Well, it's this time of the month again, folks :D Thank you all for not abandoning me because of slower updates. Thank you very much for the continued support, too. And of course, Merry Christmas to you all (even if I might be a little late in some cases, but it's still the 25th at my place ;3).
Hope you enjoy the chapter ;)
WARNING: This chapter contained originally some gore – nothing we wouldn't see in a T-rated manga, I think, but I know that there was a 'purge' here on FF not long ago and their standards are lower than normal T-rated manga. So, for safety's sake, this chapter has been edited (I'm rather safe than sorry. Wouldn't want my account suspended, thank you very much) and the gory parts glossed over or cut out. However, for those who wish to see the original version of the chapter, this story is also being published on AO3 (Archive Of Our Own – link at my profile), and the edited part is marked with an asterisk at the beginning and the end of the first and last edited paragraph respectively. The same will go for future chapters, if they contain some gore.
ANONYMOUS REVIEWERS:
kate: Look, as flattering as it might be to know you want to read my story so much, please stop reviewing if all you can tell me is that I should hurry. Telling me to update quickly won't make me write any faster than I do. Sorry to disappoint, but you'll have to live with monthly updates. I explained enough why I stopped updating weekly. Thank you for your attention.
happyface2107: Stopp worrying, why don't you :D No, you didn't offend me at all. Did I sound offended? *sweat drops* Uhm… If I did, sorry. As for you being curious, guess that only shows I'm good at writing :3 If my story sucked, you wouldn't be interested and thus wouldn't be curious, so I really can't complain, you know ;) But as for your question, I can say that yes, Kōga will indeed make an eventual appearance. I'm not saying when, though. You'll have to wait and see :P
Cindy: You were in love with the story since chapter 17? *pouts at herself* Why not before? What did I mess up with? But overall, I'm glad to hear it, really :) Thank you for the review, and sorry for the spelling errors in the last chapter – I was kinda tired while looking through it. I'll look it over again when I have the time or leave the job to my beta. Sorry again, hope this chapter is better in that regard. Hope you keep enjoying it, too :D Thanks again for reviewing.
Guest: Yes, she is… eventually ;)
Tracks for this chapter :
SID: Namida no Ondo
Riviera: the Promised Land Music: Hector's ambition (link: h tee tee p : / / w w w . aimini view /?fid=IOT794Dg8w94jO36a5fq)
Standard reminder and reader's key acquired.
Chapter 31 – Dreams and Reality
Inuyasha yawned and stretched comfortably as soon as he finished his meal. Leaning back on his arms, he stared at the ceiling up above with a frown on his face – a frown that anyone who knew him would recognize as his equivalent of a peaceful smile.
"Man, it sure is nice to get a warm meal and to know you have a roof above your head after a whole day of traveling," he couldn't help but point out, making the other occupant of the room snort.
"Well, sorry I 'made' you sleep under the stars. If you were so desperate for a roof, you only had to ask and I'd bring you near a village. It was doable, you know," Kagome said as she leaned her back against the wall by the entrance to the garden. It's been two days since Inuyasha came back. Two days since they met Naraku and two days since they set out on their journey again. And at the same time, it's been two nights since any of them slept under the naked sky.
"What's with you?" Inuyasha asked as he turned his head to glance at her, his frown deepening as his mood worsened. "You've been really irritable lately."
Kagome chose not to answer his question, knowing he wouldn't understand. He didn't have her ears, after all, nor did he have the same experience in human villages as her. 'I'm irritable because I'm in a human village for the second night in a row, baka,' she thought with a frown. 'And not just any night, either…'
Her thoughts were interrupted as faint sounds of people approaching caused her ears to twitch, but otherwise, she didn't react, knowing Miroku was simply coming back from his so-called exorcism.
"But really, it was nothing. We are the ones who should be thanking you, good man," Miroku said as the door slid open and said monk entered the room, an elderly man standing behind him and bowing deeply.
"No, no, it was the least I could do as thanks, houshi-sama," the man replied as he slowly rose from the bow, revealing a wrinkled face that could put Kaede to shame. He was visibly very old. "I hope the meal is to your liking," he said, then bowed again and bid them good night as Miroku thanked him one more time. Before the door slid completely closed behind the monk, Kagome got a last glimpse of the elderly man as he glanced back before leaving, but didn't let the hate-filled look he'd sent her way get to her. She was way too used to it by now.
And yet, something seemed different about that particular man and that particular glare. Kagome chose not to dwell on it, though.
"Well then, shall we have a good rest?" Miroku asked rhetorically as he sat down beside one of the two untouched trays of food, the other being Kagome's as the half-demon blatantly refused to as much as touch it, though Inuyasha couldn't for the life of him understand why. Not that it was the only thing he didn't quite understand.
"Oi, Miroku," he spoke up as the monk started to eat, effectively catching his attention. "There is something I just don't get."
"Yes, what is it?" Miroku asked back between bites of food.
"When it's time to look for a place to sleep, how come we always end up at the best looking house around that just so happens to have some sort of ominous cloud above it?" Inuyasha asked. Miroku looked positively stunned at the question, while Kagome merely shook her head and gazed outside.
"What's this? Have you never heard of a 'convenient lie'?" Miroku asked back and it was Inuyasha's turn to stare like the monk had grown a second head.
"Eh?" he asked intelligently. "You mean you were lying?"
"I'm surprised you haven't noticed earlier," Kagome said quietly to herself, careful not to speak loud enough for Inuyasha to hear. She had a feeling he wouldn't take well to knowing that, Shippō aside, he'd been the only one not to know the truth behind Miroku's ominous clouds. The young half-demon frowned as she stared up at the sky, her nose scrunching up as if she had caught an unpleasant scent, although the crisp, night air was as fresh as always.
"You're such a wicked guy," she heard Inuyasha say, but hardly paid him any mind.
"And you're obstinate," the monk replied, though again, his voice came in through one of the hanyō's ears, and out the other as she glared up at the sky. 'Somehow, I think this time it isn't just some imaginary ominous cloud,' She thought and crossed her arms over her chest. 'Even though it would be weird for Miroku-sama not to notice it. He might be unfit to protect the Jewel because of the hatred he carries deep inside of him, hidden from view, but he's still a trained monk, and a strong one at that, he should have noticed if something was indeed wrong,' the young half-demon continued to debate in her head.
