Chapter 2: Answers
Kagome clenched the fabric of Inuyasha's haori, desperately, whilst tightening her arms around his neck as the cold rush of rough air assaulted her. Any second they were about to plunge into a lake of ice cold water and it was in the middle of fall in feudal japan! Kagome cringed, 'Great! Just great! Would it have killed Inuyasha to give me a little more heads up than, 'I hope you can swim'?! I mean, really! What a jerk!', Kagome thought harshly as she watched the blue beneath them grow ever closer.
"Hold on!" She heard Inuyasha yell as they got closer to the water and she squeezed her eyes closed, preparing for impact. Suddenly, Kagome became aware of the grip Inuyasha had on her thighs, it tightened and she jumped slightly at the sensation, because she had completely forgot he was holding her. The hammering of her heart and the possible impending death had her bit too preoccupied to consider her womanly virtue. But the whooshing of the air was dimming and the sounds of sloshing water were becoming deafening and she tensed her shoulders and impulsively leaned closer to Inuyasha, pressing her face into his hair and against the back of his neck. Immediately she heard a low rumble from Inuyasha's chest and her eyes snapped open in surprise and suddenly he was laughing and whooping loudly while yelling gleefully.
When Kagome hit the water it wasn't the shock of the ice cold impact or the sudden sensation of being completely immersed in water that surprised her. It was that Inuyasha's hand never moved from her legs, and that shocked her. It was such a small thing, but his determination to not let her go and drown, to not simply save himself, this did surprise her. Sure, Inuyasha wasn't a bad guy, clearly, but she had just met him and yet he wasn't willing to just let her die. From all the things she'd ever read about the warring states era of Japan, honor and loyalty had not been characteristics she would've used to describe the men of this time. Sure there had been the samurais' and the select few like Nobunaga but, 'this guy is a demon!', Kagome thought as Inuyasha propelled them out of the water and onto land.
Kagome's stunned state continued until Inuyasha let her slide, rather ungracefully, off his back and unto her butt. Inuyasha turned around with a satisfied smirk and she suddenly remembered her anger, "HEY YOU!" She yelled as she stood up, pointing a finger at him which he visibly jumped back from in surprise, "What the hell was that!? What if I couldn't swim? What if you had dropped me?!"
"Keh!" He was folded his sopping arms and frowned slightly, "I didn't so calm down, girl." He said flippantly. Inuyasha's nonchalant behavior seemed to visibly enrage Kagome, as she stood glaring daggers at the side of his face, her fist clenched tightly by her sides.
"How many times do I have to tell you? My name is Kagome! KA-GO-ME! Got it, buddy?!" She snapped back waspishly as she began to ring out her sopping hair. Inuyasha huffed agitatedly after he shook himself of water, which Kagome found to be amusingly 'dog-like'.
"Come on," he stated as she turned and from her and began walking through the shallow water towards the lake's break into a small river. "If we don't keep moving they will catch up to us, so hurry up…" Inuyasha kept looking forward, stubbornly refusing to look back. Although, he could not stop his ears anxiously twitching back and forth as he attempted to ascertain Kagome's compliance. After walking a few more feet Inuyasha sighed, stopped, and looked up into the beautiful blue sky. He could smell the anger in her scent and already from his short time with her; Inuyasha could tell she was very strong willed young woman. After another moment of silent irritation, Inuyasha clenched his teeth and furrowed his thick brows; an instinctively boyish pout began to form on his lips as his ears flattened.
xxx.
Kagome stood defiantly with her arms crossed behind Inuyasha, she had a name and if he refused to call her by it, then she refused to listen to him. Although, rationally Kagome considered her behavior to be rather stupid, she couldn't help it, he seemed to inspire these moments of dramatic interlude within her.
"Kagome," She blinked in surprise, she had prepared to relent, she could see Inuyasha's hands flex and clench as she silently waited from him to continue. "…Kagome, we need to go." And with that he continued walking in the shallow waters and into the forest ahead. Without another word she followed quietly behind him, a small smile playing on her lips.
xxx.
Inuyasha and Kagome continued walking along the river's edge for hours in stagnant silence. Kagome had yet to say anything after Inuyasha's begrudging consent to use her name and Inuyasha had yet to figure out how to deal with the strange human. By late afternoon, the sun had already moved lower in the sky, riding just above the tree line as they continued their aimless trek.
Kagome stretched her arms and quickened her pace up to walk next to her taciturn companion. His arms were folding into his red sleeves and a single amber eye looked at her momentarily before stubbornly glancing at the path ahead of him again.
'okay, fine, guess I'll have to start the talking…' she thought.
"So, why were those guys after you?" Kagome said, breaking the day long silence and any semblance of composure Inuyasha had, he turned quickly to look at her, an annoyed expression marring his boyish charm.
"Keh," he blurted roughly as looked away again, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck reflexively. "Do you think I know? And why do you think they were after me, huh? Maybe they were after you!" he said accusingly. Kagome bit her lip and broke eye contact, the disgust that swirled at the pit of her stomach urged her to take her mind away from that disturbing possibility. Flipping her black hair over her shoulder she gave Inuyasha a calculating stare, "Don't avoid the question, Inuyasha! You didn't seem to surprised when they caught up," She suddenly stopped for the first time in hours, the river's current lapping lazily at her ankles, "In fact," she continued as Inuyasha stopped and turned to look back at her, "It felt like you've done this before!" Kagome practically yelled.
