fell from her arm and mixed with his own blood-cells. "This'll help you heal faster, so you have to put up with it. No matter how disgusted you are," the young half-demon grunted without meeting his eyes as his rose to look at her face. Her eyebrows were set in a frown and she stubbornly refused to look up from she was doing, closing her eyes once she deemed enough blood had passed into his veins as she withdrew her hand from above his, then reached for new bandages and gently redressing the injury, though it was apparent she was not used to doing something of the sort. Still, he didn't complain, actually feeling a funny, fuzzy feeling inside as she tended to him.
"I'm not disgusted by your blood," Inuyasha said suddenly once she was done, making the silver haired hanyō look up at him with a weird glint in her eyes before she looked away with a frown on her face.
"Whatever."
Silence fell over them once again, but didn't last long as Inuyasha glanced at her arm again.
"Shouldn't you bandage that up, too?"
"Leave it. It'll heal in less than an hour. It's not worth the trouble," the hanyō replied swiftly as she closed her eyes, sitting once again cross-legged with Tessaiga against her shoulder by the base of the tree. 'Says you,' Inuyasha thought sourly as he turned away from her as well. Neither noticed how unexpectedly easy it was for them to get back to the 'old routine' as if nothing had ever happened between them, and if they did, neither commented, both secretly happy to have things straightened out and back to normal.
[/T]
The next interruption to their collective rest, as everyone needed it, was a few hours later, once the sun had risen fairly high in the sky. Shippō and Myouga had both awoken and the flea had made a point of drinking a bit of Kagome's blood for breakfast as thanks for helping out the night before. Surprisingly, the half-demon complied, but she also slapped at the tiny yōkai and effectively flattened him once she thought he had drunk his fill. They were just picking up the trash after their breakfast, instant ramen that Inuyasha had to shove at Kagome before she finally accepted it instead of hunting something for herself (though he had no such problems with Shippō), when Kagome's ears twitched on the top of her head as she heard a peculiar sound, yet knew instantly what it was. It was difficult to mistake it for anything else, really, as the sound the rings of a shakujō jingling against each other made was hard to imitate. Frowning, Kagome glared in the direction she heard the sound coming from, Inuyasha following her gaze when the sound was close enough for him to hear as well. Soon enough, a certain monk Kagome sincerely wished she didn't have to see again emerged from between the trees. The young hanyō growled warningly at him, although the growl wasn't an insult or a challenge. She was merely warning him not to come any closer.
Miroku seemed to understand her on some level because he stopped in his tracks and didn't approach further. Instead, he kept a serious expression on his face and slowly raised both his arms in a gesture of peace. Kagome's growl lessened, but she was still glaring at him through narrowed eyes, so he remained in his spot.
"I merely wish to talk," he said calmly, looking from Kagome to Inuyasha, the teen staring at him curiously. Kagome's glare didn't lessen any, but she made no move to stop him from approaching as he took a few more steps towards them before sitting cross-legged a couple of feet away, his staff resting horizontally on his knees. Kagome took a deep breath, but didn't smell any hostility coming from him, so she allowed herself to relax a little, though she still kept her guard up – definitely more so than when she was alone with Inuyasha, the teen noticed.
"Talk about what, houshi?" she finally asked in a neutral tone, not really insulting him, but not being overly polite, either. Not that she thought she ought to be polite with this spiritualist. Last time they met, he tried to kill her. Nothing said he wouldn't try to do so again. 'Then again, he is a Buddhist monk, so who knows…' monks tended to be a little more… open minded than Shinto priests and priestesses, after all(1).
Miroku blinked at the half-formality from the half-demon, more than likely not expecting it. Kagome felt the urge to snort. Just because she was a hanyō didn't mean she didn't have any manners.
"Before that, may I know your name, half-demon? I know the name of your companion and you both know mine," the monk said calmly, his eyes wandering between the priest and the hanyō. Kagome arched a brow in thought. She knew his name? Oh, wait, he introduced himself the other day, didn't he.
"My name is Kagome," she replied curtly with a small nod which Miroku reciprocated.
