Author's note: Long time no write…sorry about the long wait I've been busy and when I haven't writer's block has prevented updates. I've been working on writing longer chapters so hopefully this was worth the wait, well not likely, but I can try. Here you go Lexaii Breaking the PAttern is next on my list to update.
Disclaimer: I might have been gone a long time but in that time I was not obtaining ownership of Inuyasha so he's still not mine.
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When Good Mikos Go Bad
Chapter 19 Hidden Alliances
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"Yo," Inuyasha greeted the residents of Keade's hut, "Got any leads?" he asked, voice oddly chipper.
His three traveling companions exchanged worried glances, but Keade gave a crinkled smile. "I assume ye visit with Kagome's family went well."
Inuyasha stopped mid-bite of the stew he had wasted no time in helping himself to. "It was…alright I guess." He grumbled, a slight blush creeping onto his cheeks.
In a gesture of grandmotherly kindness Keade let the subject drop, switching easily to her role as high priestess, she addressed his question. "As it so happens rumors have been surfacing around a powerful demon whom has recently gained strength and has begun attacking previously peaceful villages." Keade repeated what she had already told the others.
"Sounds like a sacred jewel shard to me." The half demon sighed and leaned back against the hut's wall, "So where is this demon supposed to be?" to a stranger he would have seemed completely uninterested, however the people surrounding him were not strangers and could tell by the lines wrinkling his forehead that Inuyasha was trying his hardest no to show the eagerness that these new lead sparked. In his mind Inuyasha was imagining rushing right into the problem as usual; running off in the direction Keade would indicate without hesitation, plan, or thought, the sooner to get to Kagome,-he winced- and sooner to get sat for his recklessness.
Out of the corner of his eye Shippou noticed the inu hanyou's left eye twitch. Guessing what his "father" was day-dreaming about Shippou –being a fox demon- couldn't resist the urge to take advantage of the older demon's distraction, It still needs work but it'll do the trick, Shippou thought as Keade explained the whispers of Jewels shards originated in the east.
While everyone was preoccupied Shippou preformed a stealthy transformation, sneaking up behind the unsuspecting hanyou in his new form Shippou sucked in a breath, "Inuyasha sit." Out of habit the hanyou face-planted as Sango and Miroku roared with mirth and Keade restrained from joining them.
Coming into contact with Shippou's transformed head, Inuyasha's first shot out, "You little pest," he growled.
Rising his voice slightly in imitation Shippou feigned hurt "but Inuyasha why would you hurt me, don't you love me anymore?"
Inuyasha blanched at the word, but remained relatively calm –on the outside anyway-, "Cut the crap you brat…" he didn't really know what else to say, "and your transformations need work, Kagome doesn't have a tail." He grumbled.
Shippou twisted around to inspect his transformed rear and pouted, he had forgotten the tail, again. "Inuyasha," Miroku cut in, unable to control himself, "would that not be mean that you have previously noticed the glorious marvel that is Kagome's-" Before Inuyasha could do anything more than growl hiraikotsu was brought down on the monk's head.
Ignoring Sango's expected rant on lechery to the monk Inuyasha took lead in Kagome's absence, "Knock it off you two!" When both fell silent he continued, "Get some sleep in the morning we head east." With that he left the hut in favor of sleeping in the familiar Sacred tree.
For some reason he felt closer to Kagome there, perhaps it was because they had first met their, or maybe because they always seemed to end up back there for important discussions, either way he didn't care, he only wanted to be near her again, hear her laugh, or yell, the soft comforting sound of her breathing, the feel of her hands holding his, steady and unafraid, he missed the occasional ear rubs, -not that he would ever admit it aloud-. Her scent, that indescribably alluring aroma only Kagome possessed, it was entirely faded from her backpack. HE thought guiltily of his detour at the Higure shrine, he had lain in Kagome's room for nearly an hour after dinner, just to be surrounded in that glorious fragrance.
It was strange that even in her absence Kagome bound them all together, it had been her presence that had once kept them in line and traveling together, and now it was their shared desire for the return of that presence which bound them as a group mow. How one girl could weasel her way into the heart of everyone she met was a mystery to Inuyasha.
