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Journey to the Future – Chapter 10
The next two weeks passed slowly for Kagome. They ran into the occasional wild youkai, which usually ended up being killed by Inuyasha. As the time passed, Inuyasha seemed to be getting faster and stronger than when he had left Kaede's village. When Kagome asked him about his improvement, the hanyou explained that he had been recovering from nearly sixty years of inactivity while he was sealed to the tree. Although the spell on the arrow had kept him in stasis, his lack of mobility for so long took its tool. So far, Kagome hadn't even needed to contribute to any of their battles, which was fine with her. The thought of vaporizing a youkai with her spiritual power still made her stomach turn.
Inuyasha also seemed to be getting more skilled in the use of his sword. Kagome supposed that it made sense, as he was getting an awful lot of practice. They were currently facing off against some kind of beetle youkai.
It had an extremely thick exoskeleton that was so-far seemed to be invulnerable to Inuyasha's youki-infused claws and the normal striking power of his sword. Kagome notched her bow, preparing to unleash another blinding burst of purifying power. As she was trying to harden her heart against the knowledge that she would be yet again killing something, Inuyasha leapt into the air, sword raised high above his head.
He swung it in a downward slash, shouting, "kaze no kizu!"
Golden power burst violently from the end of the sword, crashing over the beetle youkai and cracking its previously impenetrable shell.
Kagome lowered her bow and watched in awe as Inuyasha touched back down on the ground for a brief second before launching himself up into the air again. He came down hard, driving the point of his sword into the long crack on the beetle's back. The insect youkai let out a clattering screech and collapsed.
The ground shuddered from the weight of the creature and Kagome stumbled slightly as she tried to keep her balance. And then everything was still and quiet. She jogged over to Inuyasha, where he was yanking his sword free from the beetle's back with a nasty squelching sound.
"Inuyasha," Kagome said enthusiastically, after she found her voice again. "That was absolutely amazing! How did you do that? And what, exactly, was it?"
The hanyou looked over at her with a slightly surprised expression, like he hadn't even noticed that he had just done something out of the ordinary. He wiped his sword clean on the grass before sheathing it with a quiet snick. "Uh, it was like I could see my youki clashing with the beetle's. Then there was a break where they met and I just knew what to do," he tried to explain with a shrug.
Kagome stared blankly at him, not really understanding what he meant.
"Look, I told you that Tessaiga was made from one of my old man's fangs, right?"
She nodded, slinging her bow back over her shoulder and replacing the arrow in the quiver.
"Well, my old man was supposedly one of the most powerful inu-youkai that's ever lived, so his fangs made some pretty fucking impressive swords. That bastard has one too, but he thinks it's useless," Inuyasha snorted, as if he couldn't understand how a sword could be considered useless. "Uh, anyway, it's like… the sword told me what to do. Oh, I know," he said suddenly, when Kagome looked skeptical. "How do you use your power?"
Kagome furrowed her brow in thought. "I guess, it just does what it needs to do. Kaede says that I'll learn to use it more consciously, but…" she shrugged. "For now, it kind of has a mind of its own—oh I get it!" she gasped, smacking her forehead lightly with her palm. "It's a subconscious thing, then."
"Eh, not exactly, but that's close enough," Inuyasha said, gesturing for Kagome to follow him back to the path. "I think youki works pretty differently than spiritual power."
"Fair enough," Kagome conceded, glancing back at the dead beetle youkai before trailing behind Inuyasha. "I mean, they are complete opposites." She let out a quiet sigh and her shoulders sagged slightly. "It really is too bad though… I could use a couple pointers."
Inuyasha puffed out his chest arrogantly. "Well, I am pretty fucking stron—urk!"
Kagome burst into laughter as Inuyasha tripped over a tree root and fell flat on his fact. "Strong or not," she said between giggles. "You obviously still need to see where you're going!"
The hanyou shot to his feet and crossed his arms sulkily over his chest. There was a smudge of dirt on his forehead and the tip of his nose. He sneezed violently and wiped his nose on his sleeve. "Keh!"
Kagome hid her grin behind her hand and focused back on the path that wound through the trees. It would be just her luck if she tripped on another tree root just after teasing Inuyasha for doing the same thing. As she squinted along the path, she broke out into a delighted smile. The seemingly endless trees were coming to an end.
She broke out into a run, passing the hanyou, who called after her in confusion and slight concern.
"Kagome! What's wrong?"
The trees suddenly fell away and Kagome had to shield her eyes from the brightness of the sun reflecting off of the boundless ocean that stretched out in front of her. After the weeks spent in forests, the open space was almost overwhelmingly large.
"Inuyasha! We've made it to the coast!" She was standing at the top of a shallow incline, looking down at a sprawling fishing town. If she strained her eyes, she could just barely make out the island of Hokkaido at the edge of the horizon.