"Well, Kagome-sama, as you probably already noticed, I am a houshi… although slightly different from any other you might have ever met," Miroku began calmly, making Kagome blink at the formal way of address he used with her. She wasn't accustomed to anyone beside's Myouga adding a suffix after her name, but she tried her best not to show her surprise. Her eyes narrowed as the monk raised his right hand slightly to prove his point and she nodded in understanding. The houshi took it as a sign to continue. "That is the reason why I am looking for something. Something your companion happens to have."
Kagome's eyes narrowed at the implication. She had an idea what he was talking about, but she wanted to hear the confirmation from his mouth. She didn't get it, however, at least not that very moment.
"I came to you with the question if it would be possible to pass it on to me." Inuyasha blinked in surprise at the monks words, getting even more confused when Kagome tensed suddenly, her glare hardening, although it was not challenging. If anything, it seemed… calculating, like she was evaluating the spiritualist in front of her. What Inuyasha didn't realize was that it was exactly what she was doing.
"What could I possibly have that you'd want?" the black haired teen asked, genuinely perplexed. He couldn't really have anything this monk would want, could he? All he had were his things, most of them looking completely out of place in this period since they were from the future. What could the monk possibly want?
Inuyasha conveniently forgot that he had another thing on his person. One that not only fit into this time, but actually belonged here and one that anyone wished to have. It was that very thing's name the monk said next.
"I'm speaking of the Shikon, Inuyasha," the houshi said seriously, making the young kannushi virtually freeze. 'The Sacred Jewel? That's what he wants?' Inuyasha thought in bewilderment as he glanced down at his shirt despite himself. He frowned when he noticed the familiar gleam and gently tugged on the chain to let the pearl out of the confines of his clothing, noticing how it was once again pink, rather than the dull rose-color bordering on light purple, though it was not yet as bright as he thought it should be. 'What the…'
Kagome, meanwhile, was glancing between Inuyasha and Miroku with a frown. 'He knows how to fight, but his spiritual powers are not as strong as Kikyo's or Inuyasha's… but then again, the difference isn't really that big, or at least it doesn't seem to be… so maybe he'd cut it?' she thought to herself, deciding to marvel later how she and Inuyasha had accomplished a feat she never imagined would be successful. Turning her head to the future-born teen, she spoke only loud enough for him to hear.
"Judging from his strength… well, his powers are a bit weaker than yours, but I think he'd cut it. Looks like the Jewel's off your back, like you wanted."
For some weird reason, her words didn't make him feel any better. He would have thought that the idea of finding someone to replace him would make him happy. And so soon, too. But that wasn't the case. At all.
'If I hand it over… I can go home… I can live normally like I used to, I wouldn't have to ever come back. I'd live a normal, boring life again,' he thought, his shoulders slumping a little at the idea. Now that he was getting used to this era and was less freaked out by the yōkai living here or by the responsibility he carried (which he had buried deep within his mind to be forgotten quite a while ago, actually), he enjoyed being here. Definitely more so than spending his whole life behind some sort of desk in school or, as it would later be, at work. Suddenly, he found himself realizing that he didn't want to leave. At least not permanently. 'If I left, I wouldn't be able to see Kagome again, either,' he thought before he could stop himself, a wave of sadness washing over him at the realization.
"Why would I give you the Jewel?" the black haired teen finally asked, narrowing his eyes at the monk, but the houshi seemed to have expected that question.
"I would take the great responsibility that is the Shikon off your hands. You could be a normal kannushi again, like any other, instead of having to live this hard life of bloodshed and never-ending travel," his words were wise, but they still had a rather big loophole in them. One that Inuyasha only noticed thanks to his mother's upbringing.
"And why, instead of shouldering it, would I push the burden on another?" the future-born teen asked hotly, crossing his arms over his chest and making the hanyō-girl, who was now silently observing the exchange, blink in surprise. "The Jewel is my responsibility and it will stay that way."