She had noticed that when they met Naraku, that hatred Miroku hid so well. She couldn't blame him, really. With the fate that was thrown at him because fifty years ago his grandfather picked a fight with a shape-shifting demon, who wouldn't hate the guy who basically gave you a death sentence with no real date written on it? She didn't think even a saint would be able to not hate such a person in these circumstances.
Be that as it may, though, it ultimately proved that Inuyasha had done well in not handing the Jewel into Miroku's care. The monk would be capable of protecting it, sure. But only so long as he didn't run into Naraku and that hatred he had tried to pretend was not there came out. As soon as they met, the Jewel would be tainted in Miroku's hands, and it would only get purified again once Naraku either left or was killed and the monk regained control of his own heart.
Still, temporary hatred or not, Miroku was a strong priest, of that there was no doubt. So, if there was truly something wrong, he would have noticed it, right? Besides, it wasn't like she herself was really aware of something being amiss. It was just a feeling…
…and yet she knew from experience that her feelings tended to, more often than not, be right on.
"What's wrong, Kagome?" Shippō asked suddenly, bringing her out of her thoughts as he tugged gently on her sleeves. Blinking, Kagome turned her head away from the sky and glanced at the little kitsune with a surprised expression on her face. But then again, she shouldn't be surprised the kit noticed something, too. He was a demon, after all, and his nose was as good as hers when he needed it to be.
"Nothing," she replied quietly, trying to avoid meeting his eyes for a reason even she herself couldn't name. Without giving it much thought, Kagome uncrossed her arms and scooped the little child up, holding him close to her chest like she remembered her mother holding her when she was but a small pup. "I just have this feeling…" she continued, but trailed off, not knowing how to explain.
"What feeling?" Inuyasha asked from his spot on the floor where his sleeping bag was already prepared, Kagome having been too lost in thought to even notice when he moved there, much less when Miroku finished eating, allowing himself to eat half of her portion while he was at it. Not that she minded. She wasn't planning n eating the stuff, anyway. She shrugged.
"Just a feeling," she replied vaguely, still not so sure herself what her instincts were trying to tell her.
"Is it the Jewel, Kagome-sama?" Miroku asked seriously. Inuyasha sucked in a deep breath at the suggestion and reflexively reached for the gem that hung around his neck, as if wanting to stop its influence on others with just his touch. Kagome had already told him that she had indeed sent him home because the Jewel was threatening to make her do something she didn't want to do and he had hoped the seal he had made, which seemed to work, would resolve the problem. Could he have been wrong?
But, to his great relief, Kagome shook her head.
"No, it's not the Jewel. It's something else," she replied, once again looking out into the by then dark garden. Night had already set in. "I just have this feeling like there's something out there… in the shadows… waiting for the perfect moment to strike."
"Something waiting to attack?" Inuyasha asked with a huff, the thought seeming ridiculous to him. They were in the middle of a human village and while yōkai sometimes attacked human settlings, as far as he was concerned, it was fairly unlikely that they'd get attacked, at least compared to when they slept on the forest. He huffed. "Did you get a persecution complex lately?" he couldn't help but ask teasingly. Kagome narrowed her eyes at him briefly but didn't respond, turning her eyes to the outside garden again, instead. 'Try living my life for a century or two and we'll see if you don't have a 'persecution complex',' she couldn't help but think. She wasn't quite sure what a 'complex' was, but she thought she had a general idea of what the teen could possibly mean.
"I find myself partially agreeing with Inuyasha," Miroku suddenly pointed out, effectively making Kagome glance at him sharply, as if daring him to doubt her senses – although admittedly, they wouldn't be as sharp this night, especially the closer they got to the morning, as they would be any other night. The monk wasn't affected, though. "Even if something was out there, my o-fuda will keep it at bay. So there's no need for you to worry, Kagome-sama. We can sleep easy tonight," he explained, but Kagome only shot him a disbelieving look in return.
"You would waste actual, houriki-infused o-fuda on a 'convenient lie'?" she asked disbelievingly.
"The reason I put them up might be a convenient lie, but those people are still helping us and giving us a room for free. The least I can do is protect their home from any future yōkai-attacks with my o-fuda," Miroku replied with a frown, as if insulted by Kagome's lack of faith in him.
"That, and taking a couple of things of value to sell and get some money," Shippō piped up, reminding them all of what happened just the day before, when they paused in their journey – this time for an actual exorcism Miroku performed. And while the monk insisted he didn't want any payment from the villagers, he ended up basically raiding the mansion of the head-man, as that was the one which was haunted. It was one act Kagome could hardly forgive him, and yet she could not force him to bring those things back, no matter how wrong it felt to steal them. In her own defense, however, she had made sure not to touch any of the stolen goods, nor anything the money raised from them brought. She promised herself, though, that she would go with him the next time he exorcised something and make sure he didn't take anything he should not take.
"Why, my dear Shippō, that was only a token of the villager's appreciation," the monk defended, causing Kagome to snort.
"Tell your lies somewhere where there won't be people able to figure out you're lying," she said tersely and crossed her arms over her chest. "O-fuda or not, I'll still sleep with one eye open," she muttered to herself, not nearly loud enough for the humans to hear. Shippō heard her, though.
"You always sleep with one eye open," the young kit pointed out, once again directing the conversation to the hanyō. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes.
"And what does he mean by that?" he asked, his tone lowering an octave, a sign Kagome might someday come to associate with hidden worry.
"Merely that I'm aware of my surrounding even when I sleep," she replied easily.
"How can you be aware of your surroundings when you sleep?" the black haired priest probed.
"Most likely how trained spiritualists are able to do the same," Miroku interjected, once again with a very serious expression on his face. "Truly well trained priests don't need to control their spiritual power with their mind, so while their mind rests in sleep, their powers keep watch and any change in surroundings tends to awaken them. I believe Kagome-sama learned something similar, only it's her senses that stay alert, rather than her mind," he said, his tone slightly questioning, as if he wanted to make sure his idea was correct. However, Kagome chose not to reply to his subtle inquiry. 'You're not even close, houshi,' she thought, but chose to remain silent. What did it matter to them if she really slept or not, or if her mind truly rested any during the night? It shouldn't matter to them so long as she managed to keep them all alive, so they should leave it at that… and yet even she knew that for at least two of them, for one reason or another, it did matter.
Inuyasha, however, didn't notice the subtle exchange between the monk and the hanyō and seemed to accept Miroku's explanation. Satisfied that Kagome didn't try to push herself to ridiculously far limits just to make sure they were all safe (and conveniently forgetting that she wasn't human, and thus said limits were much higher for her than for a simple human), he let the subject drop and the conversation died. Not long after that, the candles were blown out and the two humans of the group bid the two demons good night, and Shippō, being the little kid he was, soon followed after them, curled comfortably in Kagome's arms – though she had never noticed when he attached himself to her chest, much less when she actually hugged him to herself to allow him to sleep comfortably in her arms. She was past fighting what she considered a natural reaction by then, though.
