Chapter 8 - Kind, But Sad
"Innuuu Yaaassshhaaa!" she cried as her foot slipped. 'I'm falling,' the thought barely registering in her mind.
She cast a desperate look around; it was as if she'd been transported back to when Kikyo was resurrected. This was the same cliff that the dead miko had fallen from back then. A flash of light brought her attention to a shrinking figure watching her calmly from atop the cliff; Kikyo. As she watched, Inu Yasha walked up behind her and placing his arm protectively around the deceased miko's waist, followed her gaze.
"Inu Yasha! Help me!" Kagome screamed.
The hanyou's eyes hardened and he turned away.
The wind was blown out of Kagome's lungs as her body plunged into the ice cold water at the bottom of the cliff. Struggling against the strong current, she pulled herself up and struggled to stay afloat. Lungs burning, she looked around franticly for land. Seeing a large rock Kagome swam against the current toward it. Her eyes were tearing and her vision was blurring. She gasped as a particularly strong current pushed her under the surface and tossed her around. Being unable to fight it anymore, she let it carry her along as it pleased. Suddenly, smooth stones brushed her bare arms. She was pushed further toward what she hoped was shore and eventually her body came to a stop.
Coughing, she dispelled all the water from her lungs. Rolling further onto the bed of stones, she greedily gulped the air and slowly opened her eyes. After a moment, her vision cleared and she found herself staring up at angry, grey clouds.
She could feel the waves gently tugging her body, calm now, coaxing her to come further in.
The way that Inu Yasha had glared at her was etched into her memory. Unexpectedly, tears flooded her eyes; she couldn't find the strength to pull herself up out of the water.
Like a mirage, Inu Yasha materialized before her, looming above her, "You will never take Kikyo's place."
Squeezing her eyes shut Kagome willed it all away.
And then she was running through a thick forest, from what she didn't know.
"Kagome… Kagome…" chilling voices whispered behind her.
A shiver crawled up her spine and Kagome willed herself to risk a glance back.
Her eyes widened to find the light of snakelike soul collectors seeping through the inky darkness. They were definitely following her, "Kagome…"
Whipping around, Kagome stared ahead of her, dodging trees. Her brow creased, she knew this forest. Inu Yasha's Forest!
If she recalled, Goshinboku was nearby. Swerving sharply to her left, she sprinted the last little bit toward the God Tree. Bursting into the familiar clearing, she froze when she saw a red-clad hanyou pinned to the tree. Just as she'd first found him Inu Yasha had an arrow jutting out of his chest. His eyes were closed peacefully.
Forgetting about the soul-collectors, Kagome cautiously approached the hanyou. Tears began welling in her eyes as she climbed the gnarled roots of the tree. Kagome hugged the unconscious boy, sobbing into his lifeless shoulder.
She heard a breath in her ear and stepped back, amazed to see the boy's eyes open. He gazed at her with wonder, "Kikyo?"
Kagome's lip trembled; she looked around her and saw the soul-collectors circling patiently. What were they waiting for?
"Kikyo, what's wrong? And who is that?"
Kagome stiffened and followed his gaze. Her jaw dropped open when she saw herself sprawled in the grass before the tree. Looking down at herself she was horrified to find herself dressed in traditional white and red miko's attire.
Stepping toward her body, Kagome knelt and eyed it uneasily. What was going on? Her fingers hovered uncertainly before she decided to check for a pulse. Gulping she placed two fingers on the girl's neck, feeling for the carotid artery.
The skin was cold and there was no pulse.
Kagome screamed.
Kagome's eyes shot open. She sat up panting and covered in a cold sweat.
"Kagome? What happened?" a disembodied voice asked, sounding concerned.
A cool hand rested on her forehead, "You're burning up. Kiara bring a cold glass of water, a dry cloth and a bowl of cold water please."
As Kiara rushed to do as she was asked, Kiome sat down next to Kagome and asked what had happened.
Kagome's breathing had slowed and she quietly replied, "Nothing, it was just a nightmare."