'Not even a month ago, you were dying to be rid of the cursed thing. You would have jumped at any chance to give it to someone else to take care of. So why are you so adamant on keeping it, now that we found someone who can actually take it?' Kagome thought in bewilderment as she tried to understand the black haired priest beside her, but to no avail. 'Maybe it's got something to do with his purity or something? Kikyo hated the gem, too, after all, but even if she met someone who could take on her responsibility, she'd never do it. She had too good a heart to push that kind of responsibility and hardship on someone else,' the hanyō thought sadly, but fondly of the now peacefully-resting miko before she looked up at the heir of her responsibility again. Maybe his actions were fueled by thoughts of the same kind? She'd probably never know or understand, but she did understand that the kannushi didn't want to hand the Jewel over… and the monk was not planning on letting up. She decided to interfere.
"Why do you want the Jewel? That is one of the most important questions, at the moment, don't you agree, Miroku-sama?" she asked finally, her tone cool as she regarded the monk. She might be suspicious of him, she might be weary of him, but she'd be respectful. Her mother had taught her to always be just as respectful to others as others were respectful to her and so far, it never hurt following it. And besides, her mother's teachings were sacred in their own way, at least as far as the young half-demon was concerned.
"As bait," the monk replied gravely. Kagome did a double take. Of all the things she expected, it definitely wasn't that.
"Bait?" she replied, blinking for good measure to show her astonishment. The monk was either much more stupid than he looked, or he was downright insane. Maybe even both. Miroku nodded to her question.
"I need the Sacred Jewel in order to find a certain demon and eliminate him," he said gravely, making Kagome's ears twitch on the top of her head. Now, on top of being wary and suspicious, she was intrigued. "That demon's name is Naraku."
"Naraku?" Kagome repeated after him a second time, her eyebrows furrowing. She had never heard the name before and most definitely hadn't met the yōkai the monk spoke of; otherwise either she or the other would already be dead. Rare were the demons she met that walked away alive while she remained unharmed as well and something deep down told her this Naraku wasn't one of those selected few.
"This kazaana in my right hand was created by a curse placed by Naraku," Miroku explained, effectively catching not only Kagome's but also Inuyasha's attention. The hanyō's because she had been wondering where the monk got a damned Wind Tunnel from (though she had suspected it to be a curse of some sort), and Inuyasha's because he didn't really know what a kazaana was, much less how to get one, not that he was interested. 'He must mean that thing in his hand that created that huge wind the other day and almost sucked Kagome up,' the young priest thought, his hands clenching as guilt slammed into him for not helping her back then and merely watching from the side lines. He should have done something…
"What sort of yōkai is this Naraku?" Kagome asked, intent on getting as much information as she could, just in case. If he was indeed after the Jewel, then they would undoubtedly run into him and from the way the monk was acting, it would be better to be prepared if that were to happen.
"He's malicious and devours people. That's all I know," Miroku responded gravely, his eyes traveling up from his cursed hand to the female hanyō in front of him. Kagome blinked at the information, definitely not liking it. It spelled trouble. Big trouble.
"What do you mean, he devours people?" this time, it was Inuyasha who asked, a rather uncomfortable expression on his face. Kagome didn't blame him. The idea that came to mind wasn't a very appealing one.
"Well… it was my grandfather who battled Naraku in his youth. That was about fifty years ago," the young houshi started, making Kagome's eyes narrow, though she remained quiet. She didn't miss what period in her life Miroku's story corresponded to and thinking of it wasn't exactly very pleasant for her. Shaking off her thoughts, the young hanyō focused on the houshi in front of her. "Their battles lasted several years. Whenever they met, Naraku appeared as a different person."
'That really doesn't sound like someone I'd like to have as an enemy,' Kagome couldn't help but think. An enemy that could take on any face he wanted was dangerous. Very dangerous. Much more dangerous than Kagome liked to admit.
"As a different person?" Inuyasha asked with wide eyes. He understood the general idea of shape-shifting, that wasn't the problem, but reading about it in fiction books and actually hearing there was someone in the world who could do that were two entirely different things. He had a hard time believing such a person existed, but then again, this world (or rather, this time period) was full of things he would have never believed to be real before.