Swinging himself up on a tree limb he let his thoughts wonder to the journey tomorrow would bring. If these rumors are even true, what's the chance that Kagome'll even be there? We aren't even sure she's lookin' for jewel shards. For all we know she could be hurt and hiding, and then we'd have no more a way to find Kagome than we do Naraku. Or what if he's already found her and captured her, or worse…
Stop sniveling you baka. He ordered himself mentally. At least this is something. Don't worry 'bout what you don't know. Kagome's strong… besides even if that bastard Naraku had found her, he's too scared she'll purify his ass to make a move. The thought of Naraku burning from Kagome's arrow cheered Inuyasha slightly, his smirk faded, but it won't stay that way for long. Kagome please be alright.
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"Ouch!" A certain raven-haired miko pouted as blood bloomed on her finger-pad. Tari and Shiri came rushing at the small cry, ready for full on combat. Kagome smiled at their protectiveness, "Chill guys I'm alright I just pricked my finger" out said appendage, "or were you planning on killing the bush?"
Tari shrugged relaxing her shoulders, not sure what 'chill' was supposed to mean but accepted it as one of those weird phrases she had grown used to Kagome throwing around. "I'll shoot the bush if you want me to Kagome-sama." Shiri offered innocently, bringing a smile from both elder miko.
"ya know what," Kagome crouched down to the child's level, "I think this time we'll let the bush go with a warning, but take it's fruit as payment."
"Good plan," the young girl agreed enthusiastically as she began stripping the bush of any fruit she spotted hanging from its branches, Kagome returned to the same task as well.
Tari was just about to go back to her task of fishing when she remembered something, "Oh, Kagome, Marianne said to tell you that she had business in the next town, she went ahead," raising her voice an octave higher Tari twined tendrils of smugness into her tone as she imitated, "'No reason my meeting should be delayed because you can't walk for more than an hour straight." She tossed her hair pompously over her shoulder earning a giggle from Shiri, "So you will just have to catch up with me.' Quite an attitude she has on her, you are the leader here not her."
A hand patting Tari's crossed arms Kagome smiled, "Don't worry about her, besides that gives us a chance to talk without being overheard."
Eyes sparkling with the promise of a secret Tari squealed, "Oh do tell is it about Lady-poll-up-my-butt?"
"Yes and no, I'll tell you later, now go catch some fish before our fire gets lonely." Kagome ordered in a falsely firm voice, Tari saluted and strolled off still pondering what Kagome didn't want Marianne to hear.
She hadn't gone far when she heard the sweet voice of a young red-headed miko ask, "Fires get lonely?" Laughs of the three echoed around the forest.
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A lone figure stood on an outcropping above the miko's temple, hunched over against the night air despite the many layers of cloth covering her skin completely. Any minute the man she had arranged to meet with would step through the trees and onto the outcropping, as soon as the sun disappeared below the horizon. Not a moment after the sun had set a white baboon glided out from the tree's coverage. "Naraku." The woman greeted smoothly in her gravelly voice.
"Deichi" the man returned just as slickly. "Has the girl done as instructed?"
"Of course, she would never disobeyed nor question my orders." The old woman replied flatly.
"A rare quality in a subordinate." He complimented, thinking of several of his own rebellious incarnations.
She ignored the comment, "Where are you planning to lead my priestesses on this 'hunt' exactly?"
"Somewhere which suits my needs."
"Which are what?"
Naraku chuckled darkly, "Do you not trust me priestess?"
"No." was the blunt, emotionless reply.
"Very well, I find your honest ways amusing. I need the Kagome girl to die." The longing in his voice was well masked.
"Why not simply dispose of the girl yourself?"
Trying his best to ignore the suggested weakness and not impale the woman Naraku said evenly, "Her powers prevent me from touching her, and my subordinates have proven useless in this matter, perhaps yours will not."
Lady Deichi was silent, contemplating the situation; she thought of her worsening condition and that of her fellow elders, they needed the jewel. If Naraku needed Kagome dead then so did they, by extension, her abilities be damned the jewel was more important. "Payment is still as we discussed?"