Kiome smiled encouragingly and hugged the girl.
Kiara returned to the room and handed Kagome the glass of water. She set the bowl on the table and stepped back nervously.
When Kagome finished her water, she handed the glass back to Kiara and was instructed by Kiome to lie down. Kiome took the cloth and dampening it, set it on Kagome's warm forehead. "Sleep now. You have a big day ahead of you," Kiome murmured.
Kikyo stood directly in front of her, staring menacingly at her. Inu Yasha stepped out from behind her, his eyes glassy and strangely empty.
"Inu Yasha?" Kagome whispered.
Recognition filled his eyes and he took a step toward her, "Kagome?"
As if in slow motion, Kikyo's eyes narrowed and she reached for the arrows in her quiver.
Golden irises shifted to Kikyo and then back to Kagome. Thunderstruck, Inu Yasha dashed to Kagome's side. At the same time, Kikyo nocked her arrow and released it. Kagome watched horror-struck as Inu Yasha came into the path of the arrow and jerked from the force of it hitting him.
Scowling, he ignored the pain and scooped Kagome into his arms. He wordlessly raced through the forest stopping at the base of the Bone Eater's Well. Placing her on her feet, he stared down at her.
"Kagome—"
He was cut off by a muffled thud and his body slamming forward into the girl's. He grabbed the edge of the well to steady himself and Kagome could see Kikyo nocking another arrow behind his bowed figure.
"Inu Yasha!"
But it was too late, Kikyo had already fired a few more arrows. Kikyo's eyes locked on Kagome's as she continued firing arrows. "If I can't have him, neither can you." She stopped firing and turned abruptly on her heel.
Confused, Kagome looked down. Inu Yasha was leaning against her quite heavily with at least five or six arrows sticking out of his back. "Inu Yasha?" she asked hysterically. She teetered, her body threatening to topple backward when suddenly he slumped against her. No longer able to hold both their weights up, the schoolgirl fell backwards into the dark well, taking the hanyou with her.
Kagome awoke with a start. Gazing around at her empty room, she guessed that the girls must have gone to sleep. Sitting up, she noticed that her glass of water had been refilled.
Downing it quickly, Kagome got up. There was no use trying to sleep. She would only be haunted by more nightmares. Stretching, the girl pulled apart the curtains. The sky was becoming lighter; dawn was approaching.
She wondered what Inu Yasha was doing…
Snapping herself out of it, the miko went to her closet. Sifting through dozens upon dozens of kimonos, Kagome finally found one that suited her mood. The kimono was a scathing black with blood red tendrils forming faint designs on the material.
Carrying the kimono with her, she proceeded to locking herself into her private spring.
Tying her hair up in a bun, Kagome sighed and allowed herself to sink into the warm water. Sitting with only her head above water, Kagome's thoughts wandered.
Perhaps space from Inu Yasha was exactly what she needed.
'Nothing… she's nothing but a shard detector,' his words echoed painfully and Kagome found herself yet again fighting to keep her eyes from watering.
Was that really all she was to him? After all this time, she was just a shard detector? Forcing herself not to think of all the moments they'd shared, Kagome's thoughts upturned a new stone; Sesshomaru. He was a lot harder to read than his younger half-brother. For one thing, if he had only taken her so he could obtain Tetsusaiga, then why give her such grand quarters?
Yesterday's meal with him had been a peculiar one. The look that he'd given her afterwards had kept her mind bustling with strange ideas.
Getting up, she pushed the quiet whispers to the back of her mind. She supposed that the answers she was looking for would soon make themselves clear.
Patting herself dry, Kagome meticulously dressed and stepped out of the bathroom. Sitting in front of the vanity, Kagome pulled a hairbrush through her hair, and tied her ebony hair in a tight bun. She opened a drawer and found jewellery of every shape, colour and design imaginable. Gaping, she eventually chose a ruby choker with matching dangly earrings.