"In their final battle, he took the form of a beautiful woman," Miroku continued as if Inuyasha hadn't interrupted him. "My grandfather had great spiritual power, but unfortunately…"
"He was a lecher," Inuyasha guessed, recalling all the yūjo he saw swarming around the monk before Shippō came to get him and somehow knowing they didn't just follow Miroku for his good looks. Yūjo were supposed to entertain willing males after all, meaning those who paid, not whomever they found attractive.
"That's a good guess," Miroku admitted, not hiding his surprise and neither did Kagome, though she didn't ask for an explanation. 'I don't think I even want to know…' she thought, suddenly having a weird feeling that she might anyway, but she chose to shake it off. "Naraku pierced the seals and my grandfather's right hand along with them, and escaped himself," Miroku returned to telling his story in a grave tone, his eyes serious as he stared ahead, though his head was turned away from them so he didn't look at either. "This kazaana he cursed my grandfather with shall be passed on to his progeny so long as Naraku lives. Each generation shall be cursed, until no one remains. That was what Naraku had told my grandfather back then, and so far, his words are proving to be no lie."
Inuyasha was at a loss for words at that point. Kagome wasn't, but she didn't say anything, either, though she definitely didn't like what she was hearing. 'Until no one remains? I do not like the sound of that,' the silver haired half-demon thought. As if sensing her unspoken question to prove her wrong or right in her also unspoken assumptions, Miroku spoke up again.
"This Wind Tunnel gets bigger by the year, and stronger. If I don't kill Naraku, I'll probably be sucked in myself."
"That means you'll die, doesn't it," the half-demon deadpanned, a sour look on her face. 'That Naraku guy… to deal with someone this way… he's nothing but a coward!' she thought angrily, but had somehow managed to keep her anger hidden.
"Yes. And that's alright… if that is my fate," the monk replied, actually surprising Kagome with that one. To meet a human who thought he might die in a few years time no matter what he did and accept the fact was rare. She suddenly found newfound respect for the guy. 'I don't think I would have been able to stomach something like that as easily… but then again, he's lived with the knowledge for several years already,' the young hanyō pointed out to herself.
"But I can't let Naraku go unchecked," Miroku's voice brought her back from her thoughts, only for his next words to make her freeze in shock. "The Shikon Jewel that has disappeared fifty years ago has now reappeared again. Naraku is sure to go after it, in order to strengthen his powers. It is said that Naraku nearly got the Jewel fifty years ago, after killing the priestess who protected it."
[T]
Inuyasha blinked at that information, a feeling of dread overcoming him. He knew who the miko in question was, of course, after she was resurrected, it was hard to forget her even if he barely talked to her. It was enough he remembered Kagome's howl once she passed again. And he had also heard from Kagome how she had died, how the one responsible, this Naraku person, as he now knew, had turned the two of them, Kikyo and Kagome, against each other. Or rather, he had turned Kikyo against Kagome, but there was really no difference. And the guy was still alive, still after the Jewel… and yet for some reason, he didn't feel as scared as she thought he should. Glancing at Kagome, though, he got the feeling she compensated.
She had visibly paled and didn't seem to be moving. For a while, he even thought she had stopped breathing. She was practically frozen with shock, barely managing to keep her thoughts somewhat coherent.
"You say he killed the miko?" she finally asked, just barely able to voice the question. Miroku was definitely taken aback by her reaction, not that it was surprising. He didn't know. He couldn't possibly know.
"Yes," he affirmed, sending a questioning look her way as she leaned against the tree trunk behind her, letting the air out of her in a single breath as she tried to collect her thoughts and get herself back under control.
'The demon who killed Kikyo… and almost killed me, all to get the Jewel. He's still alive and still hunting it. There's no way he wouldn't come after Inuyasha in that case…' she thought, trying to calm herself, but getting nothing of it when her eyes widened in sudden realization. 'What am I talking about. He already did!' she yelled at herself, wide eyes staring straight at the sky above. 'That's why these two situations were so alike. The same tactic… the same overall plan… the same person pulling the strings…' she couldn't help but frown. Weren't some things different, though? The first time around, he was aiming to kill. That wasn't the case this time… unless it was and it just hadn't worked the way he wanted it to.