The night passed calmly and it wasn't until the wee hours of the morning, a few short hours before the day would start, that Kagome woke from her doze, immediately wide awake and ears twitching madly, searching for the reason of her rude awakening. She had heard or smelled something, or both, she was sure of that. There was no way her senses would scream at her as they were otherwise.
And yet, a few more moments of observation proved that nothing was there. She narrowed her eyes. 'Did I imagine it?' No, that wasn't possible. She never imagined things like that, her senses were far too well trained to let her know of something that wasn't there, or to not let her know of something that was there. Such mistakes could be deadly after all. Conclusion: something had to be there and it was simply good at hiding.
There was no being that can hide from a dog-demon for long, however, for even if it eludes the eyes, it cannot elude the ears and, most importantly, the nose at the same time, and so, soon, Kagome pinpointed the reason she had awoken. Her eyes widened.
She could smell the scent of wolf. But not just any wolf, but one she would recognize anywhere. But what was he doing here, so far from where she was sure his pack was? Surely he hadn't left them behind just to look for her, right?
Although, if he just left someone to lead the wolves in his stead while he was gone, then it sounded like something Kōga would do.
'There's only one way to find out,' Kagome thought resolutely as she slowly stood up, careful not to wake Shippō, nor any other occupant of the room, since they were bound to start waking soon. It was easy to do so, though, given that she was hanyō and they human. And Shippō was too tired to be woken by anything, anyway.
In no time at all, Kagome had left the inn they stayed at and quickly raced to where she could smell Kōga's scent coming from, although she was still careful not to be too obvious in her approach, in case it really wasn't him and she had somehow, miraculously, mixed up his scent with someone else's.
[T]
She was quick to reach the nearby forest and the not-so-far-off clearing where the wolf she smelled was. She slowed down then, not wanting to be discovered too soon. Better safe than sorry, and if her senses turned out to be wrong then she didn't want to have to deal with this wolf come sunrise – which wasn't very far off, actually.
Making sure to stay downwind, so she wouldn't be sniffed out, Kagome crept between the trees, silent as a ghost. Soon enough, she reached a clearing, but stayed cautiously behind the trees. Taking another deep breath, her nose confirmed that the scent she had been following was one she knew. So obviously, she knew the person who was standing in that clearing, though he had yet to notice her. Glancing cautiously over the tree's trunk, Kagome chanced a look, to make absolutely sure her senses were not deceiving her.
And indeed, it turned out to be the one she thought it was and she had to stifle a surprised gasp. She didn't truly expect that it was him. Because really, what would he be doing here? What could possibly lead him here? She didn't know. She didn't really care either. Slowly, she came out of her hiding place – though really, it was no hiding place at all.
"Kōga," she spoke softly as she slowly approached him. The wolf in question whirled around at the sound of her voice, his clear blue eyes immediately meeting hers.
He hadn't changed any on those fifty years. His hair was still black as coal, in that same high, short ponytail which's end barely reached the nape of his neck. He was still wearing a bandana of his own fur a little bit above his forehead to keep his hair out of his face, still the same black samurai-like armor. And his eyes were still the same deep sky-blue, their color making her lose herself in them as if she really fell into the heavens.
"Kagome…" her name was a mere whisper on his lips as he stared at her with wide eyes, as if he didn't believe she was actually there. Before she could make any kind of response, however, he crossed the space between them and next thing she knew, she was in his warm embrace.
That was also the same as before. He was still impatient and possessive and he still held her in that special way, strongly to prevent her escape (not that she ever wanted to flee) yet gently, as if he were afraid to break her. In no time at all, she melted into his hold, just as she always did, and didn't hesitate to put her arms around his neck as she hugged him back fiercely and breathed in his unique scent almost greedily. She hadn't realized how much she had missed him in those couple moon cycles since her awakening until she actually met him.
Somewhere deep in her mind, a small voice whispered that this was weird. Almost too good to be true. And that she herself was reacting strangely to it. But she hardly listened to it, too absorbed in the fact they had finally met again, after what felt like an eternity, but was in fact only a couple of short moon cycles for her… and a whole of fifty years for him.
"I finally found you," he whispered into her ear, his voice laced with disbelief, happiness and desperation. "I was looking all over for you."
"Baka," she whispered softly into his chest, feeling quite content right where she was. "You should have just gone back to your pack and wait for me. I would have shown up at some point, you know. You only made it harder for us to find each other. We were lucky to run into each other now," she chastised softly, though her voice was hardly annoyed in any way. She was just happy to finally meet him again.
But when had she started to feel quite like that when she met him?
Sure, she always missed him when they weren't together, separated each by their obligations – he to his pack, bound by his lineage and she to Kikyo and the Jewel, bound by a promise – but she had never been so… clingy, had she?
"Won't make that mistake again," he answered as he slowly pulled back, but refused to let go of her, holding her merely at half-arm's length away. If he lowered his head just a tiny bit, she could kiss him. "I won't leave you alone again," he said as he lowered his head to do just that. Kagome lowered her head slightly, making their foreheads meet instead of their lips as she was sure Kōga wanted to, her eyes regretful as she stared at his chest, not daring to look up at him.
"You know you'll have to," she said, her voice just as regretful as her eyes were. She didn't want to leave him again, either. She wanted to stay right where she was, right here in his arms. She wanted to stay where she knew she was wanted, maybe even needed, and where she knew she'd be safe.
Again, when had she become so clingy, she couldn't help but think, but the thought was quickly dismissed.
"What makes you say that?"
"You still have your obligations to your pack. You can't stay with me."
"Then just go with me," he said and to that, Kagome raised her head and looked into his eyes, as he had already straightened up. His blue eyes were sincere and he was being completely serious. Kagome blinked and wanted to agree heartily, but before her mouth could work to say the words of agreement, another thing entered her mind and her happiness deflated instantly.
"I can't," she said lowly, looking down briefly as she did so before locking her eyes with his again.
"Why not?"
"I made a promise."
"The priestess is dead already."
"Doesn't matter. I promised her to help protect the Jewel until it was destroyed or until I died. I can't back out of it."
