The Ribbon That Binds Us (Demon's Hair)
After the spectacle of lights from earlier in the evening, the pair, InuYasha and Kagome found themselves amongst some trees. Looking over in places where the jewel might have fallen.
"Are you sure it fell around here?" came the annoyed tone from the red clad male.
"Yeah... I mean, wel... Kinda" The raven haired girl said in response, her behaviour was clearly that of a nervous little girl trying to hide something from her parents.
InuYasha regarded her with an annoyed stare, proceeding then to look again while listening to her should she choose to say more.
"... Though, I'm still kind of worried about that light"
A rustle in the trees soon caught their attention and she looked up in time to see the head of the crow she'd previously taken down. InuYasha was quick to react, he moved in front of her and sliced through the crow's head with ease. The moment he'd done that, a small glittering shard fell on the forest ground. Brown eyes stared at it immediately while molten gold ones stared at her approaching the object.
"I hope that's not what I think it is..."
"Then, what do you think it is" he asked in response.
Slowly the schoolgirl knelt down to pick up the shard, as it gave off a faint glow of pink.
"I think it's a shard from the... The Jewel"
Immediately after hearing those words, the silver maned male's eyes grew wide and his features looked upset but mostly annoyed and angry.
"Wh... What did you say!?" his shout echoed throughout the area, causing a group of birds to fly from their nests.
The next morning, after a long restless night due to InuYasha's constant grumbling. Kagome and the others had made their way to the lake closeby. Much to Kagome's dismay, there appeared to be no bath in this... Place. This Era. And her only option was to get as clean as possible, in the lake.
"I don't believe this! How can they not know what a bath is" she shouted out as she stood there, arms covering her chest while she shivered.
Moments or so later, she dropped herself deeper in the water, part of her was cursing her luck. Kaede on the other hand, could not help but stare at the younger girl. She called out to the raven haired girl, while she sat next to a fire.
"come out of the water, Kagome... You'll catch sick if you don't"
"I can't! I'm covered with blood and dirt. And I feel like my hair hasn't been watched in a week!" Kagome yelled back in her frustration.
Kaede merely looked on and finally sighed, she'd sent Kenshin off some time ago to fetch some fish or other. While as for the red clad halfling, he now laid back on a tree branch overlooking the lake and part of the pathway back to the village. His sights however were on the girl in the water, his face made it clear he wasn't interested but he was curious, one could guess. Kagome had in all that time sunken in the water and swam around for a little while.
/ The Jewel of Four Souls... / her thoughts wandered, as the memories of the day she was brought here resurfaced.
Several schools of fish quickly swam away from her, thinking they were in danger with having a human nearby. Her memories of falling into the well, mistress centipede and the injury she caused her, as well as the crow demon from before were all freely overflowing her thoughts.
/ I thought I was a normal girl, that is until I ended up here... Everybody wants the Jewel that was somehow in my body, it's like they can't help themselves. It belonged to someone named Kikyou. But I wonder... How'd it pass from her to me? And now, I have to work with a half-demon named InuYasha, to collect the pieces. Which of course, he wants for himself. Unfortunately... This isn't a dream! /
Her thoughts reverted to the night before, where she sat next to Kaede by the crackling fire yet she found herself staring a the shard she'd picked up before returning to the village. Kaede kept her eye on the shard herself but turned her attention InuYasha happened to finally start his complaints. Kenshin on the other hand set by the door, holding onto his sheathed blade, watching the three.
"What did you do to it!?"
"Stop barking, InuYasha"
"Leave it to her wind up breaking it!" he continued.
Kenshin couldn't help but send the other male a glare, but before he could retort Kaede took the initiative.
"Technically it was not Kagome who broke the Jewel, but the crow's foot she attached to the arrow that actually caused it."
The red haired swordsman's gaze fell onto Kaede, allowing her to do the talking at this point in time. Kagome had turned her attention to the young priestess, as did InuYasha despite his want to bark even now.
"As ye saw, the Jewel has now been scattered into many different pieces. One hundred or perhaps one thousand, who knows. Yet however many shards there may be, only one in the wrong hands will bring disaster"
A long silence passed through the group, the only source of sound being the crackle of the fire. Kenshin's eyes fell onto Kagome who appeared to be about to speak.
"I'm so sorry, I had no idea"
/ It's all my fault... /
Kaede regarded the two, Kagome and Inuyasha.
"Kagome, InuYasha. Only by working together will the two of ye be able to recover the shards of the Jewel"
"huh?" she asked in confusion.
"Hmph! You won't catch me complain', I'm one of the wrong hands you were talkin' about"
"Oh, aye... That I know too well, which is why I've decided that Kenshin will also accompany you two"
"What!? That stupid red head!?" he retorted.
"I am not fond of you either, beast but unlike you I will respect Kaede's choice that I will..." Kenshin responded yet his eyes fell on Kaede.
In the time that the males were done speaking, Kaede had shut her eyes almost as if she was expecting this reaction. That was probably due to her knowing InuYasha far more than he, himself did.
/ But... I wanna go home! / Kagome thought.
Returning to the swimming school girl, Kagome continued to move through the water. Her thoughts now in a bit of a jumble.
/ How am I supposed to do that anyway? InuYasha, help? Ha! /
She surfaced some time after, stepping over to shore where Kaede was... But something was off. She felt... Watched. Kagome opened her eyes and glanced up where InuYasha had been before, only to find him staring. He blinked a few times as he was seated on the cliff top, Kagome on the other hand stood there partially out of the water with an annoyed stare aimed right for him. There was a single moment where they merely remained where they were before a series of the following actions took place. First Kagome's screamed, catching the attention of the priestess by the fire. Second she buried herself into the water again while glaring daggers at InuYasha. And Finally, third she shouted out the command and he found himself crashing into some rocks thanks to the necklace around his neck.
"Be alright, InuYasha?" Kaede said, looking over her shoulder at him.
"Aw man, I forgot about this stupid necklace of yours" his response was, as he lifted his head and grasped the thing.
"Serves you right, you peeping tom!" Kagome shouted embarrasingly from behind a bush where she was dressing into a garb given to her by the young priestess.
"Ha! Shows what you know, the reason I really came here was to..."
"Ye really came here to steal this shard, correct?" Kaede looked over her shoulder, holding up the shard between two delicate fingers.
"You think you're pretty smart, don't you?" he responded, pushing himself up in a sitting position and turning his back to her, arms crossed over his chest.
"I see. You think to do it alone, do ye? Ye forget InuYasha, only young girl can find those shards, while only ye have strength enough to take them back once found"
InuYasha let out a bit of a growl, it was not an angry one, but an annoyed one.
"In case you haven't noticed I'm still here, ain''t I? I can put put with anything for the Jewel" he turned his head to look over to Kaede but was met with the sight of Kagome in the priestess garb.
Either of his eyes grew wide in surprise and for just a moment, he could have sworn inwardly that he'd seen Kikyou for just a moment.
"You really do hate me, don't you?"
His expression changed from surprise but quickly enough to annoyance and angry due to his inching away and low growl. While Kagome stood by the fire, holding her school uniform so as to have it dry a little quicker, Kenshin made his way back with some fish over his back. His first expression was confusion, because he too noticed Kagome's change in clothes. The second was, how similar she looked to Kikyou with just some key differences, espacially in those clothes. Kaede looked over her shoulder to InuYasha, noting his form inching away.
"And what ails ye now, InuYasha?"
Kenshin gazed over to InuYasha, as little as he liked the other male... He could somewhat understand one thing. Kagome looked like Kikyou so much, it was almost scary. The red head approached the two females, Kagome glancing over to him and he could not help but smile.
"Good morning Kagome-sama, you look lovely today"
Kagome blinked a few times before a light tint of a blush surfaced on her cheeks, that left doogy boy to growl a little more at that. Kaede glanced up from her sitting position on the rocks, observing the two.
Meanwhile there was a lady in her nest, she had been laying in wait for so long... And finally it was her time to shine.
"Oh my, Oh me... Twelve years later and the sacred Jewel finally resurfaces" the girl said with a stretch, as her silouette was seen.
Among her surroundings were countless skulls from various humans and others, perhaps. The girl gingerly picked up a certain skull which had a long ponytail tuff on the back. With a red comb she brushed the hair with great care.
"I'd almost given up hope" she spoke out, almost as if speaking to the skulls around her which was followed by a laugh.
Returning to the lake, the small group sat together minus dog boy. Kenshin had taken the time to throughly cook the fish that he'd caught and now they were enjoying their meal. InuYasha has perched himself back on the tree overlooking the lake, even going as far as to ignore his hunger due to the hate he held for the redhead. Kenshin didn't mind that too much, which he enjoyed his time with the two ladies.