'Fifty years ago, he took on my appearance and wounded Kikyo, thus turning her against me… hoping she'd kill me in retaliation. She didn't. She only sealed me. Then she died… but he couldn't take the Jewel because it was burned with her body.
'This time, he gave Inuyasha a sword that took over his mind, making him attack me. It wasn't really him, but it was still his body. Had I not managed to disarm him, then eventually, he'd kill me, then be killed in return by the sword possessing him… leaving no one to protect the Jewel… only it didn't work because he didn't kill me and had not been possessed long enough to die himself, although it was close to getting dangerous.'
There was no doubt about it. There were too many parallels. This had to be the same guy, and now she also knew the way he worked. Through deceit and dirty tricks, mostly, and as dishonorable as that was, she had to agree that it was proving to be dangerously effective. To top it off, they had no idea what he looked like and even if they found that out, chances were he would just change his appearance to elude them. Catching a guy like that was nearly impossible… and that spelled a whole lot of trouble. Much more than Kagome ever expected.
'Hunting him down won't bring any results… not that I want to. As much as I might want to avenge Kikyo, hunting a guy like that, a coward like that, is impossible. But as much as I may want to stay away from him, because he's definitely not one to be taken lightly, no matter how much of a coward he is, I won't be able to, because if we don't come to him…' her eyes slowly moved from the sky above to rest on Inuyasha and the Jewel he was wearing. She frowned. '…he will come to us.'
[/T]
"Miroku-sama," she finally said calmly as she leaned forward, away from the tree and towards the monk she was addressing. "I assume you don't know what form Naraku has now?"
"If I knew that, I'd have found him long ago and slain him," the monk replied calmly and Kagome nodded in acknowledgment.
"If I were you, Miroku-sama, I'd start looking for a man covering himself with a baboon pelt," she replied gravely. Inuyasha's eyes widened at her implication, his thoughts immediately wandering to the man who had given him the cursed sword. Miroku, on the other hand, looked intrigued.
"What makes you so sure that is his current form, Kagome-sama?" he couldn't help but ask. The half-demon sighed in response.
"One has to be quite stupid to fall twice for the same trick," she said, berating herself at the same time for her stupidity. She should have known better. She really should have. "But only a complete buffoon would fall twice for the same trick and not realize it was the same person who tricked him."
Miroku seemed confused for a while, but she didn't expect him to understand what she meant. She doubted it was well known that the miko protecting the Shikon no Tama was aided by a hanyō.
"You think that was the same demon?" Inuyasha asked her, for he understood what she meant, and only now did he himself also notice the obvious parallels. Kagome snorted as she once again leaned against the tree trunk, putting her arms behind her head for support.
"I know it was the same demon," she replied, not a shadow of a doubt in her voice, and neither in her mind. "And that's not the last we've heard of him. We're sure to run into him if we have that," she said, pointing one clawed finger to the Jewel around Inuyasha's neck. There was obvious warning in her tone. A warning directed at Inuyasha, and one he caught on to. He clenched his fists at his sides as he simply nodded resolutely, his eyes firm and relying Kagome the message he didn't voice. He wouldn't back out and he wouldn't go back to his time. One yōkai like that wouldn't scare him off, no way. 'Next time he tries something, it will not work, anyway. I won't allow it to,' he vowed to himself. The young half-demon nodded to him, a small, approving smile on her face, before she hid it and turned back to Miroku.
"You could do that," she said, referring to her idea of searching for a baboon-clad man. "Or, you could come with us." Needless to say, neither male expected that offer. When neither replied, except for Miroku's surprised 'huh?', she elaborated. "Well, Inuyasha made it clear he is not about to give the Shikon up."
"Damn straight," the priest answered when she sent him a glance for confirmation before looking back to Miroku.