"I could've told you that," Inuyasha bragged. "I've smelled it for days now." He inhaled deeply and then sneezed. "Damn salt in the air," he grumbled, pulling his sleeve over his nose irritably.
"You'll just have to hold your breath until we get away from the sea then," Kagome teased, elbowing the hanyou in the ribs. "Let's go down then," she suggested. "We'll need to find a boat to take us across and we can finally restock our supplies."
Inuyasha's face soured, but he said nothing. Kagome decided to take his silence as enthusiastic agreement. She took a few steps, placing her feet carefully on the sloped ground. "You…" she paused uncertainly. "Will you be okay? Entering the village, I mean. You've been awfully reluctant to make any stops."
"Keh," the hanyou scoffed. "Don't think of me as some kind of fucking coward," he snapped, bounding ahead of her toward the village.
Kagome winced. She hadn't heard that tone since their disastrous fight a few weeks prior. But as her stomach growled and she clutched at the fabric that had become steadily looser since leaving Kaede's village, she decided that Inuyasha could have a fit if he pleased, but she needed some more food.
"A little rest and some different company would be nice too," she muttered, picking up her aching feet and following the hanyou down into the village.
As they got closer, Inuyasha became increasingly grouchy, causing Kagome's muscles to tense painfully in response to his attitude. If the villagers turned them away, she wasn't sure how either of them would react. She had the feeling that Inuyasha wouldn't take being insulted or attacked by a bunch of bigoted humans and she wasn't sure that she would stop him should he retaliate.
Thankfully, Kagome never had to find out. As soon as they actually entered the village, no one even locked twice at Inuyasha. If anything, Kagome was the one who received a few sideways glances at her modern sneakers as they peaked out from the slightly tattered hem of her clothing. She even saw a youkai here and there. The pointed ears and facial markings aside, they each possessed an otherworldly beauty and, most strikingly, hair and eyes in a wide range of brilliant colors.
Kagome could tell that Inuyasha was just as surprised, if not more, judging by this slack-jawed expression. She wondered if this was the first time that he had seen youkai and humans coexisting peacefully.
The smells wafting through the air as they entered the market area made Kagome's mouth water. She couldn't help stopping at a food stall and purchasing a couple sticks of grilled squid for herself and Inuyasha.
"Inuyasha," she said, between bites. "Let's see if we can find somewhere to stay the night, like an inn or something."
"Eeh!" the hanyou cried out in disbelief. "What the hell do you want to do that for?"
Kagome sighed patiently. "Inuyasha. Please remember that I am human and therefore possess a human's limited ability to walk long distances without rest. Try to recall how you feel… you-know-when," she suggested, finishing off her squid and placing hand on her pleasantly full belly. She knew that she hadn't been eating enough when two small squid skewers made her feel so sated.
The hanyou's eyes crossed slightly, but then a blush crossed his face. "Keh! That's why I hate it," he affirmed. "So fucking weak!"
"Despite what you wish," she said, reclaiming Inuyasha's attention. "I still need to get some warmer clothing and restock our food supplies. By the time I get everything, it'll be dark already. And on top of that, we need to find someone to take us over to Hokkaido."
"Damn, alright already!" Inuyasha whined. "We'll stay the fucking night!"
Kagome had already turned him out and was approaching the nearest stall,which appeared to be selling some kind of jewelry, to ask for directions. "Excuse me," she called out.
"Hello, young lady," the vendor said smilingly. "Can I interest you in some fine jewels today?
"Oh, they are quite beautiful, but I only wanted to ask you if there was somewhere my friend and I could stay for the night," she replied.
The vendor's smile fell slightly, but he didn't look too surprised at Kagome's refusal. She sourly supposed that her appearance was rough enough that he didn't expect her to want, or be able to afford, jewelry. "Ah, yes. There is an inn at the end of the market square; just there by the dock," the vendor gestured to his left.
"Thank you so much," Kagome said politely, bowing in gratitude to the merchant. She grabbed Inuyasha by the sleeve from where he was drooling over some kind of steamed dumpling.
The inn was small and busy and Kagome worried that there wouldn't be any room for them to stay. However, the owner informed her that most of the guests milling about where actually in the process of leaving and that there was a room available for the both of them.
While Kagome would have loved to have a bit of privacy again after nearly a month of constant (and usually immature) company, she simply did not have enough money to rent two rooms and buy passage to Hokkaido and supplies.
As soon as they were led to the room and left alone, Inuyasha turned to Kagome with a pleading expression. "I've got to go get some more things to eat," he explained as he asked for some money from her small pouch.
Kagome carefully counted it out, thankful that Kaede had explained the money system that she had long forgotten after learning about it in a history class. "This is all we can spare," she sighed, giving Inuyasha a few coins.