'Shoes,' returning to the closet, Kagome fit a pair of wooden sandals with a black thong on her feet. Stepping out, she was surprised to see Kiome and Kiara watching her. Smiling brightly she asked, "How do I look?" Twirling, the miko struck a pose for the demonesses.
"Stunning," Kiara complimented.
"You look amazing," Kiome agreed.
Kagome grinned, ignoring the tiny part of her mind that wondered what Sango would think.
"Tell us Sango, what is your idea?"
"Well, remember that time Kirara was poisoned in battle?"
Kaede nodded quietly, gazing at the two-tailed neko-youkai resting in Sango's lap.
"What about it?" Miroku asked.
"Who did we go to for help?"
"Jinenji," Miroku and Kaede chorused.
"Exactly," an eager smile broke out on the woman's face, "It's safe, not too familiar and far away from here."
Kirara ambled toward Inu Yasha's perch at the foot of Goshinboku. When he came into view, the neko coughed. Looking up with tired eyes, she saw the hanyou watching her curiously. Her eyelids fell and the youkai slumped to the ground.
"Kirara!" Inu Yasha called with alarm. Within the blink of an eye, he was by her side. Picking up the tiny youkai, he began walking toward Kaede's hut, all the while rubbing relaxing circles in the neko's fur. He entered the hut to find Sango, Miroku and Kaede sitting quietly. "Sango?"
Sango looked up at Inu Yasha, her eyes zeroing in on Kirara's petite form, "What is it Inu Yasha?"
Inu Yasha looked down at Kirara with a frown and recounted his short tale to Sango.
Looking worried, Sango held her arms forward, indicating that Inu Yasha should give her Kirara. The woman stroked Kirara murmuring, "What's wrong my baby?"
A hacking sound escaped the neko-youkai followed by a feeble meow.
Sango's eyebrows furrowed, "We have to do something. I think she's sick."
"What should we do though?" Miroku questioned on cue.
"Last time Kirara got sick we went to Jinenji," Inu Yasha recalled.
"Hai, Jinenji would know what to do,' Kaede agreed.
"Let's go," Inu Yasha stated plainly, turning and exiting the hut. Miroku hurried after him, casting a meaningful glance in Sango's direction.
Nodding, Sango stood and strapped her weapon onto her back. Clutching Kirara, she wordlessly left Kaede's hut mindful of Kaede's piercing gaze.
The three walked along with Inu Yasha leading the way. "Do you know what happened to Kirara?" the hanyou asked.
"Iie," Sango began, "she must have eaten something while she was off hunt—arrrgh!"
"Sango!" Miroku shouted.
Inu Yasha spun to find Sango holding Miroku for support and clutching her ankle at the same time. "What happened?" he demanded, rushing to her side.
"I tripped over something," Sango said through clenched teeth. Glancing back, she saw that there was nothing on the path.
Miroku inspected her ankle with furrowed brows, it appeared to be fine, but as soon as he touched it the girl cried out in pain. "You twisted your ankle," he concluded solemnly. He knew that this was part of the plan, but he couldn't help but wonder if she was just a good actress or if she had actually hurt herself.
"Can you walk?" Inu Yasha asked.
Setting her foot down, Sango tried to walk. As soon as she put weight on it, pain seared up her leg. 'Damn,' grabbing Miroku's shoulder, she shook her head. 'It wasn't supposed to hurt.'
"Here, Miroku you hold Kirara," Inu Yasha instructed. Handing the neko-youkai over, the hanyou easily lifted Sango and continued walking.
It was late afternoon when the crew finally saw Jinenji's towering figure working in vast fields.
"Hello Jinenji-san," Sango greeted.
Jinenji smiled in their direction, "Hello." His brow immediately puckered when he saw that Sango was being carried, "What happened?"
"Oh, I'm fine, I just twisted my ankle. Jinenji, would it be okay if we went to your hut?"
Nodding, Jinenji watched as Inu Yasha began walking toward the small hut at the corner of his fields. The monk however, did not follow them. He stayed and approached Jinenji.