"That's why," she said as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Of course, it didn't mean she trusted him or was going to consider him a companion. Heck, she even doubted he could be considered a charge, since unlike Inuyasha or Shippō, he could actually fight. Yet a small part of her knew his best bet was to go with them, because his chances of survival depended on defeating the demon that would go after them, anyway. She'd be wary of him and keep a watchful eye on him, but if he decided to tag along, she would not stop him. It was just the way she was. This was the part of her that wanted to protect others speaking, and the only way to 'protect' him would be to let him tag along, and make his chances of meeting the demon he needed to slay higher.
"I'm not very good at dealing with people," Miroku finally answered uncomfortably after a sigh and Kagome scratched the back of her head uncomfortably. 'Can't say I blame him, what with the death sentence looming over his head… but…'
"You think I am?" she finally replied gruffly, unintentionally becoming less formal without even noticing. "And besides, if you don't kill Naraku soon, you'll die, right? And face it, in which case is it most likely that you'll find and fight him?"
There was something in Miroku's eyes as he glanced at her after she said that. Some glint she wasn't entirely comfortable with. And she was about to find out just what it was.
"Kagome-sama… are you concerned about me?" he asked her in a weird tone. Like he wasn't believing what he himself was saying or some other emotion like that which she couldn't place. She didn't know why, but warning bells were suddenly ringing in her ears and she stood up, as if preparing herself to flee if need be. He stood up, too, still staring at her with that weird look in his eyes.
"Well…" she wouldn't really admit it aloud, but yeah, part of her could feel for him and was maybe a little concerned. It was just the way she was. If she could prevent some human from dying, she wanted to at least try. "I… guess… you could put it that way," she murmured under her breath, definitely too low for human ears to hear, even if he was standing right next to her… which she suddenly realized he was. And he was holding both of her hands in his as he stared right into her eyes.
"People always say demon women are the most beautiful creatures when they take on their human form. You're but a half-demoness, and yet those words already do not do you any justice," he said suddenly, making Kagome freeze where she stood. 'Wha… what is he saying?' she asked herself, though she knew very well what he was doing. Unaccustomed to such attentions, she blushed and looked away from him, trying to hide how his flattery affected her. But what girl didn't like to hear she was beautiful?
Inuyasha, meanwhile, was staring at the scene with wide eyes, suddenly feeling anger bubbling inside of him and quickly reaching a boiling point. 'What the Hell does the idiot think he's doing!' the black haired priest thought furiously as he stood up as well, intent on breaking up the two and standing between them. Oblivious to Inuyasha's anger, the monk continued his flattery.
"Tell me, my beautiful maiden, would you allow me one request?" he asked, his eyes never leaving hers. He didn't wait for the stunned hanyō-girl's response before continuing. "Will you do me the honor of bearing my child?"
It was Inuyasha's turn to freeze and collect his jaw from the ground. Whatever he had been expecting, it definitely wasn't that. 'I suspected the monk was a lecher… but to this extent?!' he thought furiously, his eyes finally falling on Kagome when his shock subsided. He was about to take the couple last steps that separated him from the monk and the hanyō, when he froze again, this time for a different reason. 'Don't tell me she's gonna agree to the bastard. Is she insane?' he thought as he watched the wide-eyed Kagome, who was staring at the monk in front of her, but not in disgust, but rather, surprise. And she was still blushing like Inuyasha had never seen her blush before. 'What the fuck?!'
'Oh Gods… he's serious!' Kagome realized with a start, and she knew he really wasn't faking it. She'd be able to smell a lie on him or hear his heartbeat being out of the ordinary. But it wasn't. Nothing was amiss. The monk was completely and utterly sincere and serious. 'Well, I think I can understand his need for an heir with the death sentence looming over him in case he failed, but to go and ask even a 'mere hanyō'?' she couldn't help but doubt that. He couldn't be that desperate, especially if one considered not only what humans (and spiritualists even more so) thought about someone of her kind, but what they would think of such a union. Unless… 'Unless he really doesn't care about all that and thinks I'm…' her blush deepened at the thought, but she was quickly forced back to reality when she noticed something on herself. It felt like a very male hand… and it was in a really inappropriate place. 'Why that little…' she thought as her face contorted in anger and she raised a hand to deliver a solid punch to the side of his head – much like a normal girl would slap a guy, only this time, it was a punch. She didn't send him flying, but it was enough to knock him to the ground and away from her and her butt.