"Stingy…" he accused. But he didn't press for more, so Kagome let it go.
"Don't get into any trouble!" she cautioned as he sped away.
Kagome found herself in relative silence and she closed her eyes, enjoying the peace and opportunity to rest in an actual shelter. She untied the cloth securing her bag and stashed both items away in the futon closet along with her sneakers, bow, and quiver. There was a small, low, square table with a cushion on each side and plenty of floor space for the futons to be laid out.
With a sigh of pleasure, Kagome settled on the cushion by the wall and sagged back against it. She tipped her head back and let herself relax. Her entire body ached from the weeks of constant travel and the rationed food and water. She had lost weight that she didn't need to lose and felt stretched and thin. Slipping her feet out of the slippers that had been provided when she purchased the room, she reached forward and massaged the soreness out of her feet.
The innkeeper, who was some type of bird youkai with brightly colored feathers instead of hair, had given her an odd look when she refused to leave her sneakers up at the front of the inn in the shoe cubbies. Kagome was wary to leave them where they could be seen. She was aware that they were unique and very different from all of the sandals and boots of this era and didn't want to risk someone taking them out of curiosity.
Besides, her sneakers were one of the only things in this world tying her to her family. She leaned back again, wondering how they were doing. It had been over a month since the well quit working. Because of her fatigue, Kagome couldn't stop the tears that sprang to her eyes. She sniffed and rubbed her face vigorously with her palms. A piece of frizzy, straw-like hair fell into her eyes. Kagome welcomed the distraction and she slid her feet back into the slippers.
She took a moment to wipe her face dry with her sleeve before collecting her shoes from the closet. Kagome slipped her money bag back into her yukata and padded down the hallway toward the entrance. Surely the inn owner would be able to point her to the right shop to get what she needed.
Kagome let out a frustrated sigh. She hadn't seen Inuyasha anywhere. She had already purchased some winter clothing, including some winter gloves for herself, a pair of fur-lined boots for Inuyasha, and a small bottle of hair oil, and had just finished setting up their passage to Hokkaido for the day after next. Kagome thought that it was a sign that tomorrow seemed to be some kind of village holiday. She was looking forward to getting an extra day of rest, although she knew better than to lay around in a futon. Her muscles would completely seize up if she didn't walk around at least a little.
As she headed back to the inn with her purchases, Kagome bumped into someone. "Oh, I am so sorry," she apologized, backing away and bowing deeply.
"Kagome-nee-chan!"
She straightened in surprise and grinned as she recognized the teenage girl whom she had run into. "Rin-chan? What are you doing here?'
The girl took some of the burden from her arms and walked with her to the inn. "Sesshomaru-sama said that I could look for you," she said excitedly, following Kagome into her room and setting her load down on the table.
"Well, it's wonderful to see you again so soon," Kagome grinned, setting down the rest of her purchases and pulling the girl into a hug. "But what are you guys doing here at all? And where is Sesshomaru?"
Rin shrugged slightly. "I'm not really sure," she admitted. "Sesshomaru-sama doesn't usually explain where he is going, or why. I'm sure he will tell us when he gets back," she said, displaying her utter faith in her guardian.
Kagome, however, wasn't so sure. Part of the reason she and Inuyasha had fought so spectacularly a few weeks ago was Sesshomaru's baffling interest in her. That he was continuing to follow them made her feel somewhat uncomfortable, even though Inuyasha had told her that his brother wanted to help her for some reason. Kagome didn't like not knowing Sesshomaru's motivation and she hadn't spent enough time with him to get a good understanding of his character. Rin's lovely personality and healthy appearance spoke highly of him, but Kagome needed to get to know him herself.
"Is he in town somewhere?" she asked, pulling the little bottle of hair oil from her sleeve and setting it down on the table.
"Oh, no," Rin said, waving her hand dismissively. "Sesshomaru-sama never comes into town if he doesn't have to."
Kagome nodded, just now remembered that the teenager had told her that before. "You haven't bumped into Inuyasha, by chance, have you?"
Rin hummed thoughtfully but shook her head negatively. "Maybe he went to talk with Sesshomaru-sama?'
"That's possible," Kagome agreed. She started sorting through her purchases but froze as the implications of Inuyasha and Sesshomaru running into each other. The last two times Inuyasha had encountered his brother, he had returned nursing some kind of wound. "You don't think… that they're out there fighting, do you?"
The younger girl looked at her with wide eyes, but didn't deny the possibility.
"That's it, then," Kagome said, grabbing Rin's hand and pulling her along as she rushed from the inn. "We've got to make sure that they don't hurt each other, right?"
"Right," Rin agreed, taking the lead to show Kagome where she had last seen her guardian.
Kagome crossed her fingers inside her sleeve, hoping that the two brothers weren't fighting. Was it really too much to ask for even one day of peace and quiet?