"I thought the priestess took the Jewel with her to the afterlife," Kōga spoke again, making Kagome wonder briefly how he knew such details. But again, her musings were quickly dismissed. "You shouldn't have to worry about the Jewel anymore. It's not your responsibility," he tried to convince her. Kagome only sighed.
"The Jewel is back. And I swore protection to its new owner. I can't go back on it, you know it," she said softly, her head lowering again, but this time, he put a finger under her chin and made her look up again, just as his head dipped lower. He stopped when his lips were a mere inch away from hers. She could feel his breath on her face. Kagome closed her eyes without thought and closed the distance between them, just barely catching the few words he said before their lips met.
"Why can't you just go with me like we both want to?"
Something inside her screamed that this was wrong, on so many levels, yet she couldn't say what exactly was wrong. In the next moment, their lips met and Kagome's mind went blank, caught completely in the moment. Kōga pulled her closer to himself as her arms circled tighter around his neck in an effort to get closer. His grip on her waist was impossibly strong, yet somehow he didn't hurt her, just like her hold on him was strong, yet gentle.
The kiss was a hungry one, a desperate one. It was a kiss filled with fifty years worth of longing, of suffering and despair. Fifty years of fear, fifty years of regret, fifty years of love, all in one kiss. It didn't matter that she wasn't awake for those fifty years, that was still the time they had been separated for, the time they had to make up for. They had all of their lives to do so, too.
Slowly, they pulled away from each other, both panting slightly from the intensity of the kiss… and yet Kagome couldn't help but feel like something just went terribly wrong. Like what she just did was wrong, a mistake she should have never made. She just wasn't able to tell why it felt so wrong. They had kissed before and it never felt like a mistake. It might be true their kisses had never been this intense, but still…
That was when his words, those she had cut off with her bold action, resonated in her mind again and she frowned.
"I can't go with you because I promised my protection to someone. I gave them my word. I can't just disregard that, you know it," she replied calmly, though her voice took an edge to it the ōkami shouldn't be able to miss. It was an undertone she rarely used with him, but one he understood very well more often than not.
[/T]
"Words are just that. Words," Kōga replied softly as he pulled her into another hug, but this time, she did not reciprocate, frowning instead as he continued talking. "Nothing holds you there, Kagome. You should just forget what you said to whoever is now guarding the Jewel and come with me. We both want it. Just come with me."
Her frown only deepened as he continued talking sweet things into her ear, trying to coax her into leaving with him. Only his words had the opposite effect, driving the feeling of wrongness deeper and deeper into her mind with each word he spoke. 'He would never say such things,' Kagome thought furiously, seriously debating pushing him away from her and yell at him for the first time since she actually got to know him.
If there was one thing Kōga had always understood about her, it was that she put great value to her promises. He never asked her to go back on her word, he would never suggest it, and they both knew why.
For Kagome, breaking a promise was to soil her honor. When she swore something, then whether she said so or not, she swore on her honor. And it was all she had. Being half-demon, she had no real home, scarcely any blood-ties, no true place in the world. All she had were the clothes on her back and her honor. Kōga knew that. So he always understood why she couldn't go with him, he understood why she could never go back on her word, no matter what she promised to whom. He respected it, too. It was one of the reasons Kagome valued their bond and him so much. She never wanted to lose him.
It made her wonder, why would he suddenly want her to abandon her honor now? It wasn't like him. Actually, this whole encounter he had been acting just a little weird… and her reaction to him had been even weirder.
A sudden noise akin to someone sneaking up on them made her stiffen and she swiftly pulled away from Kōga, her eyes searching around the calm forest, but finding nothing amiss.
"Did you hear something?" she asked the stunned wolf behind her, causing him to raise an eyebrow before he shrugged and gently hugged her from behind again. She didn't relax, though, once again noticing his weird behavior. Kōga wasn't one to so easily dismiss potential danger.
"There's nothing there. Relax. We're alone," he said, making Kagome frown again as the rustle from the bushes reached her ears, much louder this time. How could he not hear it? How could he dismiss it so easily for that matter?
He was acting like he wasn't himself.
Kagome's eyes widened at that thought and she tensed, causing Kōga to growl softly, soothingly and tell her to relax like he had so many times before in order to calm her when she was agitated. He almost succeeded, too. Almost being the key word. 'This isn't Kōga,' Kagome couldn't help but think, and yet something within her protested at the thought. Nothing about him but the way he was acting and talking was off. No one could copy anyone else that good, could they?
That was when another oddity caught her eye. It was the sun. It had already risen and its rays were bathing the landscape in a gentle, golden glow. Frowning, Kagome glanced down at herself, easily seeing her claws and the few strands of silver hair that were swaying in the breeze.
She was still hanyō.
Biting her lip, she glanced once more at the sun, as if to reassure herself that it was indeed already up, then looked up into the heavens with a sigh. She knew what day it was today. She always kept track of it and she was never wrong. That meant she should be human by now. So why hadn't she changed yet? 'Something is definitely wrong. The things that are happening just don't make any sense. It's like any of this isn't real.'
She didn't have the time to ponder that thought, for the rustle she heard before came again, this time dangerously close and something within Kagome reacted instinctively, yelling at her to be careful, warning her of danger.
In an instant, both Kōga and the clearing disappeared as if they were never there and her eyes shot open, barely taking in the still grey sky and the inn room she was sitting in, focusing instead on the garden outside. Her ears twitched madly on her head, easily catching the rustle again and her eyes zeroed in on the small lizard demon who thought he was stealthy enough to escape her hearing. He was still relatively far off, but close enough for Kagome to know he wasn't just passing through by accident.
A warning growl rose from her chest, quiet enough to wake the others, but loud enough for the lizard to hear. He stilled in his movements, as if hoping to remain undetected. Narrowing her eyes, Kagome flared her youki briefly, and that was all it took for the small, insignificant demon to turn tail and run, its instinct telling it to forget about the Jewel, or whatever other reason it had to attempt coming, and flee for its life, most likely.
Relaxing and leaning her back against the frame of the door to the garden, Kagome observed her surroundings, briefly taking note that sunrise was not far off. Not that she needed to see the sky to know. She could feel her youki pulsing already, slowly preparing itself to fall asleep for the day to come, leaving her nothing more than a human girl. 'It was a dream,' Kagome thought with a frown, thinking back to her encounter with Kōga – an encounter that didn't really happen, which she was glad for, because the wolf she had dreamt up was not like the Kōga she remembered at all.
Standing slowly, Kagome gently laid Shippō, who was still sleeping in her arms, on the ground, trying not to wake him. Without even thinking about it, she took off her haori and wrapped him in it, using it as a blanket to make sure he wouldn't be cold in his last hours of sleep, glancing at the other occupants of the room at the same time. Miroku and Inuyasha were both sprawled out on the floor, sleeping soundly, though looking at the sun, Kagome had no doubt that Inuyasha, at least, would soon wake. He often woke up at dawn on his own now, and she didn't need to wake him, but since they spent the last two nights at human dwellings, she adamantly refused to train with him either way. She didn't even want to think what havoc it might cause if the villagers saw them training, so she wanted to avoid such a situation. When Inuyasha asked her why she refused to train with him, she merely told him it was because they were at a human village. She thought he'd understand. When he had given her a response among the lines of 'what does that have to do with anything?', she seriously felt like banging her head on the wall. She couldn't find it in herself to explain it to him, but she didn't budge in her decision, either. Maybe it was better he didn't know.
That didn't mean he didn't train on his own, instead, and Kagome had watched him closely every time he did. It was obvious that he had really progressed in his ability to wield a sword, even with the long break he had had due to his injury. Still, something about the way he fought imaginary enemies, like she remembered herself doing when she was still learning herself, seemed wrong to her. She couldn't put her finger on what it was, though. She'd have to train with him to find out, she knew.
Another pulse of her own youki, this one stronger than the others, broke her out of her musings and she glanced out the open door again, though she already knew she would see the first signs that the sun was about to rise. It wouldn't be long before the first rays shone over the horizon now, and when they did, she would turn human.
Something occurred to her then and she cursed softly under her breath. Without wasting another minute she leapt out the door and prepared to sprint off, but before she could, her gaze fell on Inuyasha's back pack, and the bow strapped to its top part. It would probably be best if she took it with her today. Once the bow and the quiver were slung over her shoulder, Kagome glanced around the room once again to make sure everyone was asleep, then left swiftly and silently, almost like a ghost.
It would be better if the villagers didn't see their group leaving with her as a human when they knew there had been a half-demon with them. They'd be worried if they noticed it, or worse even, figure out the new human girl-addition was actually the hanyō they saw the day before. Then, all hell would break lose, she was sure of that. So she had to get away. Pretend to be just a simple human among them. Shippō would find her later with her scent and they'd leave. Sure, that was bound to make the villagers worry as to where she – the hanyō – went off to, but the chances that they'd figure out she turned human were smaller, so it was worth a shot.
If those villagers found out she was a hanyō-turned-human, she was certain that they would try to use it to their advantage, two spiritualists being with her or not. It wouldn't be the first time, either.
She just reached the outskirts of the village when the first rays of the sun peered over the horizon and she was forced to stop, her youki pulsing once again as it slowly left her, leaving her more and more human with each passing second. It wouldn't be long before she changed completely. And once that happened, all she'd have to do was to mingle with the humans in the village, and even if they didn't recognize her, with some luck, they would think she was just a traveler and leave her alone. That was what happened most of the time, anyway, so she had no reason to believe this time would be any different.
XxX
Inuyasha yawned and stretched in his sleeping bag as he slowly woke, knowing without having to open his eyes that it was merely dawn. He hardly even woke after the sun anymore, but annoying as it was, he was starting to get used to it. It wasn't like he had any other choice, anyway.
Grumbling under his breath about annoying hanyō-wenches who forced him to learn to wake up at such an ungodly hour, Inuyasha slowly opened his eyes and sat up, already knowing from harsh experience that now that he was awake, he wouldn't get any more shut-eye until evening. He was wide awake within the next few seconds, however, when he noticed that only the monk and the kit were in the room, with the hanyō nowhere to be found.
"Kagome?" the future-born teen asked softly into the air, knowing that if Kagome was near, she would hear his soft call and respond. Only silence greeted him, though, but Inuyasha wasn't overly worried when his barely-awake mind reminded him that the previous evening, the hanyō had absolutely refused to eat anything. 'She probably just went hunting or something,' Inuyasha thought, although somehow, he knew that wasn't the reason she wasn't here. Still, unless she scented a demon nearby, nothing else came to mind and if it had been a demon, she would have woken them up.
Dismissing the thoughts of Kagome's possible current whereabouts, persuaded that she would eventually show up again, Inuyasha took his sword and tied it to his belt before stepping out into the garden. He wouldn't be able to sleep anymore, anyway, so he might as well use the few hours he had before Miroku and Shippō woke and they set out again to train, since he was certain Kagome would refuse to do so. Again. She had been refusing to train with him since they set out and it was really getting on his nerves, especially since he was certain she wasn't refusing because she thought he didn't need any more training.
What was even more frustrating was the fact that she never gave him any explanation, either. At least not one that made any sense.
Suddenly angry for reasons he couldn't name, the black haired kannushi ripped his sword out of its sheath and began to swing it around, though only a complete fool would think his swings were reckless and random. The teen himself might not have noticed it, but some of the things Kagome tried to teach him, or those he saw her perform often in a fight, he ended up copying without even thinking about it.
Seiryuu whished as it cut through the air, following its wielders command without fail as Inuyasha danced a deadly dance with an opponent only he could see. Little by little, Inuyasha's anger faded and his movements slowed, becoming much more precise and graceful as he did so. He wasn't at Kagome's level of mastery of the sword yet, but if two months ago someone had told him he would wield a blade as if he had hardly ever fought without one, he would have laughed in their face. And yet, that was how he felt now. It was as if Seiryuu had become a part of him in some weird, and yet not unsettling way.
"You sure know how to use that blade of yours, lad," a voice he didn't recognize suddenly broke through the calm trance Inuyasha had worked himself into and he froze. His eyes snapped open and he turned around swiftly, his eyes falling on the one who had spoken. It turned out to be merely the old innkeeper. "You must've been wielding it for a very long time to use it the way you do," the old man remarked, his eyes regarding the violet eyed teen with interest. Straightening, Inuyasha slowly sheathed his sword, his narrowed eyes never leaving the old man, cautious, yet unaware as to why he felt the need. The man was harmless, after all – it was merely an elderly man in his mid-sixties.
"Not really," he replied honestly. "Just a couple of months," he added, forcing himself to remove his hand from the hilt, despite the feeling that there was danger lurking around. 'Come on, Inuyasha, get a hold of yourself! It's just an old man, one whom Miroku tricked to get us a roof to sleep under for one night. How could he possibly be dangerous in any way?' he tried to reason with himself, but the feeling didn't fade. If anything, it only got stronger. The old man whistled lightly.
"Just a couple of months, you say. Then you must be what they call a prodigy," he said, seemingly impressed, though Inuyasha wasn't quite sure if that was really what he was feeling. Still, the words struck a part of him that had been taking a beating more often than not lately, and he couldn't help but smirk cockily as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Give me a couple more moths and I'll be able to beat my teacher," he replied confidently, not allowing the logical part of his brain to remind him that said sensei wasn't human, and thus would be much harder to defeat than he'd ever like to admit. "No one else can beat me and soon, I'll be better than her, too."
"I do not doubt that, not after what I've just seen, lad," the old man replied, strangely not commenting on the fact that Inuyasha was apparently taught by a female, when it was widely known that women never touched weapons, much less fought or taught others how to fight, miko aside. "I had thought houshi-sama was the one who kept your… companion… in check, but I now see he isn't the only one holding her in place," he continued, faltering only slightly when he spoke the word 'companion'. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and glared at the innkeeper out of the corner of his eye, since he was facing the forest where he suspected Kagome went off to hunt. Only it was taking her a really unnaturally long time to come back…
"What do you mean?" the black haired teen asked in a low tone, although somehow he knew he wouldn't like the answer he was about to receive.
Before the old man could answer, however, a loud, explosion-like sound was heard from within the inn and they both turned around swiftly. The source of it couldn't have been an explosion, though, because from the outside, the inn still looked exactly the same, as if nothing had happened.
"What in the name of Buddha…" the old man whispered as he stared at the building with wide eyes before slowly walking towards it. Inuyasha swiftly reached out his hand to stop him, however. Somehow he knew that whatever just happened was not something the old man could or should deal with. It felt as if a soundless alarm had gone off in his head while at the same time a heavy blanket of some foreign material wrapped itself around him. He knew that uncomfortable feeling by now and knew exactly what it meant. It wasn't very stifling, though, so he suspected its origin couldn't be that bad. 'Whatever it is, it's about to die, by my hand or by Kagome's,' Inuyasha thought, certain that the half-demon-girl had heard the ruckus and was now undoubtedly rushing back to see what was wrong.
"Don't," he said calmly to the old man when he shot him a questioning look. "That's not something you should have to deal with, old man. Leave it to the monk and I."
"How can you tell?" the innkeeper asked, now suddenly wary himself.
"I can feel it," Inuyasha responded without thought and had to fight the urge to reach for the Jewel that hung around his neck. The Jewel that was a fool-proof demon-bait, but a bait that had for the last couple of days failed to attract any yōkai. 'Did it come for the Shikon? But if so, why didn't Miroku's o-fuda keep it out? He said those were real ones!' the black haired teen thought frantically.
"Feel it," the elderly man replied, his old eyes glancing at Inuyasha before they moved to his sword, then back to his face again. Understanding shone in them as the man realized something he had not been aware of. "You're a kannushi, aren't you, lad?" he asked, but did not wait for an answer, immediately correcting himself as he bowed politely. "My sincerest apologies, kannushi-sama. I didn't realize…"
"Quit it," Inuyasha interrupted roughly. 'That's the only thing I hate about this whole spiritual powers stuff,' he thought off-handedly, feeling slightly irked as the innkeeper only continued to apologize for his 'lack of appropriate behavior' towards him. He snorted under his breath at the innkeeper's antics, but did not look at the man, regarding the inn instead, as if waiting for something else to happen, but in reality waiting for something else entirely. And yet that something, or rather someone, was taking her sweet time showing up. 'What's taking the wench so long?' Inuyasha thought, but his wondering was interrupted when the youki he felt pulsed and brushed against him, this time more strongly. He narrowed his eyes. 'I can't keep waiting for her. And I don't need her, either. I'll take care of this thing on my own. Let's see her reaction to that,' he thought, a confident smirk once again appearing on his face at the thought. He had yet to prove to Kagome that he was stronger than she thought he was and that he could protect her and himself if need be. What better chance than taking care of some yōkai while she was off hunting?
He should have probably realized something was off, though, seeing as going off far enough to not be aware what was happening to the rest of the group was not a thing Kagome usually did. However, Inuyasha failed to notice that fact, too absorbed in his new idea to take care of things before she came back in order to prove himself to her… and himself as well, to be quite honest.
Without another word, the black haired priest slowly stepped into the inn through the same door he had went out through when he left to train, immediately noticing that the kit and the monk were no longer there.
[T]
'They must have heard that noise and went to check it out, too. I don't think anyone could sleep through that,' Inuyasha thought as he slowly walked towards the sliding door on the other end of the room and opened it just barely. The corridor on the other side was completely dark, to a point that shouldn't be possible considering the sun had already risen quite a bit.
A sudden wave of unease washed over Inuyasha, but he pushed the feeling away as he slowly and cautiously stepped into the dark corridor, glancing this way and that to be absolutely sure nothing would jump out at him in the darkness. It was a somewhat new feeling, standing there in the dark and knowing that something waited for him up ahead, but unaware of just how close it was or how strong it was or even what exactly it was. Kagome was usually able to give him that information just with her sense of smell and only now did Inuyasha realize how much he relied on that information before. 'Get it together. Kagome isn't here now, you'll have to deal with this yourself,' he tried to tell himself, but it only made him more nervous, no matter how much he might want to deny it. Sure, before he knew Kagome he had always taken care of his problems by himself and never needed anyone's help. But then again, before he met Kagome, he never had to deal with demons or anything like that. This would be the first time he went into a fight with a demon on his own. Well, alright, he had already killed a few low level yōkai on his own while Kagome was off fighting Sesshōmaru to get her sword back, but he had a feeling this demon would be different from those vermin who were hunting Shippō.
Still, he had already entered the demon's new lair, or lair-to-be. He couldn't back out now!
As if to tell him he was right, the door behind him suddenly slid closed and Inuyasha whirled around in surprise, his hand on Seiryuu's hilt and ready to draw the sword. Only he didn't see anyone behind him. He could still feel the stifling youki surrounding him, though, so there was no question that there was some yōkai nearby.
Breathing deeply in order to calm himself, Inuyasha slowly backed away until his back leaned against the wall, so that he at least didn't have to worry about being attacked from behind. Glancing around, he tried to make out anything at all in the darkness, but the corridor was completely shrouded in shadow much too dark for his human eyes to see anything. Quite frankly, Inuyasha suspected that even Kagome might have had trouble seeing anything in such light – or rather lack thereof.