Kagome stared determinedly at her companion, she was eternally grateful for his help, but the fact of the matter was she barely knew Inuyasha. She was a girl from a different time and place thrust into an unknown world full of dangers she never thought could be real. And faced with the very real reality she may never find her way back home. Kagome had only been gone for a handful of hours and yet it felt it had been years since she'd seen her mom, grandpa, or little brother. It all felt so far away, so intangible and impossible as the world she was currently in. She began to impulsively fidget with the hem of her green skirt as she impatiently awaited Inuyasha's response.
"Feh, you don't know what you're talking about."
"Fine."
"Fine?"
"Yes," Kagome snapped as she brushed passed him, stomping rather petulantly on, "Yes, fine. I'm not talking to you anymore, Inuyasha." She stated rather 'matter-of-factly' as she walked farther ahead.
"What? What!?" he practically yelled in confusion, "Kagome!" he made two expertly measured leaps and was in front of her once again. "Are you serious?!" he asked bewilderment at the small wisp of a woman in front of him, how could one girl have so much fire?
"Yes, not until you tell me what's going on."
And with that she pushed past the young dog demon again, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge his existence until she got some real answers. He may not be able to tell her how she ended up here, in this land, or how it was that an old well had the power to do so. But he could tell her why a bunch of guys she'd never met were suddenly so hell bent on catching them they traveled half across Nippon after them.
xxx.
Inuyasha poked at the fire between him and Kagome, watching anxiously across the flames as she slowly ate one of the fish he'd caught for their dinner. It had been since late afternoon and they were once again fighting, Inuyasha had met and known many people in his long life, and yet none had managed to enrage and intrigue him as much as this young human woman. Sitting back her leaned against a proffered log and impromptu seat, still anxiously eyeing Kagome, wondering how to fix this mercurial friendship of theirs. Although he knew the solution was right in front of him, to tell her the truth, but the truth and trust went hand in hand. And Inuyasha had a very hard time trusting anyone, his whole life he'd relied on no one but himself, and the few times he'd opened himself up to trust another had been returned in kind with heart wrench betrayal. Staring at the young woman again, who looked wistfully at the sky above them, he made a decision. It was impulsive, but it was only a matter of time before she found out, clearing his throat awkwardly he stood and stepped around the fire.
Kagome turned her gaze from the heavens to Inuyasha, a look of uncertainty on her face, the young dog demon hesitated but then roughly sat on the ground cross legged. Shoving his hands into the sleeves of his haori he finally spoke, "Look Kagome, I dunno if you're from around here," he paused and looked down at her, if she had the inclination to answer the pointed statement she gave no indication so he continued, "But there's a war going on." He paused again when he heard her small gasp of surprise, swallowing and mentally preparing himself for the eventual trust he would have to impart to her, he continued, "The demons who've been chasing us are soldiers and they're after me-"he was interrupted by a very smug, 'ah-HA!' and in turn he gave Kagome a dark glare, "look, they're after me cause this war is about territory. And my father is the Lord of these lands and as his son, I am bound to serve. But.." he paused, conflicting emotions rising to halt his tongue. While he attempted to clear his mind and assemble an acceptable sentence, Kagome spoke up, "but you don't want to fight, right?"
His eyes widened in surprise and his mouth hung open dumbly for a moment, then he broke the connection between his sunrise and her ocean eyes, "uhh..y-yeah…" he mumbled vaguely.
Kagome just smiled and looked into the flames flickering weakly in front of them and then back towards the luminous moon overhead. But her smile faded slowly, as her mind turned toward darker thoughts, Will I ever see my home again? Will I ever hug my mother again? Sota? Grandpa? Oh Kami, give me strength..
xxx.
The rows and rows of tents seemed to stretch for miles, like bright stars against a sky of endless black, recruits milled around loudly in this sea of tents. Their Captain stood in silent repose, high on a hill, above them he watched in calculating contemplation; soon they would be heading to war. The Captain had a remarkably unreadable expression, although his cold amber eyes were laced with contempt, these men had never fought a day in their lives. And even more displeasing were the numbers of human men within his ranks. This was due to his General and lord father, thinking of his father brought a twisted dip of irritation to pull at the corners of his lips. Lord Inu-no-Tashio's respect for humans was known far and wide throughout the land of Nippon.
Revolting…Weak…these are the characteristics that describe you, father. Your pathetic acknowledgement of these…creatures has sated your honor and reputation with filth, centuries of displayed power and respect. How you managed to destroy your honor…for the sake of humans…such loathsome, useless creatures…I will never understand.
The Captain looked up towards the luminous moon overhead and felt the natural pull at his soul, the ever tantalizing wanderlust, to return to the patrols of his lands.
"Sesshomaru!"
Pulled from his revere he turned back to the tent behind him, letting his eyes flick back to the moon once more, he then turned slowly and returned to maps, plans, and talk of an impending war.
xxx.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: okay, so this was incredibly long and I'm so sorry if it was boring, but I was trying to continue with the setup of this story. Many of you made comments about how this is Mulan-esque, but as with many 'original ideas' this one will also veer off greatly from the original plan. So, that being said, please bear with me on this one. I am also in the middle of two six week summer courses and I'm drowning under the stress.
Please remember to REVIEW! It gives me strength and inspiration to write more!
Xoxo,
AC