When Worlds Collide

Chapter 6: Preparations for Departure

Kaede finished bandaging up the man's head and stepped back. Aragorn tied the final knot around the man's chest and looked up at the bandaging around the head.

"You are a very skilled healer Kaede," he commented. "Have you had training?"

Kaede blushed. "Only what my sister taught me over 50 years ago."

"Fifty years?" asked Legolas. "Isn't that the same time…"

Kaede nodded. "Yes, my sister was Kikyo. She was also a miko. In fact, she was in charge of protecting the shikon no tama. When she died her body was burned along with the jewel. It reappeared in the future in Kagome's body."

Aragorn appeared thoughtful. "Would that make Kagome Kikyo's reincarnation?"

Kagome sighed. She so hated being known as the great Kikyo's reincarnate. "Yes, I am Kikyo's reincarnation. I also have miko powers."

"What are those?" asked Gimli.

"Well, I can sense the jewel shards as you've already seen. I am also able to purify evil auras." With the blank looks she received from the three newcomers she explained further. "I am an archer. I am able to charge an arrow with the aura of good and kill an evil creature by purifying it. I am also able to purify the jewel shards. When the jewel shard was taken out of the troll's body it was tainted with evil. I was able to erase all of the evil from the jewel because I am a miko."

"Ahh, I understand," said Gimli wisely.

Aragorn smirked. "You have no idea what she's talking about, do you?" he whispered into his friend's ear.

Gimli continued smiling wisely. "Not a clue," he murmured out of the side of his mouth.

Miroku knelt by the injured man who had his eyes closed. "Sir, are you well enough to talk now?"

Opening his eyes the man slowly nodded and cleared his throat. "First, I thank all of you for your kindness and help. My name is Shinji. My village isn't far from here, not even a half-day's journey and you could probably make it there faster since you aren't injured. But early this morning, before the sun had even risen, a large group of demons attacked my village. They had crude looking weapons and appeared to kill at random. They killed men, women, and children will equal pleasure. It was disgusting."

The man clenched his fists in anger at the memories that ran through his head. The cries and screams of women and children as they were cut down and burned by the demon's torches. His men who were fighting being surrounded and stabbed and torn apart until they could barely stand. Even men who had fallen and not died received no mercy; a demon would simply come and stab his chest with sadistic pleasure.

Sango tentatively brushed the man's shoulder. "Shinji?" she asked softly, "Are you all right? Do you want to continue this later?" Sango could see the grief running through the man's eyes, she could imagine her eyes had looked the same whenever she thought back on her family, friends, and village being destroyed.

Shinji violently shook his head. "No! I only escaped so I could find you guys as you're our only hope. It was odd though, when the sun began to rise the demons left as quickly as they had come. It was a blessing but we fear that they'll be back tonight or early tomorrow morning." Shinji looked up, his eyes pleading. "Please, save my village. I fear if no one helps everyone will be destroyed in the next attack."

Something the man had said caused warning bells in Aragorn's head to go off. Something Shinji had said had to have set them off. But for the life of him Aragorn couldn't think of what it was. He sighed in frustration and Legolas looked at him, confusion etched in his eyes.

"Estel? Is everything all right?" he asked.

Aragorn shrugged his shoulders. "It's nothing Legolas."

Sending the two friends a slightly puzzled look, Sango continue the conversation. "Shinji, you mentioned a shikon shard."

Inuyasha jumped in anticipation at that comment. Before he had been sitting bored in the corner, not liking the thought of saving another human village with no benefit to him. "What?" he practically shouted. "A shikon shard? Why didn't you speak of this sooner?"

Kagome sent Inuyasha a fiery look which immediately calmed the hanyou down. "Inuyasha, he was injured and sometimes there are more important things than shikon shards, whether you'd like to believe it or not."

"Hmph, perhaps to you," shot back Inuyasha while crossing his arms and resuming his position on the ground.

Shinji, seeing the little outburst was over, explained. "Well, we aren't sure, but we believe one of the demons has a shikon shard."

"Why do you think this?" asked Miroku.

"Probably just an excuse to get us to come," sulked Inuyasha from his corner.

Ignoring the disgruntled hanyou Shinji continued. "The village's healer sensed a small area of extraordinary power coming from the forest. The demon never came forth but we can't think of anything else that could generate that much power."