"This is so good, Kenshin-kun" Kagome said with a look of surprise.
"Please, Kagome-sama... Don't call me that, Kenshin is just fine"
"Alright, I'll call you Kenshin if you call me Kagome" she responded with a smile, leaning in close with her finger pointed at his face.
Kenshin could only nod in agreement with a smile, and Kaede smiled at the two while all three of them ate. InuYasha on the other hand lay on his perch even now, glancing down quite annoyed at the group. His ears however, picked up on the sound of steps approaching. The smell of a human woman from the village.
"Lady Kaede" said the woman in a simple red and tan kimono, carrying her young at her back.
Kaede had in that time halted her chewing to look over at her in question, as did Kagome and Kenshin.
"It's my daughter"
She stood immediately after placing down her meal and approached the woman, swallowing the piece of fish which she had been chewing before. With some disccusion between her and the villager woman, Kaede finally nodded and looked over her shoulder to the pair.
"Kenshin, I'll go with her. Please stay here and watch over Kagome... And InuYasha" she said his name last, after a brief pause, even in knowing their mutual hatred.
The redhead only stared at her blankly before heaving out a a sigh with a nod at her smile. Kagome blinked a few times, looking betwen the two as Kaede headed off with the woman. InuYasha leapt down from his perch after she was out of sight, and Kenshin looked over to him with a blank stare but did nor said nothing more. InuYasha slowly crouched by the fire, his eyes never leaving Kagome, which had her confused after some time of his staring.
"Hey... Get undressed"
The following actions took place almost immediately after that was said. Kenshin's eyes grew wide then, Kagome grew somewhat flustered but even so... She picked up a rock the size of a soccer ball yet not as rounded to hit him over the head, before Kenshin could even react in having him fall back on his request.
"Oow!... That hurt! Why did you..." he said, reaching up to the top of his head, shaking in pain.
"You're such a pig" she said sternly.
"I didn't say get naked stupid! I just can't stand seeing you in those clothes!" InuYasha shouted out, pointing to the makeshift laundry line made with sticks holding her schoolgirl outfit.
"Why? Because I look like Kikyou?"
Kenshin watched the two argue, but he too had noticed how look-a-like Kagome looked to Kikyou. Unlike dog boy, he'd decided not to say anything about it, but it still hurt knowing that he'd failed in keeping her from danger. Her, being Kikyou... InuYasha was about to retort but he held his tongue and turned his head to the left with an annoyed look on his face.
"It's got nothing to do with it"
/ Puh-lease. My little brother is more mature /
"Look I don't wanna do this either, okay? But we've gotta work together"
Kenshin regarded her then turned his sights on dog boy who remained seated there, acting like a child.
"I ain't gotta do nothing, it's you who needs me"
"Oh I get it, so you don't care If I just go back home" she responded.
The redhead blinked and watched as Kagome walked passed InuYasha, whose ears moved at her steps over the rocks. What did she mean go back home? Was there a way for her to return home? If so, did that also mean that he could...
"Hey where you goin'?"
"What do you care, I'm going home. Goodbye InuYasha" she said, picking her clothes from the makeshift laungry line.
Kenshin's eyes grew wide and jumped up to go after her, ignoring the glare he could feel from the silver maned male. He followed after her that is until he heard the idiot behind him speak out directly to her again.
"Hey you! You can't just leave!"
"My name isn't you, it's Kagome"
"Wait stupid!"
"It's not stupid either"
"Will just wait and hear me out?" he retorted, frustrated.
"Why so you can try and stop me?" she said, turning on her heel to face him.
Kenshin turned on his heel as well, only to see his form approaching either of them. Immediately getting there, he held up his hand, palm up.
"No, so you could give me your Jewel shard"
"Oh, this?" she said while lifting a small red ornament with a yellow string before Kenshin could retort for her.
There was a brief uncomforatable silence between the three, and Kagome almost immediately scowled while furrowing her brow. She rose her eyes from the object up to InuYasha, Kenshin was the first to notice how angry she looked and for once since he met her, nervousness surfaced within him. And with two loudly spoken words...
"Sit boy!"
InuYasha found himself face to face with a new friend, some stones. Kenshin glanced at him, he only watched then looked up to Kagome who was now walking away. Quickly he followed after her even as angry as she was now.