"Pervert," she growled under her breath. "Be glad I'm not at my best right now or you wouldn't even have to wonder about your kazaana. I'd kill you long before it had the chance to grow big enough," she added as the dazed monk slowly sat up and gingerly touched the spot she had hit. Huffing in annoyance, Kagome turned her back on him and jumped into one of the trees, where she remained on one of the branches like Inuyasha was so used to seeing her already. She always slept in the trees, he suddenly noticed.
Chuckling lightly at the monks predicament, but his anger not having subsided yet, he approached the houshi and said into his ear, an angry undertone lacing his voice, promising pain should he fail to do as told.
"Keep your hands to yourself. If you lay a hand on Kagome again…" he trailed off, letting the threat hang in the air, oblivious to the hanyō's stunned stare as her ears twitched, obviously hearing every word.
"Well, pardon me, I thought you were just a companion…" Miroku said in a surprised and apologetic tone at the same time. "You're in love with Kagome-sama?"
That question made Kagome almost fall off the perch she settled on, while Inuyasha leaned away from the monk, once again at a loss for words as his tongue tied itself in knots and refused to cooperate. The lack of a negative was taken for an affirmative.
"Please, forgive me," the monk apologized sincerely, making Inuyasha splutter in embarrassment like a fool. He didn't even get the chance to respond in the negative to the houshi to regain some of his dignity, however, as a cool, female voice spoke up.
"As if," Kagome snorted at the very idea, not bothered by it in the least. "And even if he was, it wouldn't matter. I may not be marked, but I'm not for taking," she said in a voice that implied the end of discussion.
Silence fell of the little camp for a while, until Shippō, who had been awake for a long time now and simply decided to stay out of the conversation, climbed up the tree Kagome was sitting in and settled himself on the same branch as her, next to her bent legs.
"Ne, Kagome," he asked, genuine curiosity shining in his eyes. "Does the offer you gave that monk still stand?" he was obviously asking if she'd changed her mind after she realized just why Inuyasha guessed that the monk's grandfather had been a lecher. The hanyō sighed as she observed the monk out of the corner of her eye. He was sitting much like she liked to, cross-legged and with his staff leaning on his shoulder, at the base of the tree. She narrowed her eyes.
He was a lecher. He was bound to annoy the Hell out of her. But, he was a strong spiritualist, one who knew how to fight, one hunting the demon that would undoubtedly try to attack them again… and, he was a human who would die without a shadow of a doubt if that demon was not defeated. Kagome sighed.
"Yes, it does."
(1) This 'idea' is based on what little I know of Buddhism, which is thought of as a philosophy of life, rather than a religion by those who follow it. The thing is, while in other religions, Shinto included, the teachings of the high priest or whatever are considered absolute truth and never to be questioned, it's not the case in Buddhism. Buddhists search for truth themselves. Yes, Buddha told them teachings he interpreted as truth, but, in his own words, what he taught them may not be absolute truth and they (his disciples) should not believe it blindly. Those teaching are there to be doubted, to be searched until the disciple can say for himself that they're indeed the truth. Same goes for any other teaching or belief – so, while hanyō are considered evil by everyone, if presented with enough evidence to the contrary, a Buddhist monk is the most likely to start doubting the idea, unlike some random villager or even a kannushi or a miko, since he's searching for absolute truth and doesn't wish for his sight to be clouded by lies and the like.
Well, who was saying Miroku couldn't hit on Kagome just because she was a hanyō? Guess I surprised you there, didn't I. But whatever does she mean by not being for the taking? Well… you have to wait a bit to find that out, though I'm sure you have an idea already :3
Hope you liked it and see you in the next chapter :]
Next issue: a new arc begins as the group arrives at a mysterious lake…