"Of course, a shard for you and each your sisters."
"Very well I accept your terms, Kagome shall die at your signal my Marianne shall it done."
Within the baboon pelt Naraku grinned wickedly, "Patience miko the time will come but first the witnesses must be gathered."
"So be it, as long as I get my reward."
"That you shall."
"And Naraku next time you wish to speak with me," she peeked up from beneath the shawl covering her, eyes green as forest moss with pupils slit horizontally like those of a reptile fixed on Naraku's form, "I suggest you come yourself." A sickly blue light, colder than ice shot out from her eyes destroying the demon puppet between heart beats and its splinters to drift to the ground, as the ancient woman hobbled back to the temple.
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"So what did you want to talk to us about Kagome, what could have been so important you do not to have Miss Pompous perfect Priestess to overhear?" Shiri giggled at Tari's reference to Marianne, but Kagome ignored the feeble humor; she had something much more serious to discuss on the topic of Lady Marianne. The three had convened in a hot spring after dinner to address Kagome's supposed secret.
"As I said earlier it's sort of not, I think it has to do with the elders too; they can't be trusted." Kagome blurted without preamble.
Shiri merely stared wide-eyed while Tari stammered flabbergasted, "K-Ka-Kagome I know Marianne c-can be a-a bit…bitchy, but she is a priestess, a-and the e-elders have been keeping the temple safe for years, Deichi-sama practically raised half the sisters, Marianne included."
"Why?" the feeble question drew both Tari's and Kagome's attention to the young red-haired Shiri. "Why can't they be trusted?" She repeated, directing the question toward Kagome.
"It's kind of a long story." Responded the raven-haired miko.
"Please." How anyone could deny those eyes anything no one could guess.
Kagome sighed and gave easily, and began, "I've been suspicious for a while, ever since I got my memories back actually. At the time I didn't tell anyone but when I went on that regression a while back I did remember something: a voice calling out to me, and a name: Inuyasha. You now how you caught me talking to myself a lot, well there was this voice in my head, it sounded the same, the thing is that voice went away just before my memories returned none of which have anything to do with an Inuyasha." Abruptly Kagome stopped to catch her breath; Tari took advantage of the momentary silence.
"So what has that got to do with Marianne? Or the elders?"
"I think that my memories were faked, or at least some of them, and those false memories blocked the voice from leading me back to the real ones. And I heard Marianne talking to someone when I went to use the bushes a few days later, in the middle of the night. It sounded like she was giving some kind of report or something. Which reminded me; just before I regained my memories she could've taken out that youkai, but didn't, I dismissed it at the time but she would be the perfect position to implant my memory."
"-but Kagome Marianne is powerful, but even she does not have power enough to falsify someone's entire history."
"No but the elders do, didn't you tell me once that Deichi-sama has the ability to communicate with other priestesses across a long distance, what if she's given Marianne orders that way?"
Before Tari could respond (though she had no response) Shiri broke her silent streak "I think you're right Kagome-sama, I never did like them; their auras were too dark. Besides back at the temple I heard the elder mikos speaking with Lady Marianne about you, they said if you left it could be bad for them because you're so strong." Kagome smiled with the sudden urge to embrace the little girl, it was nice to have someone believe her speculations, no matter how outlandish they seemed.
"Kagome it is not that I do not believe you, it is just that I wish it were not true, though I cannot help but agree it is likely, they do not like threats to their authority, and you qualify as one." The smiles the three girls exchanged were rueful, but understanding.
For the next hour as they soaked in the hot spring and wrinkled they discussed motives, plots, and plans several times thinking how to get rid of the fake memories implanted in Kagome, after much deliberation they came to only one sure decision, "We don't have enough information, all we can do is keep our eyes open and stick together." Shiri nodded eagerly at her sensei's declaration. "Agreed?" Asked the miko.
"Agreed." Echoed the other two, and so friends became allies, bound by the promise of the priestess.
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AN/: The plot's starting to pick up, I figure about 2 or 3 more chapters until the big reunion.