"Jinenji, we need your help," in hushed tones, Miroku quickly explained the situation and was grateful to see that the hanyou understood. "Now, make sure you say that Kirara is very sick and that we must stay here for a while." With that, Miroku handed the neko over and watched Jinenji examine her. From the corner of his eye, he saw Inu Yasha returning. He knew that Sango was now explaining the situation to Jinenji's mother.
Large, intelligent eyes inspected the perfectly healthy neko-youkai. Jinenji frowned, "Do you know what she might've eaten?"
Miroku frowned, "Iie, she usually goes off to hunt on her own."
"Why?" Inu Yasha called, "Anything serious?"
Jinenji nodded gravely, "I'm afraid so. Kirara ate a very deadly specimen. I've seen this several times before; she needs a steady dose of antidotes. I will help her, but you need to stay here until she's better."
"And how long is that?" Inu Yasha enquired.
Miroku glanced nervously at the larger hanyou. He opened his mouth to answer but was cut off.
"It depends on Kirara's immune system. From what I've seen, this infection can take anywhere from a week to a year to be purged from the body."
After a moment of thought Inu Yasha nodded. "Arigato," he said gruffly, "Come Miroku, let's go check on Sango." Turning, he began walking toward Jinenji's hut.
Miroku thanked the hanyou and taking Kirara, scurried after Inu Yasha.
Stepping inside the hut, the males found Sango leaning against the wall with her ankle bound and Jinenji's mother tending the fire.
Sango looked up, "How's Kirara?"
"Not well," Miroku responded, "How are you?"
"My ankle is starting to swell. I don't think I'll be able to walk for a few days," she answered apologetically.
"It's okay, we have to stay here for Kirara anyway," Miroku replied, seating himself next to Sango.
Inu Yasha mutely seated himself by the entrance.
Miroku gazed at Jinenji's mother working the fire, "Oh pardon my manners! Hello ma'am, how are you?"
The old woman smiled, "It's quite alright. I'm good, how are you?"
"Stressed," Miroku said honestly, "Thank you for letting us stay here. It means a lot to us."
"It's no problem, after all you've done for us, it's the least I could do."
Miroku smiled in response and petted Kirara absently, "She ate something poisonous in the forest… It could take a while for her to get better."
Sango gasped and snatched the neko from Miroku, "I'm sorry Kirara, I should've been watching you."
The chatter died down and each sat quietly, absorbed in their own thoughts.
Soon, Jinenji entered with a handful of what appeared to be herbs, but Miroku knew better. These were just ordinary, edible plants that would be cooked, stewed and fed to Kirara until Inu Yasha stopped moping. Then a few days later, Kirara would "recover" and they would proceed to go and save Kagome.
Placing a pot of water over the fire, he tossed the herbs in one by one, pretending that there was a particular order. When he was done, he removed the pot and poured its steaming contents into a bowl. "When this cools, have the neko drink it," with that, he turned and left the hut.
All the while, Jinenji's mother had been carefully scrutinizing Inu Yasha, "Why don't all who are fit offer their services to Jinenji?"
Inu Yasha and Miroku stood and followed Jinenji out of the hut without complaint.
"Hai Sango-san, I can see the difference in the hanyou. His spirit is broken… but you must hurry, it seems that he is the only one that can save your friend," the older woman spoke softly to the taijiya.
"I know, but he needs strength to get Kagome back. Without spirit… there is no strength."
A/N) Phew! For some reason this chapter took me forever to rewrite. :S I changed up the dreams a little, made them less violent, more in character etc. etc.
Also, for those of you who missed the Jinenji episode (The title comes from that episode-'Kind but Sad'), when Jinenji's mother says "Oh it's the least we could do after all you've done for us," she's referring to events from the episode. The villagers used to hate and fear Jinenji b/c they thought he was murdering the villagers, but Inu Yasha and co. showed them that they were wrong and it was just some random youkai. (:
Review please! (: