A/N: Inuyasha and all characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi, this story is the brainchild of Kajatk8, and belongs to her. No profits are being made from this, it is just a fun way to pass the time and expand my writing capabilities.
Thank you Ariel-Mystic-Siren for Beta-Reading!
Chapter 7. Green Scales and Fangs with Pink Beads
Kagome came awake suddenly and painfully. Her heart felt as if it were pounding a salsa beat right out of her chest, and her body ached. There was an unfamiliar but very strong vapor under her nose – what she could only assume was a type of smelling salt. It annoyed her. She blindly smacked the hand away that held the smell there. The small movement seemed to drain her of all her energy. She heard voices but couldn't comprehend them.
Kagome had felt like this on several occasions. When she'd been cursed by Tsubaki, when Urasue had ripped out her soul and when Magatsuhi had sealed her powers. She felt completely and utterly powerless – as if someone had taken whatever filled her up with life and emptied her out. She was hollow, a ghost of the real Kagome. Yet, she also felt extremely heavy. Each movement seemed to cause such effort that she broke out in a cold sweat.
She tried to roll back over and drift back into unconsciousness. She remembered the dream painfully, and she could see her father's dead face – smiling at her. But even that was solitude from the pain she found in the waking world.
Everything ached and her very soul seemed to throb in pain. Her eyelids fluttered and she moaned.
The strong smell came up under her nose again and this time she was angry. "Get away!" She said angrily and swatted at the hand with all her might. Of course, to the outsider, she just grunted and it looked as if she were lazily swatting at flies.
"Kagome… Kagome you must get up." A male voice spoke to her in a sad and sweet tone.
That voice sounded familiar but she couldn't place it. She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids were dead weight. She couldn't lift them.
"Urrmmm?" Kagome tried to speak.
"I told you this wouldn't work. Baka. She's been sleeping for a week. Some herbs ain't gonna do anything!" The loud rough tones of Inuyasha broke through her muddled thoughts.
If that was Inuyasha, and he didn't sound pleased, who was he talking to? What was she doing here? Killing her father? No. She hadn't killed her father. It had been an accident. Right? Or was it her fault?
She groaned. Her head was pounding with useless thoughts, but the pain seemed to simply start out of nowhere. No, not out of nowhere, the pounding started with her thoughts. That was the problem. She should stop thinking this very minute. She smacked her forehead with her hand and rubbed the aching spot above her right temple.
"Kagome!? Kagome, get up!" A desperate girl's voice broke through her headache.
Kagome decided that she didn't like these voices at all. She wanted them to all stop. Stop… stop. She knew how to stop someone. Who was that again? …Ahh yes, she knew how to stop Inuyasha.
"…Osuwari…" Kagome groaned out while rubbing her splitting skull.
"Ahhh!" Inuyasha yelled as he succumbed to the rosary around his neck. The loud 'thwacking' noise just caused Kagome to yell at what the painfully loud noise had done to her splitting headache.
"I think she's coming to. She only sits him when she's awake after all…" Another girl's voice said.
"Ka-go-meeee…!" Inuyasha's voice ground out and he sounded really mad at her.
Kagome was furious. She was sleeping. What were all these people doing around her while she was sleeping? Why did her head hurt so much?
She licked her dry lips and discovered the worst morning breath she'd ever experienced upon waking. She tried to get her tongue moving, but it too was heavy and unwilling to listen to her.
Her thoughts drifted hazily from one topic to the next and she remembered the one time she'd had a sleepover at her family shrine. Her mother and grandfather had been invited to a special event at another shrine and took Souta with them. She'd been seventeen and was of course 'a responsible teenager.' So, naturally she invited Yuka, Eri and Ayumi over. They had brought romantic comedies, enough nail polish to paint an army in a rainbow of color and several board games. Kagome had planned to have a fun girl's night. But instead, her friends had found her grandfather's sake stores.
Kagome had been against the idea at first, but she had always wanted to know what drowning your sorrows felt like. At that time she was in her final year of high school, and hadn't seen her feudal family in two years. None of the girls knew what to expect, but they'd mixed the awful tasting stuff with lots of soda and juice. Before they knew it they were making crank calls to Hojo and a few other boys that had caught Yuka and Eri's attentions while Ayumi laughed and stumbled around. They were all completely and utterly drunk.
Kagome wondered what her feudal family would have said if they could have seen her then. She'd only happened to have alcohol one other time, and that had been on the mountain of mist trying to get Miroku's old master the best sake around. She still flushed when she'd thought what Sango had been about to do. Of course she'd been warned about alcohol, and she'd heard that inhibitions could become somewhat un-inhibited, but she'd never really known the truth. Not until she saw Sango throw herself at Inuyasha.
Kagome had started laughing when she remembered what she'd done to Inuyasha as Sango had been about to kiss him. She found she couldn't stop. When she had tried to explain why she was laughing so hard, the girls couldn't follow her drunken story and they'd soon passed out while she'd been trying to explain.
However, all of them had awoken the next day with splitting headaches and had made a pact – swearing off alcohol of any kind. Worst of all, they'd made quite a mess of the shrine and had been forced to speed clean it before Kagome's family had come home. She'd particularly remembered that she never wanted to see another bottle of alcohol again, for fear she'd just automatically throw up from the smell.
For the third time Kagome smelt a strong herb under her nose. This made her finally open her eyes. Her heart jumped to her throat, and she felt as if she could run a mile. However, she knew she was in no condition to do so and groaned at the bright light and what it did to her head.
Peering down at her were six faces. Most surprising of the faces perhaps was Kirara's who was sitting on Kagome's chest. Her kitten-like-face was so close to her, she could barely make out her features. She'd thought at first glance that a very large and imposing demon was about to eat her. That was of course, until she felt Kirara's paws kneading her chest and purring as if Kagome would lactate at any moment.
"Mew!" Kirara said right in her face.
Kagome scowled.
She blinked several times and looked around fully coming to. The second most surprising face was that of Jinenji's. Not only did he fill up most of her field of vision but he also had a worried look on his face. She'd never seen him exhibit any emotions but a kind and winning smile. Once he'd expressed exasperation at her antics while attempting to set him up with the village girls, yet, now he appeared extremely stressed.
Kagome didn't know what to make of this, so she said the first thing that popped into her head.
"Good Morning, Jinenji-san," Kagome said stupidly.
All the tension exited the room at Kagome's inane statement.
Jinenji smiled and replied kindly, "Good Morning, Kagome-san."
"Well now that we're done with the introductions!" Inuyasha said outraged still lying on the ground.
Kagome tried to rise but Jinenji stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
"You shouldn't move yet Kagome. I forced you awake with a very potent herb from a reiki-induced sleep."
"How long?" Kagome asked.
"A week." Inuyasha replied.
Kagome nodded, but the movement hurt so much she abruptly stopped. She still felt so sluggish and all her muscles screamed out from being immobile for so long. She also had the feeling that something was wrong but she couldn't think what it was.
She glanced over at the foot of her futon. The memories of her last conscious day rose to the surface. Her father stared at her. No, he was not her father, he was a shikigami imitation. He just stood there, standing guard. No emotion rode his face. No light was on so to speak. Absolutely no one was home. He just stared impassively.
She gasped when she saw him.
"Keh, who is he Kagome?" Inuyasha groused.
Kagome barely spared a glance at Inuyasha before looking back at her creation.
"He is my father, as much as I can remember of him." Kagome said seriously.
Inuyasha appeared slightly mollified by her answer but still appeared to put up a fight.
"Why does he look so strange? … Er…? Foreign?" Inuyasha said angrily.
"Because he's an Irish-American," Kagome said smiling at her father.
She blinked back up at Inuyasha until he was in focus and saw a complete look of bewilderment on her face. Right – time could be so tricky. America hadn't even been discovered yet. Or had it? …Had it? Columbus, and 1490…2? When did he sail the ocean blue again? Ugh, sometimes time-traveling sucked.
"He is a foreigner." Kagome said clarifying.
Inuyasha's ears flattened and then glanced over at the shikigami who had been protecting Kagome while she slept. His face softened though, as he looked at her work. It became clear to Kagome that Inuyasha had thought him a type of competition.
Kagome smiled at the idea that Inuyasha thought her very own father was in competition for her affections. Really. Sometimes it seemed like he didn't have a brain in his body.
"You did very well," Botan said.
"Yes, Kagome, very well." Momiji said.
"If only I could believe that," Kagome grumbled.
"Kagome-san, the reason we woke you from your slumber is that Edo is under attack," Jinenji said quietly. "Kaede told me to come and bring you back."
Kagome glanced at Jinenji and she saw the dark shadows that passed over his normally kind face.
"What has happened Jinenji-san?" Kagome managed to get out a smile. She still felt so very weak. She tried to think about standing, let alone fighting – about summoning reiki and purifying foes. She didn't think she could do it, even if her life depended on it.
"I'm not sure, but the entire village is under an enchanted sleep. Kaede and Miroku held out as long as they could, but they succumbed as well when they gave me Kirara to get you." Jinenji said.
"What about Sango?" Kagome asked.
"I never saw her." Jinenji replied.
It was obvious to Kagome even in her hazy state that he was angered that he had left the village while it was under attack, and Kagome feared for Edo. Anything to anger Jinenji, a person whom she'd never seen upset before, must have been a mighty foe. She thought of all the villagers that she'd helped, and all of Sango's children, not to mention Rin.
Inuyasha must have been on the same wavelength for he said, "Keh. Sesshomaru is there, he won't let anything happen to the village." Inuyasha dismissed Jinenji's dire look with a flick of his hand in the air.
"He did not look capable of vanquishing whoever did this. He and Kaede both agreed that you were needed." Jinenji said, unperturbed by Inuyasha's abrupt roughness.
"Then I must go." Kagome said and she tried to sit up, but failed and ended up floundering in a mass of blankets.
"Careful Kagome-san." Jinenji said kindly while he helped her to sit up.
He looked at her and appeared very sad. She felt as if he was looking into her soul and he regretted what he found. She didn't like the look he gave her. Like she was weak and couldn't take care of herself. She hadn't survived years in the feudal era for nothing. She was determined to show Jinenji that she was made out of stronger stuff.
Jinenji explained to the best of his ability all that had happened on his way to see what had kept Kirara. While he did Botan and Momiji were scheming in the corner in hushed tones.
"Oi! What are you two doing?" Inuyasha flared up.
"We were discussing Kagome." Momiji said.
Kagome looked over to her sister priestesses surprised. She forced the wave of nausea that had come over her from moving so quickly back down. She realized that making a humanoid shikigami and then passing out – apparently for a week – was bad form. But, darn it all, she had done it hadn't she? And she was alive, despite being in pretty bad shape. Sadly, Kagome felt like a failure. She felt as if she had wasted her time at the Harmony Shrine, when in fact she could be back home right now, protecting her own village.
"What about her?" Inuyasha replied.
"We were discussing what she would take with her when she left," Botan spoke up, looking very serious.
At that both sisters turned heel and left.
"What was that about?" Jinenji asked.
Kagome just shrugged. She didn't want to discuss how she had failed at being an apprentice. Especially not when the fruits of her labor stood at the foot of the bed and stared at her.
It hurt to look at her father. She looked him up and down, and he was an exact replica of her father she had seen in her dream. Kagome beckoned him over. He came to her and sat down on her left. Kagome scrutinized his form; he even had on the watch. The watch she'd just seen her younger self playing with. It was the very same watch that he'd been wearing when the grey car smashed into him, ending his life.
Kagome looked down at her own wrist and felt an unfamiliar weight. There was a replica of the watch her shikigami wore. Except hers wasn't a replica, Kagome's was the original.
After her father's body had been recovered, all his personal effects were given to the Higurashi family. Kagome's mother couldn't bear to look at his wedding band without getting a faraway look in her eyes. So, her mother had requested that he be buried with it. Yet, his watch had survived the crash. In fact, it appeared to have been the only thing that had survived completely unscathed. Her mother joked that it must have been magic. This, of course, had been long before Kagome fell down the well and believed in such things.
Kagome never understood it. Of all the things to survive the crash, a small breakable watch should not have been amongst the survivors. Yet, there it sat on her wrist.
She'd never told Inuyasha about the significance of the watch. He didn't really understand the importance of time, or what it meant in her world. Nor did he comprehend how watches were traditionally handed down from father to son, yet, she'd inherited it, instead of Souta. Her mother wouldn't have had it any other way.
Yet, Inuyasha had inferred that it had meant something important to her, and something to do with her family. She never spoke of her father, and he'd never asked.
She'd come to the feudal era with it, and it had been the only way she kept track of the days as she had adventured in search of the Shikon no Tama. It was powered by the movement of her own arm, and in theory would never need a battery change. The perfect item for the savvy time-traveler; especially, in a place about four hundred years before the invention of a battery.
However, she had never thought the watch would survive her own adventures; yet, it had. How many times had she been covered in demon guts? Blood? Acid? Miasma? Poison? Dunked in water? Kidnapped? After thinking of more than twelve separate instances, Kagome actually lost count. She still had the watch, and it kept great time. She was able to tell exactly what day it was back home at the Shrine. She'd felt she had a piece of home wherever she went, no matter how far she seemed to travel.
Yet, when she'd come back to the Sengoku Jidai, she'd not wanted to take it out that often. Once she'd decided to stay on the feudal side of the well, the watch had been her last connection to her father. In fact, it was her only connection to her own family now. She'd been cautious not to damage it. She would charge it, look at it, and then put it in a safe place in her house.
She looked at Inuyasha and raised her hand in question.
"You asked for it in your sleep," Inuyasha said.
Kagome looked at him for a moment, then back at the watch. She hadn't even realized she'd packed it for the trip to the Harmony Shrine. She wondered what he had heard about her dreams besides her request for the watch. She had just re-lived the worst day of her young life. Had she screamed? Cried? Did he hear her blame herself for her father's death?
She hoped she had only asked for the watch. Kagome hung her head in shame. She should be more open with him, and let him in. Yet, Kagome had never told anyone about that fateful day. While Inuyasha might have been able to relate, never having grown up with his own father, she never explained. It was a private matter belonging only to her and her mother.
Botan and Momiji took that moment to burst through the door, effectively crashing Kagome's inner pity party. She jumped and then winced as the pain of moving hurt her weakened body. The sisters appeared highly pleased with themselves. They also appeared to be hiding something behind their backs.
"What's with you two?" Inuyasha said gruffly.
"We were discussing Kagome's progress. We wanted to congratulate her, upon the completion of her training." Botan said.
"And in accordance with our traditions, we wanted to present you with this." Momiji said.
Kagome looked at the sisters. They each stepped to the side and from behind their backs they pulled out a very ornately decorated green set of o-youroi. She just stared. She didn't know what to say.
The armor was beautiful. It was just as she had seen in museums and her history books. The breastplate was black lined with green, the spaulders were a dark black and were covered in spikes, the faulds, greaves, vambraces and gauntlets were made from green scales. It lacked a traditional helmet, but instead, came with a face mask, a replica of Sango's adorned with a pink ribbon.
At first glance the armor would appear to have been made from wood; however, it shimmered in the candle light like a green oil slick. It looked very heavy. Kagome looked at it slightly apprehensive. She thought if she wore it, she would never be able to stand. An image of her as a great brilliant and shimmering green fish flopping around on the ground filled her head which colored her cheeks a bright shade of pink.
"But I passed out." Kagome said. It seemed the only thing to say.
Botan waved her hand in front of her face. "Kagome, you are strong. Stronger than even our master was. You have mastered the bo, all your katas, you are the most competent archer we've met. You could teach us in the ways of Shikigami. You have proven yourself."
"Welcome sister." Momiji said.
Both sisters bowed to her and presented her with the armor.
Kagome didn't know what to say. On top of it all, she'd forgotten to breath, and felt lightheaded. As she gasped in some air in a huff, she thought all of her hard work had truly paid off. In modern terms she had essentially graduated. She was a priestess of the Harmony Shrine, and as such, she was bequeathed her very own set of armor. And…?
"A sword?" Kagome said as Botan and Momiji showed her how all of the inner straps worked and how to put the armor on.
The katana was very similar to Sango's and Kagome wondered if she'd had a hand in making it. It looked just like one of the swords from the slayer village, except her tsuka was patterned in pink and green. The sheath was also covered in the same green scales that the armor was.
Inuyasha and Jinenji kept Kagome propped up as she watched Botan and Momiji's practiced movements of putting the armor on. She was pushed into a full sitting position and all the blood seemed to drain from her head, Kagome felt like she was going to puke. No she was going to puke and pass out or break out into a cold sweat. Perhaps she would do all three if she was really lucky.
"Yes. We had hoped to further your training, but that seems impossible now. The kata movements we taught you are for the sword." Botan said.
"Just keep practicing, Inuyasha has promised to assist you." Momiji said glancing over at Inuyasha with a mischievous look in her eye.
At this Kagome looked at Inuyasha. "You knew?" She said outraged.
"Of course he knew," Momiji said. "Did you really think we were always out competing against each other? He was helping me make it for you. He said you liked green."
Kagome looked at her sisters and then at Inuyasha. She smiled as brightly as she could.
"It's beautiful!" Kagome said, taking off her green tunic and shrugging the armor on over her white hakama and haori. She mimicked Botan's and Momiji's movements, trying the best she could while still propped up in her futon. She thought she would look brilliant, a gallant warrior priestess. As long as she didn't have to stand on her own two feet, that is, she'd be fine.
Inuyasha blushed and turned away so she wouldn't see, but Kagome saw his face before he turned around. "Now you won't get hurt so easily. If you insist on fighting, at least now you'll be protected." He scoffed.
Kagome looked at the armor with admiration, what she had thought was wood turned out to actually be bone. It was also light, she'd thought she'd be weighed down and feel like an umpire. Instead she imagined herself as a fleet-footed as Robin Hood. She touched it and felt the lingering aura of youki.
"Did Sango help?" Kagome asked.
"Nothing gets by you Kagome," Botan said. "She and Miroku exorcised the spirits from the bones and scales."
"Jinenji helped make the facemask. It should prevent most poisons and toxins." Momiji said.
Kagome looked up at Jinenji – a flush of color had risen to his face.
"Ano… I just wanted to help…" Jinenji said blushing a fine shade of pink and looking intently at the ceiling.
Kagome smiled at him.
Momiji and Botan helped Kagome tie the breastplate. The spaulders were then tied to her chest piece. Kagome thought about removing the watch, but found it fit alright underneath her gloves, so she kept it on under her armor. She eased into the vambraces, greaves and gauntlets on her own. They felt like she was preparing to go out into the snow, as the armor gave her the impression that she was wearing thick gloves and boots.
Kagome was amazed at how light and comfortable it was. She could hardly tell she was in armor. The inside of it had been lined with soft supple leather. She didn't ask where they had gotten it. She didn't want to think of all the soft cuddly animals that had died so she would be comfortable in her armor.
The sisters tied a bright pink obi that matched her swords tsuka and threaded her sword through it, on her left side. Next, they presented her with an ornately made quiver.
The quiver was perhaps even more glorious than the set of armor. The outside of the quiver was adorned with the same scales, but, every so often gold scales were mixed in to break up the monotony of green. She recognized the gold scales for what they were, dragon. They radiated pink, gold and white in the dim candle light. The green scales shone too, but, shimmered from a bright blue to a deep green, and then to a dark purple. It was gorgeous. The outside of the quiver was rimmed with a white fur, and the inside where the arrows sat was soft suede. The arrows themselves were tipped with black arrowheads and nocked with green feathers. These too held the lingering aura of youki. She counted the arrows; there were fourteen in total.
"Totosai made it. He said it could rival Tetsusaiga, but I doubt it…" Inuyasha said loftily.
"How so?" Kagome asked.
"He wouldn't say, but he said you'd be impressed." Inuyasha replied.
Momiji stepped forward and presented her final gift. It was a rosary, very similar to the one that Inuyasha wore, but it was light pink with only three fangs evenly spaced out in the middle. The middle fang was smaller and the two on the outer edges were much larger, all of which appeared to be canines.
"This is so you won't pass out again Kagome. It's meant as a focus, to help in making shikigami. You can store power in it as well." Momiji said.
"Why didn't you give me this before I tried to make a man-made shikigami?" Kagome grumbled. If they'd given it to her beforehand, perhaps she wouldn't be feeling so awful now.
"It was a test, you have to be able to hold your reiki and spirit together on your own. Your body needs to know how, before it can channel the power to focus." Momiji explained as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
"Shippo, Kirara and Inuyasha each donated a fang to it. It should be a really powerful focus," Botan said.
"Last time I let you talk me into doing you a favor," Inuyasha said roughly glaring at Botan. Clearly he hadn't liked being a "donor."
Kagome did not know how long this gift must have taken to make. She could feel the love and care that had been poured into it, and how many of her friends had assisted in making her armor and quiver. She held it tightly to herself. Her heart swelled, and it felt very difficult to breathe as tears came to her eyes. She'd never felt so loved.
"Baka, don't cry! Save your strength." Inuyasha said gruffly. But she could tell he was pleased with her reaction.
Kagome stood up shakily as she clung to Jinenji for support. Her vision swam for a moment, but as she held on, the room eventually leveled out. Even in her weakened state, Kagome felt like a beautiful warrior. She thought of Midoriko, and hoped wherever the priestess had found her rest, she was smiling upon Kagome.
It dawned on Kagome that she was in fact a warrior now too. In this era she was a battle maiden. Her home had just been invaded and she had been tasked to defend it. She glanced down at her watch and gathered what strength she had, finally turning to her friends. Her eyes hardened and she looked across the room at her father. He just stared at her, awaiting a command.
"Come on, we have a village to protect." Kagome said.
A/N: This chapter took soooo long to write. It just kept coming. I had wanted it to be one segment, connected with the previous chapter, but it became far too awkward and long. So instead I've made it two chapters.
I was so pleased, I've had over 200 people visit this story this month alone! If you really like it please review. And to those of you who have, thank you!
Also, in case any of you are huge Pokémon fans like me, how cool is it that Gamestop will be giving away one legendary Pokémon each month for this year in honor of the 20 anniversary? I can finally get Mew! Huzzah! I'm so excited! =D
Edit: 08.19.2016 - Fixed grammatical and spelling errors, small edits.