"Why you...!" he said as he pushed himself up, at least partially.
"It's Kagome"
/ Why that stupid, ignorant little... He never once used my name, not once / Kagome thought while she was stepping away with Kenshin tailing behind her.
Meanwhile, back the village. There were a few of them feeding their livestock and others, such as mothers watched their children. Kaede on the other hand, was lead to the troubled woman's home.
"This way Lady Kaede" she said, while either stepped through the entry way.
"Collapsed without warning, did she?"
"Aye, though she seemed just fine this morning"
A young girl lay there on her mat like bed, dressed in a pink yukata containing some red fans. Her skin was pale with some face freckles, and long locks of black lay in a bundle with a white ribbon. Kaede took several steps into the house holding a pot in earthly colors but immediately halted in her steps, almost as if her awareness had sensed something in the room yet she could not pin point where or what it was.
"Stay back" she told the mid-aged woman, lifting her right arm.
Both women gasped in seeing the youngin being lifted by an unseen force, and soon she turned to face the pair. Kaede grew surprised the most, even more so when she noticed the hair attached to the young girl's wrist. Suddenly the cleaver that was left nearby shook and flew into the girl's hand. Either of the two were shocked when the girl launched herself at Kaede and all went black after that.
Returning to the schoolgirl dressed in a priestess garb, with a red head following behind her. Kagome stepped closer to the well upon seeing it, merely stopping some feet from the wooden structure. Kenshin too, stopped steps behind her.
/ That's the well I came out of... /
"Miss Kagome? Is something wrong?"
For a short moment or so, surprise filled her features and her eyes became as small as saucers. Immediately she turned to face him with a nervous smile.
"No. At least... I don't think so" she said turning her head to look over her shoulder at the well.
Kenshin moved his blue colored eyes over to the well. What could this well do? It looked like an ordinary wooden structure. Ancient but ordinary... Kagome turned her heel and approached the well, to which she gasped quite loudly at seeing what was at the bottom. At hearing that, he rushed to her size to have a bit of a peek too.
"Miss Kagome, maybe we should return to Kaede..."
Kagome just stood there, looking down below at the bones that was slowly being absorbed by the sand down there. Those bones looked so much like the one from Mistress Centipede, the one who tore the Jewel from her body. Kenshin turned his attention onto her, she looked so frightened now. Not that he blamed her. He watched as she slowly dropped her schoolgirl clothes, dropping to her knees in the process. The red head watched as she seated herself on the grass and followed her line of sight to the skies. It was a beatiful day.
Kagome's gasp suddenly caught his attention, when she noticed a leaf being cut in half by an invisible force. He saw it too, but could not see what had caused it though something told him to be on guard. Kagome stood to her feet again, she looked more nervous than she was minutes ago while he observed their surroundings with careful eyes. Once again, she gasped and that caught his attention. A cut on her right cheek had been made by... Something.
"That looks like... Hair" she said looking above once more.
/ Hair? / he thought as he once again followed her line of sight.
"Oh my, oh me... You can see it then. My net of hairs I mean. Pity. Because seeing's not enough"
As either looked above, there stood a woman on a few strands of hair, though unlike Kagome, he could not see them. To him, that woman seemed to be standing on nothing but air. The woman had what appeared to be a dress of some kind that left very little to the imagination. She were similar colored gloves on her hands. She had somewhat of a bob cut in a deep sea green color, her skin pale and she wore some type of paint on her eye lids and red colored lips. There also appeared to be a short katana at her hip. The demon female regarded the pair with magenta eyes as she moved her fingers here and there.
"Who are you?" Kagome asked sternly.
Kenshin slowly reached for his blade at his hip and stepped before Kagome, sensing danger from the other female. He'd never forgive himself if something were to happen to her.
~~.~~ Sorry to cut this short here, I had planned on adding more to the story, but I do believe it's long enough. I'm not going to lie, I've been working on this particular chapter for about 3 days now while I watched anime. I'm not feeling as enthused as I was when I started this story. But, I will try to keep it up for you guys. The next one, well... I'm sure you know where It's going if you're an InuYasha fan, and have watched all the seasons and such.
That being said, for those of you who keep up with my little notes as well as my profile updates. I'm sure some of you have at least seen the pictures I've put up. It is the cover for a story I plan to write sometime soon, so please give me your votes in the reviews. I'd like to know if you guys and gals would like to read something like that. ~~.~~