"How 'bout me," grumbled Inuyasha.

Both Legolas and Gimli snorted in amusement which earned a hate filled glare from Inuyasha. Everyone else ignored them.

"Will you go?" asked Shinju not disguising the hope in his voice.

Sango and Miroku nodded. "We will always help a village in need," said Miroku.

"You're just hoping for some cute girls," whispered Sango.

Miroku grinned pervertedly. "That would just be a benefit," he responded just as softly. It wouldn't do to have Shinji think low of him just because he happened to like…love…the female form.

"My village as well as myself thank you for your kindness," said Shinji in gratitude.

"We would like to accompany you," said Aragorn, directing the question to Kagome. "This appears to be a good time to get practice fighting the enemies of your time."

"Of course you're coming," replied Kagome. "From here on out wherever we go you'll come with us. Well that is of course only if you want to. We won't force you to do anything."

"Speak for yourself," griped Inuyasha.

Kagome smacked Inuyasha on the back of his head.

Miroku rolled his eyes at the hanyou and turned back to Shinji. "So how do we get to your village?"

While Miroku and Shinji talked Sango and Kagome began packing the supplies they would need for the trip.

"Uh oh," said Kagome.

"What's wrong Kag?" asked Sango worriedly.

"We ate all the ramen earlier."

"WHAT?" exploded Inuyasha. "You mean these damn outsiders ate all my ramen?"

"SIT!" screamed Kagome in anger. "Why are you being so mean to them Inuyasha? All they want to do is help us and yet you've been nothing but rude to them. I don't understand you. You weren't this rude to Shippo, Sango, or even Miroku when they joined us. So why be that way to Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli?"

"What's the 'even Miroku' supposed to mean?" whispered Miroku to Sango.

"I would think that would have been highly obvious," she replied.

Before Inuyasha could lash out at Kagome Aragorn quickly grabbed the girl's elbow and pulled her into a corner. Legolas and Gimli huddled around them.

"Listen Kagome," said Aragorn, "We understand why Inuyasha is acting the way he is."

"Well I sure don't," grumbled Kagome.

"He's been shunned for practically his whole life. At least you guys were from his world. We aren't. He's unsure of us and how we'll respond and treat him. So he's treating us badly, probably hoping to run us off," explained Aragorn.

Kagome chewed her bottom lip and appeared thoughtful.

"I'm sure that given enough time he'll come to realize we mean no harm. But it will probably take something drastic for that to happen," continued Aragorn.

"And knowing you you'll be the one the 'drastic' thing happens to," smirked Legolas.

Aragorn mock glared at his friend. "Oh don't you worry, I'll be sure to drag you along for the ride."

Legolas waved him off. "The reason I would be 'dragged' along would be because I would be trying to save you from a painful death."

"Oh I feel so loved," replied Aragorn sarcastically.

Kagome sighed in exasperation at the antics of Legolas and Aragorn. "How did you manage to travel with them for long without going insane?" she asked Gimli.

Gimli let out a hearty laugh. "You eventually learn to drown them out. But I must say, they've been a lot worse since we joined you. Guess you guys bring out the worse in them."

Both Aragorn and Legolas stopped their friendly banter and rounded on the dwarf. "Did you hear Gimli say that the worse had been brought out in us?" asked Legolas to his friend.

"I believe he did," answered Aragorn, his eyes shining mischievously.

"Do you think the worse had been brought out?" asked Legolas.

"Oh no, of course not. There is a lot worse in me. How about you?"

"Yes, there is also worse in me. But unfortunately the key to unleashing it is missing," lamented Legolas.

Aragorn sighed. "Yes, it is a shame. But the key, or rather, keys, are gone."

"What are they talking about?" asked Kagome to Gimli.

Legolas smiled broadly. "Why Aragorn's twin brothers of course! Ah yes, the devilish Elladan and Elrohir. They are a lot worse than Aragorn and myself. You have yet to see anything until you meet those two."

"Shall I tell them what you think of them Legolas?" asked Aragorn slyly.

Legolas spun to Aragorn. "NO! You wouldn't dare! You remember the last time they got back at me!"

Aragorn broke out in laughter at that memory. "How could I possibly forget?"

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but if I don't the suspense will kill me," said Kagome. "So, what did they do?"

"Well, they found out how fondly Legolas thought of them. So they made a dye out of berries. And while Legolas was sleeping they put streaks of purple in his hair. It took my father over a week to get them out!" snickered Aragorn.

"Oh yes, haha, very funny," said Legolas dryly. "But no elf in Rivendell could walk by me without laughing! And you made sure to make some comment about it every chance you got."

"Well you know, it's not everyday you get to see an elf with purple hair," replied Aragorn, breaking out in laughter yet again.

"Right," said Kagome while raising an eyebrow. "Well, I'm going to go finish getting ready. You three can…well…do what you want. Just don't do anything stupid."

"You may be asking too much," joked Gimli.

"I know," laughed Kagome. "So how about you keep them in line?" Before Gimli could protest Kagome hurried off.

"Oh, so now the dwarf is going to keep us in line," commented Legolas airily.

"What? You think I couldn't do it?" retorted Gimli.

Aragorn chuckled but spoke up quickly. "All right, we slacked off enough. Let's see if there is anything we can do to help."

Legolas and Gimli nodded in agreement. Gimli walked over to Sango and Miroku while Aragorn and Legolas joined Kagome.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" asked Aragorn.

Kagome looked up from her backpack. "Oh, well actually we've decided to leave tomorrow morning as it's starting to get late. And right now I'm running home to grab some more ramen. I'll be coming back tonight because I don't yet trust Inuyasha to not try and kill you."

"Ahh, I see," said Aragorn. "So there is nothing for us to do?"

"Well, actually Kaede was hoping to talk to you about your medicinal training. So you could got talk to her now if you'd like."

"I shall do that," said Aragorn before turning to locate the elderly woman. He spotted her a moment later and went to join her. Soon the two were chatting quietly.

"Anything you'd like me to do?" asked Legolas.

"Um, actually, you're an archer, right?"

"That is correct."

Kagome's face lit up. "Then I think I have found something for you to do. I'll be right back." Kagome walked to a corner of the hut and returned a second later carrying her bow and arrows.

Legolas quickly scanned over them. "Did you make these yourself?"

"Of course not! I could never make anything like that," laughed Kagome.

"Then you won't mind me saying the craftsmanship is horrible," stated Legolas bluntly.

Kagome's face fell. "Really? I didn't think it was that bad…"

"How accurate of a shooter are you?"

"Um, I guess I'm ok. Nothing special. I do miss my target quite a bit. I'll hit the demon but miss where I was aiming at."

"It's because your bow is crooked."

"What? No it isn't. It looks straight to me."

"It appears straight but it isn't. There's a slight bend to the right. And the bowstring is weak. The feathers on the arrows are off on their placement and angle. Very uneven."

"Really?" said Kagome incredulously. "It all looks good to me."

"Well you seem rather new to archery, correct?"

"Yeah, I've only been shooting for a little over a year now."

"That's why. You don't have the ability to see the error in your equipment. And your bow and arrows were also made my humans. Another error."

"Elves," mumbled Gimli while walking past Legolas and Kagome with an armful of bedding.

"That look suits you Gimli," shot back Legolas, "The servant."

Gimli grumbled something incoherently and stalked off.

Legolas turned his attention back to Kagome. "Back to what I was saying. If your bow and arrows were of better quality you would probably see an improvement in your accuracy."

"Really? That would be nice."

"If you'd like I could work on them for you. I won't be able to make yours as good as mine but they would at least be better than what a human would make."

Kagome couldn't hold in her squeal of excitement. "Really Legolas? You would do that?"

Legolas shrugged his shoulders. "Of course. Besides, I enjoy working with bow and arrows so it wouldn't be a chore."

"That would be awesome! You're the best!" gushed Kagome. "Do whatever you need to them. And now I should be getting home before all the stores close."

"All right. Well, I shall work on them tonight. I'll have them done before we leave tomorrow."

"Thanks Legolas!" said Kagome before jumping up. Before leaving the hut she walked over to Inuyasha who was still sulking in a corner.

"Have a nice talk with elf boy over there?" sneered Inuyasha. "He certainly made you happy."

"Inuyasha, stop it. You should be happy; he's going to fix up my bow and arrows so my accuracy improves. Since you're always complaining about my lousy aim I'd thought you'd like that."

"Whatever," he growled.

Kagome sighed and knelt down by Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, please at least try and be civil to them, will you? You don't need to be their friends but at least be civil. That's all I ask. They truly do just want to help. And I want to help them. I couldn't just abandon them. They have no clue where they are. They need us Inuyasha. And you saw them fight. They won't get in our way. Please Inuyasha, try, at least for me?" begged Kagome.

Inuyasha crossed his arms. "Why flatter yourself so much? You'd think I'd be nice to them just because you ask? I don't like them. End of story."

Kagome held back her tears and stiffly stood back up. "I'm going home to buy some more ramen. I'll be back tonight," she said softly, her hair falling over to shield her eyes. Before the tears could fall she fled the hut.

Both Aragorn and Legolas jumped up to go after the hurting girl.

"It's all right," sighed Sango. "She's just going back to her time."

"Is it safe for her to go out alone?" asked Aragorn, his eyes still glued to the door. He hadn't known Kagome for long but he already wanted to protect the young girl from harm. She had shown him and his friends kindness from the very beginning. She didn't deserve to be hurt.

Legolas and Gimli felt the same way. Both of them stalked over to Inuyasha. "Just what did you say to make her run off like that?" demanded Gimli gruffly. He was never one to be afraid of a confrontation. That was one of the things he and Legolas had in common.

"It's none of your damn business," growled Inuyasha while climbing to his feet. "Just stay the hell out of my life. I don't want any of you outsiders in it. The only reason you are still around is because of Kagome."

Miroku, sensing an incoming fight, rushed forward. He stepped between the fuming hanyou and the equally fuming elf and dwarf. "Listen all three of you. The worse thing to do is start a fight. Do any of you really want to do that to Kagome? She's trying her best to keep the peace between everyone. Do you really want a fight to break out the moment she leaves?"

Aragorn placed a hand on Legolas's and Gimli's shoulders. "He's right. Come on, let's get back to what we were doing."

Legolas, still glaring at Inuyasha, nodded and walked back to the bow and arrows he was working on. Gimli also turned and left Inuyasha.

Miroku smiled his thanks to Aragorn which Aragorn returned. Inuyasha growled at the both of them and flew out of the hut.

"Where is he going?" asked Aragorn.

"He's going to the well to await Kagome's return," answered Miroku. "You may not think he cares for her but he really does. He just refuses to show he cares most of the time."

"I knew he cared," replied Aragorn. "I picked up many signs that he cares for her."

"Yeah, like him not trying to kill us?" piped up Legolas.

Both Aragorn and Miroku laughed at that one. "Yeah, that's one of them," said Miroku.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Kagome walked slowly back to the well. Her backpack was overflowing with ramen. She hoped it would be enough to pacify Inuyasha. When she entered the well house she took a deep breath.

"Well, here goes," she said to herself before jumping in.

When she reached the ground she looked up to the stars twinkling far overhead. And a pair of dog ears. And two golden eyes.

"Inuyasha!" exclaimed Kagome. "What are you doing here?"

Inuyasha jumped in, grabbed Kagome, and jumped back out. Setting the girl down he said, "Protecting my ramen, what else?"

Kagome laughed and reached up to tweak his ear. "Of course."

Inuyasha batted her hand away while growling. "Not the ears!" he protested.

Kagome giggled softly then turned serious. "So is everyone still alive?"

"Unfortunately."

Kagome sighed. "Inuyasha, please don't make this harder than it has to be."

"I won't kill them if that's what you want."

"Well, it's a start," said Kagome.

They walked in silence the rest of the way. When they reached the hut Inuyasha stopped.

"Aren't you coming in?"

"Nah, I'm going to sleep in the god tree tonight. It's going to be too cramped in there for me."

"Oh, ok. Well guess I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Yeah."

Kagome smiled softly at Inuyasha and then walked in the hut. Inuyasha stared silently at the door she had just disappeared through. The thought of her sleeping in the hut with three guys he didn't like or trust almost caused him to charge through the door after her. But he knew he would only be rewarded with a million sits. So instead he opted for running off and jumping into his tree. He spent most of the night attempting to come up with a compromise that Kagome would go along with. But the only thing he kept coming back to was she let him kill the annoying elf and then he would get along with the man and dwarf. But somehow he knew she wouldn't agree with that one at all.

"I hate elves," muttered Inuyasha to the night sky before drifting off to sleep.

Last revised: December 6, 2006