A sudden sound off to his right caught his attention and he turned his head, but unsurprisingly, he didn't see anything. Taking another deep breath, Inuyasha slowly inched towards where he was certain the sound came from, being careful not to make any unnecessary sound. If the origin of what he heard was the yōkai, it would be best he wasn't caught sneaking up on it.
The sound he heard before sounded again, closer this time, assuring him he was going in the right direction. It sounded like someone had thrown something rather heavy against the wall, and Inuyasha couldn't help but think about the monk who was bound to be somewhere in here, as well. Had he found the demon before him and was now fighting it?
As he came closer to the origin of the sound, he could make it out with more clarity each time. And the more he heard, the more certain he was that two people were fighting in one of the rooms of the inn, so it could only be Miroku and the demon who had not so subtly crashed into the inn.
It wasn't long before Inuyasha reached what he suspected was the door to the room the fight was taking place in. Either that, or it was a very thin wall.
He was about to try and push the supposed door to slide it open slightly and peek inside, but before he could, something crashed into the wall on the other side and fell through it. Instinctively, Inuyasha retreated and pressed himself into the wall, effectively remaining in the shadows while a beam of light illuminated the part of the corridor where the door had been, along with what had been thrown out of the room.
It was a young girl, one who probably worked at the inn or who was staying the night. Inuyasha couldn't make out more about her with the little light that shone on her from the room, but what he did see made his eyes bulge, rendering him unable to do much more than stare at her in horror for several seconds.
In the two months he spent in the Feudal Era, he had seen many things. He had seen Kagome kill and gut more demons than he cared to count anymore, he saw swords that were able to take over your mind, he saw whole villages destroyed by the hands of a small group of demons. But this was the first time he ever really saw a thing like this.
*At first glance, the girl seemed to be merely asleep, save for the fact that she was incredibly pale. The only thing showing anyone that she was indeed dead was the horrid wound on her whole front. A closer inspection would lead to only one conclusion: that pretty much all that was left of her was flesh and broken bones in the perfect shape of a human body, like a shell that once housed a snail and was now left for someone else to inhabit.
When the dead girl fell completely to the ground from the half-sitting position she had landed in, her long, black hair moved out of her face, allowing Inuyasha to see it, though he wished he hadn't.
She was most likely a very pretty girl while alive. Now, however, her skin was marred by two twin trails of blood flowing down her cheeks like tears, their origins being her closed eyes. More blood flowed also from her nose and open mouth, coloring her teeth crimson.
Suddenly feeling like he was about to vomit, Inuyasha closed his eyes, wishing for the image to leave his brain, but was unable to chase it away. What kind of thing did something like that to a defenseless girl? Demon or not… what kind of monster was this?
His heart was racing in his chest by that point, though whether it was from fear or anger, he himself couldn't tell. Part of him was afraid, for he had no idea just what he was dealing with – and he was slowly starting to believe he didn't even want to find out – but another part of him was angry. Angry that something would dare to torture a poor, defenseless girl so, especially since her expression spoke volumes about how her death was. It was not swift and it was definitely not painless. She had probably survived a few of her wounds being dealt before her body mercifully shut down. How could a thing that would do something like that exist? It didn't deserve to live. It deserved to have every ounce of pain it had inflicted on others thrown right back at it. And Inuyasha was more than willing to be the one to do the hurting.
Fists clenching at his sides, both in anger and to stop them from shaking so much, Inuyasha inched towards the now open door and carefully peeked inside… only to freeze at what he saw.
The room was covered in blood and here and there he could see a few bodies with similar wounds to the girl that had just been thrown out of the room. In the middle of the room stood what Inuyasha suspected was a demon, though he could not really tell what it looked like. It was completely black and shrouded in darkness despite the many candles that lit the room. It was almost as if it was made of darkness, as if it was a living shadow and the source of the darkness that shrouded the whole inn. By its feet sat another woman. She was staring at the yōkai with wide, fear-filled eyes and tears were streaming down her face. Her lips seemed to be moving, though in the dim light Inuyasha couldn't be sure, and even if they were, no sound reached his ears.
Suddenly, faster than he could blink, the shadow reached out and grabbed the girl by her throat before effortlessly lifting her off the ground. Inuyasha's eyes widened, knowing just what fate awaited her. And obviously, the girl knew it, too.
"NO!" the black haired priest yelled as he charged into the room, but instead of getting inside and tackling the demon like he (recklessly) wanted to, he hit some kind of invisible wall and fell backwards, landing on the floor only inches away from the dead girl that was sprawled against the wall on the other side of the corridor. Disoriented, Inuyasha shook his head and glanced up again, just in time to see the yōkai raise one claw-like appendage and preparing to strike, not caring for the young kannushi the slightest bit. If Inuyasha didn't know any better, he would have thought the demon hadn't even heard him – which in actuality, it probably hadn't.
Without thought, not wanting to see the other woman die the way he suspected the first girl, and all the other people in the room, had, Inuyasha ripped his sword out of its sheath and raised it high above his head getting ready to strike at what he supposed was some kind of barrier. Before he even started to bring the sword down, however, he froze and his eyes widened again as he did the big mistake of staring straight at the demon he wished he could kill right this moment.
The demon had already cut the girl open and it was obvious she was screaming – no one would be able to keep quiet at this point, after all. Only no sound reached Inuyasha's ears at all. All he could do was watch as the demon slowly sunk his claws into the girl's body. Blood flowed freely from the wound and slowly, the girls struggles lessened until she stilled completely and hung limply from the demon's claws. The yōkai didn't seem to care much, though, reaching instead into her body once again like one reached into a plate to pluck another organ before slowly nibbling on it, as if savoring the taste. When apparently nothing was left in her abdomen and ribcage, it swiftly finished by taking care of the eyes and the brain. The extraction finished, the demon let the girl fall to the ground without much care as it instead finished its meal rapidly, like a starved dog did to a bone someone mercifully threw. *
Seiryuu fell to the ground with a clatter as Inuyasha slowly staggered backwards, holding a hand to his mouth and barely managing to fight off the incredibly strong urge to vomit. His legs quivered under him from the shock of what he had just seen and finally gave way and he slid to the ground by the wall next to the open door, breathing heavily to calm both his heart and his stomach. 'What… What kind of monster is this?' He thought, his voice quivering even in his thoughts. He was really starting t regret that he hadn't waited for Kagome to show up. And as he would soon find out, the worst part was that now, he was stuck in that inn with said monster with no possibility to get out, unless he killed the thing.
[/T]
XxX
Kagome took in a deep breath as she allowed the wind to play with her now black hair. The sun had risen quite some time ago and she had long since turned human. As she had planned, she had mingled in the village between the other people, and while they certainly knew she wasn't from the village, her presence wasn't really questioned. She was human, and an armed woman at that. It was more than likely they were persuaded she was a miko, especially because of her red and white clothes (since she had left her haori at the inn for Shippō to use as a blanket) and the bow hanging from her shoulder.
She was starting to become restless, however, with how long it took the others to find her. They should have done so by now, she wasn't that far from the inn and Shippō's nose should be strong enough to tell she was somewhere in the village and not in the forest to hunt, for example. So why weren't they here yet? 'I have a bad feeling about this,' she thought as she looked around warily, as if scanning for danger, though in reality only hoping to see her companions somewhere on the not-yet-overly-crowded street. But she came up empty handed.
Frowning, Kagome bit her lip, her mind wandering to the previous evening and the strange feeling she had gotten. She hadn't exactly smelled or heard anything off, nor did she catch any youki nearby, save for that one lizard that had woken her up from her dozing. But she had known something had been off and now, she couldn't help but worry and berate herself for leaving when she should have stayed with her companions, human or not. After all, while she was human and a woman, she could still fight in this form, so while it would be a hassle and a truly unpleasant experience, it wouldn't necessarily mean her death. So why had she decided to leave and hide the fact it was her human day, instead? Why had she left when, had she been hanyō, her instincts would have without a doubt told her to stay to protect the others?
Her shoulders slumped at that and she rested her forehead on her hand, as if warning off a headache. She knew why. She knew exactly why she had acted the way she had and, human as she was, taking that reason into account, she was certain she had done the right thing. 'I wanted to spare him the unpleasant eye opener,' she thought grimly, her thoughts wandering to the future born kannushi she trained in swordsmanship.
Of course, he already knew what it meant for her to be a half-demon. She had told him herself – she wasn't accepted by either race and was shunned by both. He knew that. But still, there was a difference between knowing something in theory and seeing with one's eyes just how true it was and how far that hatred could go. And if she could help it, she wanted Inuyasha to remain ignorant of the cruelty of certain people in this era. 'In some case, ignorance is truly bliss, after all.'
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone calling her name. Or at least, she thought someone had called her, but with her weakened, human hearing she couldn't be sure. Turning around, she scanned the faces surrounding her again, but failed to find anyone from her group. Was she starting to imagine things in her anxiety?
"Kagome!"
No, there was no doubt about it. Someone was calling her and closing in very fast if the suddenly much closer call was anything to go by. Turning on her heels, Kagome turned just in time for a small ball of orange fur to launch itself into her arms with enough force to almost throw her to the ground. It took her but a couple of seconds to identify said ball of fur.
"Shippō-chan?" she questioned, her voice thick with worry and surprise. The little kit clung to her, his tiny body trembling and his face hidden in her chest, hiding from something Kagome wished she could identify immediately, but could not. And she couldn't calm nor protect him if she didn't know what the cause of his distress was. Hugging him tightly, the hanyō-turned-human gently petted his head, trying to offer comfort. "Shippō-chan, what's wrong?" she asked gently when the kit's trembling subsided slightly and he lessened his hold on her clothes, slowly moving away from her chest to glance at her.
"It's the others! It's horrible, Kagome…" he cut himself off suddenly as he stared at her and Kagome bit back a sigh, already knowing what would happen next. "You're human," Shippō whispered, awe in his voice for reasons Kagome didn't care to try and understand.
"Happens once a month," she explained quickly. "Now tell me, what's wrong? What about the others?" she probed. Shippō hung his head.
"They won't wake up," the kit replied, seemingly a lot calmer all of a sudden. "I think they're alive, because there's no real reason for them not to be, but they're sleeping like the dead and they wouldn't wake up no matter what I tried. It… It's almost like they're actually dead," he whispered.
"They won't wake up?" the black haired girl questioned, turning her head in the direction of the inn. To someone who knew little of this time, it might have seemed like no big deal. But Kagome knew better, there was someone else who had their part in that unnatural sleep. The only question was who, or rather what, it was.
Biting her lip, Kagome put Shippō on her shoulder and readjusted her bow on the other, determined to find out what was going on. There was no doubt something was, after all. 'Is it a yōkai?' she wondered to herself, but quickly dismissed the thought. If it had been one, she would have smelled it yesterday and even had she missed it, Inuyasha or (more likely) Miroku would have felt its youki. Besides which, Miroku had put up sutra around the inn, so no yōkai should have been able to get close, much less inside. So it was most likely not a yōkai. But if it wasn't a demon, then what could be going on? 'A curse?' she wondered, her mind quickly skimming over the few times she remembered Kikyo dealing with cursed people. Curses could be done from a distance and in a way she would not be able to predict, and they could cause a variety of things, from simple poisoning, through a painful death by some seemingly incurable illness to a simple death-curse that killed you instantly, effortlessly and without leaving a slight trace that would allow even a hanyō to detect it. I would have been a valid, very likely and very suited possibility, since Kagome wouldn't have been able to do a thing to stop it, had it not been for the fact that both victims were strong spiritualists. Miroku she wouldn't need to worry about at all, unless the curse was really potent, and while Inuyasha was untrained, she was certain his reiki would have reacted to a curse and purged it. It would have been to be a really strong curse to overcome his level of spiritual power, dormant or not.
There was a strong chance it wasn't a curse, then, or at least Kagome sincerely hoped it wasn't. But that didn't leave many options as to what it could be. Kagome furrowed her brows as she observed the inn not far away from the village, something inside her telling her to stay away even while human, while another part of her told her to push onward. 'I don't like it,' the young hanyō-girl thought grimly. In the end, however, there was only one way to know what had occurred, and that was to go back to the inn and see what exactly was wrong with the others, so pushing aside her anxiety, Kagome marched towards the inn with confident strides.
And here it is. I hope you liked it, despite the kind-of cliffhanger (again) *smiles sheepishly. I'll see you in the next installment. Please drop me a line if you can spare a moment, ne ;)
IMPORTANT NOTE: As sad as I am to have to admit this, there's a strong chance that 'If the Roles Were Reversed' will be on a break next month. I'm sorry, but my exams are next month and I really need to study for them now, so I can't promise I'll manage to finish a chapter at the same time. I'll definitely be back in February, though, I'll promise you that. See you then… and wish me luck, Gods know I'll need it *sighs*